Celebrated drum and cymbal artist Bernie Arai and re-nowned jazz pianist Chris Gestrin explore the Japanese aesthetic principle of shibusa in their project Wabi. Long time musical compatriots in numerous other ensembles, they reference the well-worn piano trio format but remove the bass to create duets which connote incompleteness, sparse quietude and the beauty of imperfection. The words wabi and sabi do not translate easily. Wabi originally referred to the loneliness of living in nature, remote from society; sabi meant "chill", "lean" or "withered". Around the 14th century these meanings began to change, taking on more positive connotations. Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. From and interview with Bernie Arai about the 'Wabi' project : Q: On August 2nd you’ll be performing with pianist Chris Gestrin at the Firehall Arts Theatre. You had mentioned that your program is going explore the Japanese aesthetic principle of shibusa. Can you explain shibusa a bit for the uninitiated and maybe hint at how this aesthetic might manifest itself in your performance? A: First off, I need to make clear that I am far from qualified to define or explain Japanese aesthetic, and shibusa in particular. I know enough to realize that it is an incredibly complex and nuanced notion, and that I remain with an outsider’s view. However, many things about the Japanese arts resonate with me, mostly in how artistic works can be seen as beautiful, good or successful in ways that seem unique to Japan. Seeing ikebana, experiencing chanoyu, hearing solo shakuhachi honkyoku music or onkyokei artists like Toshimaru Nakamura inspired me to apply this to my own music. The idea that shibusa utilizes asymmetry, imperfection, incompleteness and mah (space or breath) maps well to the piano and drum set duets Chris and I play. An “incomplete” piano trio (with no bass), the asymmetry of the division of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic contributions between us, the imperfection inherent in improvised music performance, these are some of the ways shibusa informs our music.