Dou Wei & The Not Sure Yet: "Three States, Four Scores" (2004)

Three States

01. Night-trip Lamplight 7'53"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / D,P:Liu Xiao Song / F,D:Dou Wei / B,G:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
02. Secret Peach Garden 14'42"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / D,P:Liu Xiao Song / F,D:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
03. Fabric Lhasa 6'59"
T:Wen Zhi Yong / P:Liu Xiao Song / D:Dou Wei / A:Zhang Jian
04. Republican Guard 6'55"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / D,P:Liu Xiao Song / F,D:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
05. Seek For Me 11'08"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / D,P:Liu Xiao Song / F,D:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong

Four Scores

01. Rain(I) 17'40"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / P:Liu Xiao Song / F,D:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
02. Alone 0'41"
B:Long Long
03. Stoned and Dizzy 4'42"
P:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / D:Liu Xiao Song / B:Dou Wei / G:Long Long
04. Sigh 7'33"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / D:Liu Xiao Song / V:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
05. Rain(II) 5'12"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / S:Liu Xiao Song / F,D:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
03. Parallel 3'11"
G:Ma Pei / K,A:Zhang Jian / F,D:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
04. Fading Eventide 3'39"
K:Zhang Jian / P,S:Liu Xiao Song / F,D:Dou Wei / B:Long Long / T:Wen Zhi Yong
05. Autumn 3'24"
K:Zhang Jian / P:Liu Xiao Song / B:Dou Wei / G:Long Long

A:Apple Lap-top B:Bass D:Drums F:Flute G:Guitar K:Keyboards P:Percussion S:Shaker T:Trumpet V:Vocal

Recording: Liu Yi Ning
Video: Wu Quan
Where: ARK pub, Shanghai
When: July 12th, 3:00-5:00pm & July 13th, 3:00-5:00pm, 2003 Producer & Editor: Dou Wei, Zhang Jian Art Art Design: Dou Wei, Wu Quan
Thanks: Yang Zi, Leo Li, Guo Chuan Lin, Huang Ting, Chen Xiao Hu

2CD + 1VCD
live recorded on July12th & 13th, 2003

ISRC CN-E02-04-0017-0/A·J6

Dou Wei & the Not Sure Yet: "Four Scores"

Live @ ARK Club, Shanghai, July 13th, 2003

It's not easy to write a proper review of the Not Sure Yet's gig, 'cause they're so 'not sure yet', and words are so 'for sure' comparatively. As Dou Wei defines another meaning for "Rainy Murmur" as 'wordless' (the two phrases are homonymic in Chinese), he believes that music is hard to express clearly in words, which reminds me of Ludwig Wittgenstein's rhesis: "Whereof one cannot speak, one must remain silent." Of course, it is unnecessary to sublime Dou Wei to a philosophic level, 'rainy murmur' or 'wordless' are just due to the rain and the swift inspiration. Actually, they hold an atitude of 'playing', only thus can they be more free and 'not sure yet' in music.

Let's get to the gig.

ARK Club was full of people on that Sunday night, the "Four Scores" gig began at 9:30pm shot. While some audiences yelled 'Com'on, Dou Wei!' because their sight was blocked by some plants and drumkit onstage, Dou Wei had been playing drums behind another drumkit for a while already. The line-up: Wen Zhi Yong on trumpet, Long Long on bass, Zhang Jian on keyboards, Ma Pei on guitar, Liu Xiao Song & Dou Wei on drums. After two moderate openings, Dou Wei began to play flute, the crowd cooled down and began to listen intently. With Dou Wei's leisurely, warm, poetic flute, a slide-show of fishes swimming was cast on the white gauze hung high above the stage, and brought about a serene and beautiful mirage.

The rest of the crew joined him before the audiences could wake and applause: the bass droning and intrepid; the trumpet cool and invigorating; the keyboards at times elegant, at times agressive, with noises, distortion and samples added here and there; and the drums of course, skillful and impelling, urged a small climax among the audiences. And then, Dou Wei mumbled and crooned gently, which was his only vocal throughout the night, and made those who wanted to hear him sing felt unsatisfied. As a matter of fact, Dou Wei has quit from his so-called Drak Dreams era or Hallucination era for a long time, he has evolved into a visionary, unearthly and ethereal state, the occasional vocals are just a part of the music.

Hypnotic and continuous Ambient music dominated the first half of the show, intervened with some Fusion Jazz ad-libs. And the lights onstage were so dim as not to focus on any member, that a few audiences almost fell asleep. I'm not kidding, the music of the Not Sure Yet is suitable when one sleeps. The guest bassist Long Long said afterwards that he fell asleep while he was playing onstage. And he admired fans from Shanghai, that so many of which stayed until the end of the show.

But some people had left the club during the half time, and those remained were dye-hard fans of Dou Wei's. And Dou Wei didn't disappoint them, at the beginning of the second half, a long segment which mingled with Jazz-Rock fusion, noise shatters and Post-rock improvisation lasted for more than twenty minutes and sounded circumlocutory and high-spirited, the audiences were thrown to the topmost climax of the night. During the same time a slide-show of collapsing building was cast on the white gauze, it seemed to remind us of something. To mind you that this time Dou Wei was playing the bass, indicating the characteristic of 'not sure yet'.

The crew were playing in such high spirits that they invited a local guitarist to step onstage, then they did a jamming together. It was a good opportunity for that guitarist that he showed off his best and drew all the attentions. But after he stepped back down the stage, the original crew reverted to a harmonic integral, that was the most impressive of the show. The whole crew were a harmonic integral, no big shot projecting himself, that was the impression the crew wanted to present. Of course some might disagree with me, and that's understandable.

Most music of the second half was fusion-jazz improvisation, so the atmosphere was quite upbeat. The show ended in the callings of 'Encore!' among the audiences. All Dou Wei had said was introduction to the members and 'Thank you all!', and took two big bows, which revealed his refinement and modesty.

It would be vain to define the music style of the Not Sure Yet, all they do is just playing. Also because the Not Sure Yet play improvisational, and it is hard to define improvisation.

The Not Sure Yet are very not sure yet, the music is not sure yet, the line-up is not sure yet, the performance is not sure yet, everything is not sure yet. That reminds us of the old ancient oriental philosophy, that 'everything is uncertain'. Modern people are too proud, the development of technology makes us arrogant, as if we are the master of the world. But, there must be some uncertainty in the future. I seem to hear Dou Wei saying absently, 'Tomorrow, is not sure yet!'

(written by: Jiang Yong Qi, translated by krazy)