Masayasu Maeda – Kodo Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble

My Kodo Discography Pick 05 | Masayasu Maeda: Mondo Head (Album)

神谷唯 — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 00:46:52 +0000

◆ Masayasu Maeda

The album I recommend is Mondo Head.

When I was a senior high school student, I listened to it almost everyday on my way to and from school. This album completed changed my definition of wadaiko (Japanese taiko drumming) and made me think “Wadaiko is music!” for the first time. That’s obvious to me now, and I credit Mondo Head for that redefining moment.

Mondo Head is a collaborative work with amazing percussionists from around the world. I can’t get enough of their approach to music, the range of their instruments, the freedom of their sound, and all that improv! Though it was recorded almost 20 years ago, it’s forever new.

If I ever hit a creative wall, I listen to this album and it reminds me of all the things we can do with taiko.

Two of my favorite tracks are Kashira and Daraijin.

Kashira because, well, that insane groove gets me every time! (lol)
I know Kodo’s played it on tour in the past. I want to play it, too!

And Daraijin because it drew me to tabla and its broad range of tones.

I want to create music that will still be good when I listen to it in 20 years time. Music that taiko players will envy 20 years from now!

Album | Mondo Head

↓Listen to sample tracks (Japanese webpage)

https://www.kodo.or.jp/discography/sicp1_ja.html

↓Buy at Kodo Online Store

http://kodo.shop.multilingualcart.com/goods_en_jpy_86.html

“Temperature, Climate, Atmosphere” by Masayasu Maeda

taro — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 04:47:02 +0000

These are things we experience every moment of our daily lives. Sometimes, the contrast or intensity will sharpen our awareness of the sensations. If there’s a sudden draft, when a door is opened on a cosy space, the felt experience of our surroundings is just as likely to be emotional along with physical. Our surroundings have altered and we register that change.

Having spent January in Sado ,without snow, I arrived in Russia where the relentless coldness of their winter weather threatened to penetrate to my bones. It was quite shocking.

Still, the rooms are warm, especially the air-conditioned hotel rooms. Places that are heated (or cooled) by convection: the moving and mixing of gases, particles and energy. An involuntary event that we harness and then benefit from.

During a Kodo performance, I feel something similar occurs.

Each audience member entering and sitting in the auditorium is carrying the energy of their daily life, each theatre building holding the energy of both its own unique history and locality. All things being a reflection of temperature, climate and atmosphere.

Then Kodo enters this space bearing our own dynamism.

On the stage are Taiko drums, made by Japanese craftsmen, performers dressed in traditional costumes. Across the stage is the curtain, a symbol of a boundary, but it will lift, like a door or window opening and then a new and unique atmosphere is created as all these different energies will interact and mingle.

Because, once the curtain rises “convection” occurs.

The various elements of energy within the theater begin to mix, and by the end of the performance, the atmosphere surrounding us all is neither distinctly national to the place of performance nor exclusively Kodo.

I witness this over and over, day performances, night performances, rainy days …

It is an experience that can only be felt by people who are present, it cannot be captured with photos and videos. Each sound is fresh and born in that very moment, as it is being felt by both performers and audience.

Today, you can enjoy everything on Youtube, Netflix and Spotify.

Even in such times, Kodo visits countries and tours. This involves moving insanely large drums and their stands, preparing each individual stage space with the necessary markings and then a daily tuning of the drums.

Every performance demands sweat. Each night we hand wash our costumes so they can be hung in our air conditioned hotel rooms to dry. Physical convection. This is life on the road. A cycle of preparation and movement and exchange.

Ready for the next performance, theatre or country.

Lithuania was Kodo’s 52nd country. Over nearly 40 years, this process has continued with 52 countries.

Where is Kodo performing next? (February 18, 2020)

Tonhalle Düsseldorf［Dusseldorf, Germany］ (to Google Earth)

“Kodo One Earth Tour 2020: Legacy” Europe Tour

Schedules

“What’s on the Menu at Kodo Village this Month?” by Mari Takatsu

melanie — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 01:57:16 +0000

A Glimpse at the Kodo Village November 2018 Menu

Winter is on its way and the autumn leaves on Sado Island won’t be around for much longer.

When I see the mark for snow show up on the weekend weather forecast, I know it’s time to brace ourselves for another long, cold winter.

It’s easy to get sick now the temperature is much lower in the mornings and evenings, so it’s a good time to actively increase your intake of probiotic lactic-acid bacilli and get your gut microbiome in order!
So, on the menu this month at Kodo Village we’ve had:

*Grilled Fish (Saury)
Saury (sanma in Japanese) is an exemplary bluefish. Blue fish oil lowers cholesterol.

*Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria-Packed Soup
This soup has soy milk, kimchi, and miso in it. Kimchi contains plant lactic acid bacteria, which regulates the intestines. The pungent component of kimchi increases your metabolism and disintegrates fat.

*Sweet Potato Salad
We use yoghurt as a dressing. Yoghurt makes good bacteria activate, so it helps prevent constipation. Walnuts bring an enjoyable crunch element to the dish.

Kodo Menu Supervisor: Mari Takatsu