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Published on December 4, 2007

Sitting cross-legged, their eyes twinkling with curiosity and expectation, scores of children at the Duang Prateep Kindergarten in Klong Toei gaze at the tall figure before them, a stranger from a foreign land, speaking a foreign language, and about to play a strange-looking instrument.

Israeli marimba artist Asaf Roth needs a few hushes before he can set the tone for the afternoon with the story of a flower that "grew bigger and bigger", the subtle notes, produced with precision strikes of the mallets on the wooden bars of the marimba, tracing the flower's extraordinary growth. He follows with his own adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf".

Helping him with the Thai version is "Mint" Ardhawadee, who pours herself into the story, drawing enthusiastic responses from the children while Roth's marimba mesmerises them with its notes, evoking the movements of a duck, a bird and, not least, a wolf.

Roth, in Bangkok at the invitation of the Israeli Embassy, has children and "adult children", spellbound during his performances. After regaling the young ones at Duang Prateep, he heads to the Januz Korczak School for Street Children at the Mercy Centre for a repeat performance. "There's no thrill like bringing smiles to the faces of children," he says.

To audiences not familiar with the marimba and its possibilities, Roth comes across more as a musical juggler, as a pair of mallets in each hand, and a collection in a bag hanging by the instrument, waltz across the wide-bodied instrument with dexterity, striking up delightful music.

"It's a revelation," says Mint. "I had only a slight awareness of the marimba when Asaf came to Bangkok. It's just fantastic what he can do with the instrument, especially with two mallets in each hand. It's not an easy instrument to play."

The marimba, which looks like a bigger version of the xylophone, also melds in tones of the piano. Roth considers this instrument, which originated in Africa, a precursor to the piano. But by its nature, the marimba does not easily fit into a band or orchestra. Therein lies the difficulty. Although marimba players are adapting classical pieces, and giving solo performances, not much has been written for it. "They weren't aware of it so they didn't write anything for it," says Roth, speaking of the great European classical composers of the past.

Roth's musical journey began at the age of six in Israel and for more than a decade he dabbled with a range of instruments - the accordion, piano, drums, electric organ and the trumpet. So why settle for an esoteric instrument like the marimba? Roth explains: "I was strongly drawn towards harmony and melody. I realised that drums or trumpet alone wouldn't satisfy me. My music teacher suggested the xylophone. So the transition from xylophone to the marimba, which has more octaves and range, was only natural."

At around the time Roth started playing the instrument, there were only a handful of marimba players in Israel. "The profile of the marimba is slowly changing, especially after I started playing with a rock band. Now more people are aware of it," he says.

One huge influence on Roth's evolution as a musician was his stint in New York, at the Manhattan School of Music. "That place is an ocean," he says. "It's impossible for anyone to completely take in everything it has to offer. Seven years after leaving the school, I'm still digesting some of the things I learned there."

Although for an Israeli, terrorism is not an uncommon experience, Roth was a witness to terrorism in its most awesome form on 9/11.

"I was staying in Queens and from my house, you could see the twin towers," he says. "I was asleep when I got a call from home enquiring, 'Are you okay?' And my response was like, 'You are the guys hit by suicide bombings everyday. What can happen to me here in New York'? When I heard about it I rushed up to the roof, and saw all the smoke and chaos. One tower had already gone down. I was distracted for a moment when I was jolted by a chorus that seemed to reverberate across the city. I quickly looked up and saw the other tower cave in. It was an unbelievable sight and I won't forget those images for the rest of my life."

Roth is a great believer in music as a unifier, in its ability to bridge differences. The one regret he has about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is it has denied him the opportunity to team up with Arab musicians. "There's so much that can be done as fusion. In fact I believe any peace process should begin with music."

No one in the political circles has heard his voice yet, though he claims he has a promise from President Shimon Peres to do a narration for "Peter and the Wolf".

Despite the accolades, life as a performer   is not all music and melodies for Roth, the father of twins, especially in a small market like Israel.

"There is money, but not for the musician," he says. "It's the system that's at fault. By the time the money trickles down and reaches the musician, there's not much left."

Roth's predicament is aggravated by his lack of a niche. "In a music shop, where would you look for a marimba CD - under classical, jazz, pop, rock?" he asks.

Having come to terms with the scenario, Roth is also exploring electronic music. He has a high-tech instrument with pads, and a range of switches and gadgets for bizarre manipulations of sound. So what do you call that instrument?

"I was asked this same question once in Hungary," he says. He doesn't have a name for it yet, and electronic percussion would probably only be an approximation.

"I want to produce original music," he says, "and I see scope for it in this form. Although I love classical music, I'm not interested in repeating ready-made compositions. I'm interested in dance music. If I can play something that could make people want to get up and dance or even move their hands and feet, I would consider it quite an achievement. That's what I find most exciting now."

Roth's afternoon programme at the Duang Prathep School rounds off with a sound feast from his electronic instrument. As the racy beats pour out of the sound system, people in the neighbourhood flock to the venue. The children are now elated and up on their feet, so like the Pied Piper, Roth leads them in circles.

If getting people to dance was Roth's goal, then the electronic version scored over the marimba, hands down.

Persuasive percussion

The marimba is similar to the xylophone in appearance and though it's usually played on its own, it can also be made part of a larger ensemble. Some music has been composed and/or arranged specifically for the marimba, and you can also play pieces written for other instruments, especially the piano, violin, and trumpet.

The origins of the marimba can be traced to Africa, before it moved on to South America and evolved into its present form. The bars on most marimba are made either from rare tropical woods like rosewood, or synthetic material like Kelon. The resonators are typically metal (aluminium or brass) and extend beneath the bars.

The marimba often has a five-octave range and is played with special mallets, one in each hand. The mallets usually have wood handles (commonly birch or rattan) with a rubber disk attached at one end and wrapped in yarn.

Kumar Krishnan

The Nation