Chieko Kojima

Oct 16 (Fri), 2020 / Last updated : Oct 23 (Fri), 2020 melanie Posts by MembersChieko Kojima, Conference, Hana Hachijo, Tomoe Miura, WTC

“Open Call for Hana Hachijo—WTC Version Submissions” by Chieko Kojima

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Hana Hachijo: Infinity Project
—Making Taiko Rhythms Bloom Like Flowers Around the World—
Open Call for Hana Hachijo—WTC Version
Submissions for Video Collaboration!
Submission Deadline: Extended to Nov. 9!

The inaugural World Taiko Conference (WTC) will be held in November this year. I decided to share my signature piece, Hana Hachijo, as part of this event. I created it 21 years ago, based on a traditional folk art, Hachijo Daiko, from Hachijo Island south of Tokyo. “Hana” means flower in Japanese, and my piece incorporates rhythms from Hachijo with dance-like movements that add beauty, grace, and color.

I have traveled the world with “Hana Hachijo,” sharing its seeds with many people to date. With each encounter, I hoped those seeds would one day bloom as a unique flower when each individual played their own rendition of Hana Hachijo.
To commemorate the first WTC in Japan, I would like to start a baton relay that connects our Hana Hachijo flowers around the world. Please play Hana Hachijo, share your rendition, and pass on the baton by using the hashtag #hanabaton. Let’s pass it right around the world!

Please submit a video of you playing “Hana Hachijo,” using the videos below as a guide. There are two versions: one without metronome clicks and one with metronome clicks.

We will compile all the videos we receive to create one collaborative “Hana Hachijo” video featuring everyone. We are going to submit this final video as an exhibition at Niigata Prefectural Cultural Festival in November. After it is shown at the festival, I will share the video on social media for everyone to enjoy. WTC and Kodo will share it, too.

I’m looking forward to receiving everyone’s “flower baton” videos! Thanks in advance for taking part!

*This collaborative video is scheduled to be shared on Nov. 18, 2020 on the Niigata Prefectural Cultural Festival “Niigata Stage Channel” on YouTube.

Details about World Taiko Conference Song Submission:
https://en.wtctokyo.com/songsubmissions

Nov 11 (Thu), 2021 / Last updated : Nov 11 (Thu), 2021 melanie Posts by MembersChieko Kojima, Discography, Kodo Online Store, Mondo Head, My Kodo Discography Pick, Sen no Mai

My Kodo Discography Pick 16 | Chieko Kojima: Mondo Head (Album) and Sen no Mai (DVD)

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Chieko Kojima

I never got to join in when everyone else was recording a new album. When they came back from the studio and told stories about how the recording sessions were going, and who they met, I felt sad that I was missing out.
But when we’re making a DVD, I can join in. When I danced in “Kodo,” filmed on Sado Island; “Live at the Acropolis,” filmed in Greece; and in “Sado E” filmed in Tokyo with Tamasaburo Bando; I was so happy because I finally felt like a member of Kodo.
If I had to pick just one Kodo album, I would pick “Mondo Head”!

Firstly, because you can dance to it!!! I love how Mickey Hart’s arrangements mix Kodo’s sound with music from around the world. It’s like fusion cooking, but he’s making borderless dishes that use our sound as a sauce. Swirling, undulating, spiralling rhythms combine with Kodo’s tight beats and it’s wasabi-cool! Mickey works like a skilled chef to combine Japanese flavours into new, delicious dishes.
I love every song on this album, but if I have to select one, I’ll go with the first song, Berimbau Jam. It’s like all the spices from around the world bursting in your mouth! If you’re going to dance at home, this is the perfect track.

I also recommend “Sen no Mai,” even though it wasn’t released under the Kodo label. Kodo performed this full production as a one night-only special event. It was the first time Kodo has ever done that. I think this DVD shows a new direction for Kodo. Music reverberates through the air, dance turns to light, and they both fade into the universe. But we captured those reverberations and light in this DVD.
This is the DVD I always dreamed of making.