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Andy Akiho cuts through every bit of pretension that remains embedded within Portland’s new music and contemporary classical communities. He speaks with the swagger of his native New York, appearing more like a lost member of the Beastie Boys than a stuffy composer. His work follows a similar line, marked as much by the percussive work of Amadeo Roldán and Steve Reich as by the complex productions of J Dilla.
The way Akiho and his music move is a huge contributor to his appeal among the programmers of both big institutions like the Oregon Symphony and smaller ensembles like Third Angle—he crosses generational and cultural divides. Proof positive were the dozens of people who packed into Straub Collaborative last Tuesday to see Akiho perform some of his work with local percussion ensemble The Gemini Project. Grade schoolers mingled with senior citizens; T-shirts and jeans sat next to crisp suits.
The program for the evening sought to satisfy both camps as well. The first half was heavy on the steel drum, played by Akiho, and polyrhythms that inspired involuntary head nods from both the performers and the audience. A highlight was “Empty Your Mind,” a piece that incorporated a flipped sample of Bruce Lee, and a percussion array that included a tray of Chinese tea cups and a large San Pellegrino bottle.
The second half featured select portions of Akiho’s Seven Pillars. In its complete form, it’s a dense, bombastic work evoking carnaval processions and a Music for 18 Musicians remix with jaw-dropping solos. Condensed, Pillars lost some of its power, with the unhelpful acoustics of Straub’s massive studio space giving an unnecessarily loud report to the kick drums onstage. Those jarring intrusions notwithstanding, the four movements still managed titanic moments that felt like weather systems colliding and inspired a stomping ovation from the crowd.