Recently the 4 of us saw each other in person for the first time since the pandemic. To be more precise, it was at 9:30am Pacific on the morning of Aug 1st. There were hugs, smiles, and a tear all around, followed by “everyone looks the same!” Then we sat down to investigate the rhythmic patterns in Derrick Skye’s American Mirror Part II.
It happened thanks to the ingenuity of our friend Cho-Liang (Jimmy) Lin. When his Taipei Music Academy & Festival 2021 couldn’t carry on in Taipei as scheduled, due to Covid developments there in early summer, he did the impossible: move TMAF 6,432 miles east to San Francisco. The move was made possible in part by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music generous allowing TMAF the use of their facilities. We spent a week working with today’s most talented young musicians, performing with Jimmy’s amazing roster of faculty artists, and playing together as a quartet for the first time after 17 months.
Throughout the SF edition of TMAF — particularly during late-night hangs, but even in unexpected moments like midway through Formosa Quartet’s performance of “Minor Swing” — the 2 words most often, and most loudly, spoken by the faculty were “Toooo much!!” The expression was coined during clarinetist John Bruce Yeh’s early Marlboro days when, playing pool in the middle of the night, he and his buddies could be heard shouting “Toooo much!!” or “Not enough!!” after every shot, to the distress of all who were trying to sleep. Nowadays “Toooo much” has taken on a life of its own, punctuating every conversation, plundering every context, insinuating itself in every shade and intonation. It lives in John and Jimmy’s repartees at TMAF and everywhere. You can’t understand it or capture its bro-ness until you’ve heard them say it.
“Enjoy Seoul Food! Too muuuuch!”
”The kitchen is hot! Too muuuch!!”
”Very advanced microtonal modulations. Tooo… muuuchhh.”
”Naming it ‘The Chaser.’ Tooo muuuch!!!“
”Isn’t that scored for B-flat aubergine? Tooooo muuch!”
”Do you want 2nd or 3rd species counterpoint? Tooo muuuuch!!!”
”But of course you must COOK it first!”
”Too much or not enough?”
”Jusssttt Rrrright!!!!”
”Uuuuusuki tooooo much.”
”Toooo muuuuch!!!!”
And it really was.
