Imagine a cultural demi-god, heading to an island of exile hundreds of miles off the coast of Japan. His mission: To bring centuries of delicate, intense stagecraft to a group of devoted drummers, musicians so into understanding the culture behind their music they study the practice for a lifetime, harvest rice by hand, and build furniture from scratch.
This is the newest chapter for Japans most famous group of taiko drummers, Kodo, who have welcomed the unexpected guidance of one of Japan’s Living National Treasures, Tamasaburo.
The visceral intensity, the athleticism, of taiko drumming in the hands of a master group like Japan’s Kodo may feel like the polar opposite of kabuki theater’s controlled, nuanced performances. Yet when Kodo announced it had found a new Artistic Director in kabuki icon Tamasaburo Bando—often referred to simply as “Tamasaburo”—it made perfect sense.
They both draw on the deep well of traditional Japanese culture, rooted in a long lineage and sense of place that bring unflagging precision and profound personal commitment to their work. It runs through the explosive power of a giant booming drum stroke and through the most delicate of hand motions, though the harvest celebrations and demon dances to the most refined and urbane stages.
Now their joint labors are coming to America in early 2013, with a tour that will feature several re-envisioned and new pieces guided by Tamasaburo’s distinct aesthetic and deep experience.
“Human beings cannot exist without nature,” Tamasaburo reflects. “That is why we use the arts to communicate nature, and it is only when we become free from impeding thoughts that we can become one with it. Facing the taiko, having acquired sufficient technique and control, players can forget their body, awareness, desires, hopes, and egos the moment they reach that state of oneness, and everyone who is present will share that indescribable sense of transcendence.”
Kodo Tour Dates
02/01/13 Fri The Smith Center Las Vegas, NV
02/03/13 Sun Zellerbach Hall Berkeley, CA
02/05/13 Tue Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, CA
02/07/13 Thu Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts Davis, CA
02/09/13 Sat Meany Hall Seattle, WA
02/10/13 Sun Meany Hall Seattle, WA
02/13/13 Wed Symphony Hall Chicago, IL
02/15/13 Fri Hill Auditorium Ann Arbor, MI
02/17/13 Sun Minneapolis Convention Center Minneapolis, MN
02/19/13 Tue Des Moines Civic Center Des Moines, IA
02/20/13 Wed Des Moines Civic Center Des Moines, IA
02/21/13 Thu Pabst Theater Milwaukee, WI
02/23/13 Sat Peace Center Greenville, SC
02/25/13 Mon Memorial Hall Chapel Hill, NC
02/28/13 Thu University of Florida Gainesville, FL
03/02/13 Sat Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL
03/07/13 Thu King Center Melbourne, FL
03/09/13 Sat Adrienne Arsht Center Miami, FL
03/11/13 Mon Philharmonic Center Naples, FL
03/13/13 Wed CAPA Columbus, OH
03/14/13 Thu Palace Theatre Columbus, OH
03/16/13 Sat D.A.R. Constitution Hall Washington, DC
03/18/13 Mon Creative Arts Center Morgantown, WV
03/20/13 Wed Williams Center for the Arts Easton, PA
03/22/13 Fri McCarter Theater Princeton, NJ
03/24/13 Sun New Jersey Performing Arts Center Newark, NJ
03/25/13 Mon The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts Philadelphia, PA
03/27/13 Wed Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts Storrs Mansfield, CT
