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| Original Sources: newyorkclassicalreview.com www.vancouveraikikai.com
www.sixeightschool.com
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One time, when I went to visit
Scott Hogarth at his Dojo in Milton FIGHTING GRIFFIN for an exchange (I badly wanted to learn
his Seipai Kata!), I remember walking
into the Dojo and hearing some nice, funky music coming out of some
loudspeakers. He was on the floor practising the Kata the angels of Karate had
whispered the name of in a dream – Seipai.
Scott
was back then, and still is, an innovator. His innovations are based on a solid
background in technique. His Seipai
was, to say the least, classical Karate to the core, yet I could see he was
still having loads of fun just bending it with the music and seeing where it
would take him, much like a musician who has brought his instrument – in this
case Seipai – to a jam session. Never lacking in passion, the musician dives
into some startling riffs, clusters of notes that he signaturizes…yet without
ever abandoning the classical format.
I
thought: Man, I’m familiar with this sort of thing from Kung Fu…the drums, the
cymbals…either during a lion dance or during the performances of a form,
particularly in the Southern systems.
Hogarth
happens to be tall, and imposing. I still remember a line he said in a movie
when he played a bouncer escorting a gentleman out of a bar, something to the
effect of: “If you have a problem, you’re not going to have it here.”
His
delivery was perfectly natural. I don’t
think he had much studying to do in order to get that line right; it was based
on experience. His training to music seemed to come just as naturally.
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| Source: www.seattlepi.com |
Why
not? I started to play around with the same concept, some days training to the
beat, so to speak, some days without. It’s fun.
Sometimes,
when working on a Tai Chi set the old way, searching for the lines of power,
holding the postures, etc., music in the background might prove to be a
distraction. For those occasions, you might just want to listen to the breeze ruffling
the curtains at an open window.
Or
the swish of an Aikido hakama may be
the music that suffices in a universe filled with ki.
Nevertheless,
there are times when cranking up the volume does serve to motivate or just to
loosen life up.
I’m
still trying to find a tune from my
favourite band Radiohead that would juice up my
Kata/forms. For those readers who love jazz, I tried Chet Baker’s version of
Elvis Costello’s ALMOST BLUE, the one
from the Tokyo Concert.
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| Source: listeningiseverything.com |
No,
don’t go there. I once wrote about a woman at 1:00 a.m. gazing across a city
landscape at 1:00 a.m. with Chet’s tune looped in the background, and by God,
it turned out to be a stream of consciousness moment where I went from Almost
Blue to Mingus’ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, stuffed
with a few images of the artist Giacometti’s leaning figures, and then some. Ideal,
perhaps, for the downward spiral of Chet Baker’s final years, that man with
such a huge talent. Like Miles, Chet could play one note and it would grab you
right away. But not the stuff of Sepai.
On the other hand, here’s a
little number that will make the spirit bounce while training anything quick
limbed from Judo randori to a few
rounds of Muay Thai. I
don’t know about you, but I don’t recall hearing this version of Mary had a Little Lamb back in my days
in Kindergarten!
Coincidentally, the civil
rights movement in the United States, and the anti-war movement globally, both
of which came to the fore in the 1960’s, used music to marshal their support,
and encourage people in the tens of thousands to take to the streets. We Shall Overcome became a civil rights anthem.
On the same topic,
"Rhythm is defined as any kind of movement characterized by the regular
recurrence of strong and weak elements. All things in the universe have rhythm,
whether external, like music, or internal, like the atomic structure of a rock.
The martial arts are no exception, and the student who has a sense of rhythm
will improve in karate much more quickly than one who does not. It would be of
great assistance to a karateka to become involved in the rhythmic occurrences
in everyday life such as music, dance, and so on. This will lead to a unification
of the mind and body which will serve as the firm foundation for growth and
excellence in any undertaking."
Taken from MAS OYAMA'S CLASSIC KARATE
Hanshi Scott has appeared as an actor, stuntman and a fight choreographer in 10 action movies over the years.
7th Dun – Hap Ki Do (Kong Shin Bup)
4th Dan – Chito Ryu Karate
3rd Dan – Japanese Go Ju Ryu Karate
2nd Dan – Kempo/Kung Fu
1st Dan – Jiu-Jitsu
Kobudo (Weapons) Master
For more on the amazing artist Alberto Giacometti, please visit -
https://www.artsy.net/artist/alberto-giacometti
Historically
speaking, music has played a significant role in martial culture across the
globe, either as a means to motive and inspire the ranks of soldiers before the
onset of battle, and equally, to instill fear in the enemy waiting on the other
side of the battlefield. The story of the Battle of Jericho, when the people of
Israel conquered the first city in Canaan, is indicative of both the motivating
and intimidating qualities of music per se.
For
six days, the Israelites marched around the city once, and on the seventh day,
they marched around its walls seven times whereupon the priests blew their ram’s
horns, and amidst lots of shouting, the
walls came tumbling down.
Historically
as well, armies returned from the field of battle and used song as a means of
recounting deeds performed. War songs have been a part of the oral traditions
of many cultures.
the
great American novelist Richard Powers wrote THE TIME OF OUR SINGING , a complex work that deals in part with civil rights, anti-Semitism, music and
physics.
Capoeria…Muay
Thai…Pencak Silat…Zulu Stick Fighting…martial culture and music seem to go hand
in hand.
Taken from MAS OYAMA'S CLASSIC KARATE
Here’s a little bio of
Scott Hogarth –
Hanshi Scott Hogarth has been
teaching martial arts at his own club for over 35 years. While he holds Master
titles and black belts in 7 martial arts styles, he has chosen to teach
traditional Okinawan Go Ju Ryu Karate and Hapkijitsu at Fighting Griffin Martial
Arts.
An 11-time world champion, Hanshi
has been awarded many honours, including the 2014 Masters Hall of Fame Golden Lifetime
Achievement Award and the Sport Karate Museum
Dragon Image Fighting Award. both for his lifelong contribution
to sport karate. During his successful career in martial arts, Hanshi has
helped to establish competition rules and a refereeing system in addition to
winning countless awards
Hanshi Scott has appeared as an actor, stuntman and a fight choreographer in 10 action movies over the years.
A martial artist with integrity,
strength and compassion, Hanshi has been teaching with the Halton District
School Board for over 20 years. He has also served our community as a
firefighter and a paramedic.
8th Dan – Northern Lights Hap Ki Jitsu
8th Dan – Okinawan Go Ju Ryu Karate7th Dun – Hap Ki Do (Kong Shin Bup)
4th Dan – Chito Ryu Karate
3rd Dan – Japanese Go Ju Ryu Karate
2nd Dan – Kempo/Kung Fu
1st Dan – Jiu-Jitsu
Kobudo (Weapons) Master
For more on the amazing artist Alberto Giacometti, please visit -
https://www.artsy.net/artist/alberto-giacometti
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