Trichotomy 25 years – In studio live recording

I have been very fortunate to be involved in several projects with Trichotomy in the past, and I was thrilled to be invited to play with them again in July for their 25th anniversary celebration live recording. Let me tell you a bit about Trichotomy.

Trichotomy is a jazz trio that I first encountered soon after I arrived in Brisbane from Japan in 2003. At the Queensland Conservatorium, the percussion rooms are next to the double bass room, and that’s where I met Pat Marchisella, a former double bassist who is fluent in Japanese. At the time, my English skills were limited, so I was relieved to have someone to talk to in Japanese whenever I was at the Conservatorium. Back then, Trichotomy had a different name: Misinterprotato. It was a name I found difficult to pronounce and spell, so I nicknamed them “Miss Potato”. I was glad when they changed their name to Trichotomy.

I became a fan of Misinterprotato, and I am still a big fan of Trichotomy today. The current bassist, Sam Vincent, is the best friend of my duo partner, Thomas Green, and he is an amazing musician, composer and person. Pianist Sean Foran is so chilled and easygoing, and he always creates beautiful and interesting music (his 5/4 pieces tricks me always though). John Parker is also very nice and humble, and his music incredibly intricate in terms of timing and harmonies – it always blows my mind.

I dreamed of playing with them on day, but I thought it wouldn’t happen because they are in the jazz field and I’m in the classical field. But in 2020, during the COVID19 pandemic, I had the chance to record all the percussion parts for John Parker’s “Life Gets in The Way”. It was so much fun! That project led to more opportunities, including performing at the Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival in 2021 and with QLD Conservatorium concert with the Con students in 2023.

It’s been wonderful to perform with Trichotomy. Even when they are doing their own thing musically (improvisation times), it is always magical, and I can easily get lost in counting in the music. But I am always in awe of what they can do, both as a collaborator and as an audience member. I’ll continue to support them, and I want to congratulate them on making music for 25 years.