Picture a half-naked man, wrapped in only a loin cloth while he
plays an 800 pound drum alone on the stage of Royce Hall.
This act, along with another piece in which players drum while
sitting on the floor in a half sit-up position for about 10
minutes, is a piece by Kodo, a taiko drum group from Japan’s
Sado Island that launched its One Earth Tour in California this
month.
From the start of the show, Kodo players flex their muscles and
show off their physical strength and power in a group signature
piece titled “Miyake.” It is the sheer physicality of
the performance that is typically most impressive in the eyes of
viewers new to taiko.
“It’s a very physical display and very strenuous
style of drumming,” Kodo player Kaoru Watanabe said.
“So, I think people are just overwhelmed a lot of times by
the endurance, the physical stamina of the performance.”
The experience is not just a visual and audible one: the
vibrations of the drums are strong enough that the audience can
actually feel the music.
“I think one thing that really strikes people about
Kodo’s performance is that you not so much hear the sounds of
the drums, but you can feel it. The vibrations of the drums come up
from your seat, into your stomach, then into your chest,”
Watanabe said.
Traditionally, the boundaries of a Japanese village were
established according to how far one could stand and still hear the
sound of the drum coming from the center of the village. This
concept of the sounds of the drum determining boundaries is the
basis for Kodo’s One Earth Tour.
“By pushing our sound all over the United States and the
world, we can expand our Kodo village. We want to bring unity to
everyone who listens,” Watanabe said.
In the tour show, Kodo presents a mix of traditional and
contemporary pieces, as well as some of their own original
compositions.
At times the music requires all 16 Kodo players to play an
assortment of powerful drums together on stage, while other pieces
in the performance call for Japanese bamboo flute players and
dancers. Kodo places great importance on the transition between
songs, which they consider to be the key in keeping the mood and
energy alive between pieces.
Committed to playing modern pieces and abstract rhythms in
addition to traditional ones, Kodo believes it can keep the taiko
tradition alive.
“Tradition can’t exist unless it grows and develops
with the times so we try to incorporate new rhythms and styles into
the music as naturally as possible to keep the tradition
growing,” Watanabe said.
This yearning for new ideas is perhaps best represented through
their decision to have Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead produce
their recent 2002 album.
Hart’s relentless energy and quick mind encouraged Kodo
members to work with different music styles and to collaborate with
musicians ranging from Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain to Latin
percussionists and a Blues harmonica player.
“A lot of it was very improvisational. Most of the music
on that album comes out of just jamming in his studio for hours. We
went in trying to open up our minds and try new things. It was a
lot of fun, for one thing. We met a lot of musicians and it was a
very eye-opening experience for us,” Watanabe said.
None of the pieces on the new album, however, are featured in
the concert. But Kodo fans can look forward to the U.S. premiers of
several new compositions.
Kodo spends two-thirds of the year touring, with a visit to Los
Angeles generally occurring every two years. In order to keep up
their physical strength and endurance when they are home in Japan,
Kodo members spend five to six hours a day practicing together. The
tight-knit group lives together on the island of Sodo, with the
youngest members living in dormitories in Kodo Village.
“This tour is going to feature a lot of the younger
members, so there’s going to be a new, youthful energy to
this concert,” Watanabe said.
Kodo performs at Royce Hall from Wednesday to Saturday. Shows
are at 8 p.m.; tickets are $30-$45, $15 for students. Call the
Central Ticket Office at 310-825-2101 for more information.