The first verse of the sublime Tao Te Ching (see notes below) tells us that:
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao;
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” (Notes)

If the eternal principle of the universe can’t be told or named, can it perhaps be expressed through the medium of contemporary jazz? This, kind of, is the question addressed by Waypeople, recently performed in Wellington as part of the Lōemis midwinter arts festival.

If that’s kind of the question, how does Waypeople go about answering it? Well, there’s a line-up of musicians onstage – guzheng (notes), bass clarinet, saxophones, piano, bass, drums – who perform a sequence of pieces in a mostly jazz idiom. There’s a vocalist as well (the accomplished Chelsea Prastiti), who sings lyrics based on a selection of verses from the Tao Te Ching.

The music is complemented by a visual display on the backdrop, which includes text (static and written out live or recorded), simple images, also static or moving, and one back-lit sequence of what looks like tai chi or qigong.

We kick off with a melodious rendition of the first verse of the Tao Te Ching. This is sung with smooth confidence by Prastiti, who’s backed by a sweet jazz score that gives individual band members space to show their chops.

Not everyone in the audience will recognise the verse, and I’m guessing they’re unlikely to hear all the lyrics. Prastiti phrases beautifully but there’s a 6-piece ensemble in full swing behind her.

This is the balance which the show will play with for most of its 70-minute duration. The Tao Te Ching is famously dense, poetic and allusive. It’s got eighty-one verses, of which ten are used for lyrics. That means we’re getting a selection from the parent text, filtered and interpreted through the music and display. The music, on the other hand, is always right up front.

Part way through the show, composer/director/performer Jake Baxendale steps in to tell us that Waypeople is working with themes of mystery, sage advice, rejection of superficial values, and the use and misuse of power (as I hear it). I find his explanation really helpful.

Probably most of the audience is just grooving to the music and not thinking too hard. Not me, though – as a lover of language in general and the Tao Te Ching in particular, my mind is going in circles at a mile a minute. Now, instead of chasing What It All Means, I can surf on the mood the performers are building, and enjoy the poetry of the words when they reach through.

Baxendale’s explanation also helps to bring out the craft of the show; the way the performance integrates its modes to convey different states – tranquil, agitated, upbeat, melancholy. I get how this delivers the themes, and sometimes everything comes together triumphantly, as it does for me around the line, “The victor in war should be received with funeral ceremonies” (notes).

Overall, I find the vocabulary of jazz works more effectively for the show when the mood is rowdy, agitated, triumphal, lyrical. However, it doesn’t work quite so well for me when used to convey an atmosphere of stillness and contemplation. The guzheng, played by celebrated performer Jia Ling, does deliver these qualities convincingly. It’s an interesting question why this is the case – is it because the score is using a traditional Chinese musical form? Is it the instrument itself? The skill of the player? All three?

I come away thinking that Waypeople is a good night out for jazz lovers with an enquiring mind. It’s got a hard-working band that the audience really gets behind – Jake Baxendale (alto sax & bass clarinet), Callum Passells (saxophones), Daniel Hayles (piano), Seth Boy (bass), Cory Champion (drums), and as mentioned, Jia Ling (guzheng). The interweaving of contemporary and traditional forms adds a layer of complexity and interest for the listener.  

The deceptively simple visual display does a solid job of complementing the other modes (theatrical direction & lighting design by Joel Baxendale; visual art and shadow performance by Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant).

It’s also an intriguing and creative introduction to the mysteries of the Tao Te Ching. You have to applaud the ingenious Mr Baxendale for coming up with the concept, developing it into a performance (I assume with the aid of other contributors) and then performing it (ditto) – impressive.

The audience on the night loved the show. Some of us (well, me anyway) might have got more out of it if there’d been more context provided – a program including lyrics or something like that.

Notes:

The sublime Tao Te Ching: “Tao Te Ching is an ancient Chinese text of great philosophical and spiritual importance that has become a guide to people worldwide” (quote provided for the show)

The Tao that can be told – Translation by Wing-tsit Chan

The Tao or Dao = the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion (Google)

Guzheng = Chinese zither

The victor in war – from verse 31 of the Tao Te Ching, as transcribed (unreliably) by me on the night.

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