What do you get when you combine a koto, double bass, and alto sax? The Evans/Odamura/Elphick trio – one of the most invigorating live jazz performances you will catch in Australia to date.

On Friday night at the Utzon Room in Sydney’s Opera House, master koto player Satsuki Odamura joined Australia’s most celebrated and influential saxophonist, Dr Sandy Evans and ARIA-Award winning bassist Steve Elphick for the first half of a concert showcasing an impressive array of Evans’ and Odamura’s compositions.

Sandy Evans, Steve Elphick and Satsuki Odamura. Photo © Shane Rozario

Odamura and Elphick have both appeared on Evans’ albums in the past, including Rockpool Mirror (Tall Poppies) from 2017, which saw the masterful pieces for the koto, such as Her Wild Spirit (2019) for tenor saxophone, koto and bass koto, and Love is a Deeper Season (2020) for koto, bass koto and taiko.

In the Utzon Room, the trio opened with Where to now?— Evans’ musical essay, exploring a sentiment she’s been harbouring about the fate of the world after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Odamura bowed before entering her stage space, kneeling beside her 13-string instrument as she plucked the opening notes...