By Guy Leshinski
The sound is nothing like you have heard before. Lungs rattle, veins pulsate to a stunning display or rhythmic prowess and physical fortitude. It is the power of Kodo, the celebrated Japanese percussion company that performs in Toronto on this week. As the group’s manager Takashi Akamine says: “When Kodo plays, dust flies.”
The rhythmic ensemble is from the Japanese island of Sado, where the group was founded in 1971. There, the members live communally, using each day to develop the strength, stamina and energy required for their tremendously draining performances. This is their regimen for eight months of the year.
During the other four months, Kodo tours the world. Beginning with tours of the Far East, Kodo received acclaim in the early ’80’s playing at arts festivals in Berlin and Los Angeles. Word soon spread of the group’s stunning show, as did both critical and public support.
Kodo’s musical explorations are rooted in ancient Japanese tradition, yet are interpreted with a contemporary edge that makes the music relevant today. From the use of the traditional Japanese “taiko” drum to the enormous and thunderous “o-daiko”—900 pounds of resonance carved from a tree trunk and requiring two men to play—Kodo is, literally, a moving experience. Their combination of percussion with dance, mime and various exotic instruments, among them the gong and bamboo flute, makes their show more than just an auditory experience, but a visual and spiritual one as well.
Kodo has also been involved in collaborations with many symphony orchestras, as well as working with renowned jazz drummers Max Roach and Elvin Jones. The group has contributed to musical scores for the films J.F.K and Hard Target. However, their percussive enormity is best felt live. Only then do the drum’s vibrations transport you to a world where music is power, and rhythm is bliss. The Kodo drummers play March 10th and 11th at Massey Hall.
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