Jam! (Jom - Ayuh - Mari!) by Tracy Wong

Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs -Treble Singers (Gr. 9-12)
www.angelicacantanti.org/
5/7/23 Ordway Concert Hall
Conductor, Philip Brown
Accompanist, Jamie Schmidt
JAM! (Jom - Ayuh - Mari!) is three-way play on words! (1) In Colloquial Malay, Jom, ayuh, and mari all have similar meanings - “come, let’s go!” Nada, in the context of singing, means vocal tone. (2) The catchy, repetitive, and conversation-like musical themes would also suggest a group of musicians coming together to make music (akin to a jam session). (3) “Jam” in Malay also translates to “clock” - suggesting a passing of time, represented by the consistent snapping of fingers in the music. In essence, the music is saying “Come, let’s go make some music together and sing while passing time! Leave your worries for a while.” Each of the words - Jom, Ayuh, Mari - has its own distinct melodic theme. The body percussion’s ostinato rhythm, inspired by Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters)’ drum groove, brings a sense of unity and contemporary flavour to those varied folk-inspired musical themes.