Music Apr 30, 2020
Taiko group Kodo makes a plea for donations amid the COVID-19 crisis
by Gianni Simone
With Japanese drumming group Kodo forced to cancel this year's tour, the group has made an appeal for donations and equipment.
Stage Sep 22, 2016
Kabuki's Bando Tamasaburo V takes Kodo drum troupe in an artistic new direction with 'Spiral'
by Nobuko Tanaka
To celebrate its 35th anniversary, the internationally renowned Kodo drumming troupe staged three days of performances at Tokyo's Suntory Hall in mid-August, with a different theme for each show. On the first night, Kodo played together with the New Japan Philharmonic; on the second, the ...
Music Dec 10, 2015
'Taiko' pioneer Eitetsu Hayashi to mark 45 years of drumming to his own beat
by Chiho Iuchi
It's the image that comes to most people when they think of a traditional taiko (Japanese drum) performance: A man standing in front of a giant drum, back to the crowd and furiously banging away to create a powerful rhythm. Surprisingly, though, this way of ...
Stage Mar 4, 2015
Kabuki icon takes Dazzle dancers to new levels
by Mana Katsura
Street dance has been growing in popularity for years among younger generations in "Cool Japan," with displays often attracting crowds of passers-by. Though many artists perform alone in public, others have pooled their talents to help broaden their appeal. Among those, one standout is nine-member ...
Music Oct 23, 2014
Review: DJ Krush at the Tokyo National Museum
by James Hadfield
It's all in the location. For his sold-out Red Bull Music Academy show on Monday night, DJ Krush traded his regular clubland haunts for something a little fancier: the courtyard of the Yoshio Taniguchi-designed Gallery of Horyuji Treasures at Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. ...
National Feb 25, 2013
Traditional Japanese musicians wow U.S. audience with tribute to disaster victims
The 38th annual Music From Japan Festival kicked off with a Japanese drum and flute concert in New York on Saturday, delighting the audience while paying tribute to residents of the area struck by the March 2011 disasters and ensuing nuclear crisis. Japanese-American musicians Kenny ...