Performance with André 3000 and Upcoming Tour with Silkroad Ensemble

Hello Everyone,

Summer was productive—not many performances but lots of time spent composing, developing works, and planning for the next stage. 

I did have a very special encounter just last weekend as of this writing. My brother-in-arms, the great Adam Rudolph—a pioneer in bringing together rhythms/rituals/music from around the world and fusing them with Black American jazz and blues sensibilities—recommended and strongly advocated for me to perform with the great artist André 3000 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. 

André doesn't need an introduction from me—he's in the echelon of one of the top rappers in the history of hip-hop as well as the artist who brought us Hey Ya!, the theme song of the year 2003—but I've watched his artistic development with even more personal interest as of a few years ago, when he publicly declared he was taking a break from rapping and was switching his focus to playing flutes. Over the years, he has amassed bamboo, wooden and clay flutes from around the world and became obsessed with playing them—famously practicing them as he strolled around Venice, California, near his home. He released an album called New Blue Sun in 2023 of free-form, flute improvisations blanketed in gentle synthesizers and ambient percussion. 

Because he's a multi-Grammy Award winning global icon, I watched with interest how the world embraced this sharp left-turn and applauded his rejection of commercialism and stifling societal norms placed on artists, embracing this "spiritual' and "healing" music.

I went to BAM at 2 pm, loaded and set up my drums for soundcheck and met André and the band on stage. André came over immediately and was enthralled by my instruments and my playing. We jammed a bit on the taiko and I presented him with a fue, telling him about the flute maker Ranjo. I also spoke of my journey and parallels with his—going from one genre to another and dealing with recreating a new identity. He was very humble and attentive. From there, we spent the next six hours in the green room, chatting about life, baseball, and music, and I started showing and teaching him various aspects of traditional Japanese music—how one must first learn how to walk, kneel, and bow when learning an instrument. I showed him kakegoe vocalization and how to speak in the Kyogen style. He was eager to try things out and asked lots of questions. He told me he was actually considering moving to Kamakura, Japan. I told him that's where much of my family is from and that my grandparents' tomb is in the most beautiful temple in Kamakura, Hokokuji. 

For the concert, we improvised freely for an hour and a half. I loved the music, and I loved how we played the kind of music I often play in venues like the Stone or Roulette but in front of 2500 people, most of whom probably don't spend their Friday nights listening to a free improv show. The audience and venue responded with warmth and enthusiasm. 

When I first started hearing about Dré's transformation into playing the flutes and how his new music was being featured in major periodicals and television, I asked myself - should I be upset/jealous/annoyed that this guy is getting all this attention after just starting to play basically the same instrument I've completely devoted my life to and have studied formally and have been developing my own voice on for decades? The answer was always no because A) I don't get upset/annoyed/jealous by other people's achievements (or try not to... lol) and B) I could sense that he approached music-making with humility and curiosity. He never even hinted that he considers himself a good flute player but that he simply loves to play the flute and loves the feeling of peace he gets from the practice. 

Meeting him, talking to him, making music with him, all confirmed my impressions to be true. 

NEXT UP:

I will be on the road for three weeks with Silkroad Ensemble and Rhiannon Giddens. We will start in Chicago and will travel all over the Midwest and down south before finishing the run at BAM in Brooklyn. We will be doing the new version of a program called American Railroad which explores the history of America by focusing on the building of the transcontinental railroad—not so much about the triumph of technology and industrialism but more about the Irish, Chinese and Japanese and other immigrants and the black workers that built the tracks, as well as the Native American communities that were devastated by it's arising.

Please see the schedule below:

NOV 7, 2024

Harris Theater 

Chicago, IL

American Railroad: Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

NOV 8, 2024

Hill Auditorium

Ann Arbor, MI

American Railroad: Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

NOV 10, 2024

Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Nashville, TN

American Railroad: Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

NOV 12, 2024

Rogers Convention Center

Rogers, AR

American Railroad: Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

NOV 14, 2024

Peace Center Concert Hall

Greenville, SC

American Railroad: Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

JAN 25, 2025

George Mason University Center for the Arts Concert Hall 

Fairfax, VA

Silkroad Presents: Percussion All-Stars

Johnny Wales Remembrance

I write this with joy and gratitude. 

Johnny Wales, who passed away on September 6, 2024, was a sculptor, painter, puppeteer, furniture designer, animator, historian, collector, and a million other things. His art was his trade and his way of life. He was passionate, rigorous, creative, inventive, thoughtful and playful. He could also be temperamental and hold a grudge for years. His greatest joy was his wife Chibo, and their dog Kyla, and living deep in rural Sado Island. You can read about his life and see some of his artwork here: https://www.kodo.or.jp/en/info_en/50493 and here: https://www.johnny-wales.com/Site/Home.html

And check out this animation he made with a very rare opportunity to hear me play tenor saxophone (!!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4SwkQZKX_I

Here are some of my thoughts and memories of Johnny:

I first moved to Sado in 1998. I was entering a transformative time, going from being a non-Japanese-speaking American kid who played jazz flute and saxophone to someone who identifies culturally and professionally as a Japanese artist. After a grueling two-year apprenticeship, I found myself touring the world with Kodo, one of the premier performing arts ensembles in Japan. Meeting Johnny during this time was a godsend. He was someone from North America (a proud son of Toronto) who had wholly devoted himself to studying Japanese traditions and culture while maintaining a strong sense of identity and individualism in his work. Johnny was part of the Kodo circle, having known all the players from the very beginning and touring with them, doing lighting and managing in the early years, and writing their English language newsletter, Kodo Beat, for decades. So, he understood intimately better than anyone what I was going through and was able to not only provide friendship, perspective, and advice, but also his home, along with Marcus' restaurant Oasiss (yes with two S's), a place where I could speak English and briefly escape the high-pressure environment of being in Kodo. 

A very opinionated guy, he unhesitatingly offered his critiques - both exuberant praise and sharp criticism - about anything and everything from my performances to the woman I was with, down to what I was wearing. Nothing was off limits! I always knew he would give it to me straight - the good and the bad. 

Perhaps because he was an outsider in Sado, his curiosity led to accumulating encyclopedia-like knowledge of Sado history, culture, flora, and fauna. He loved showing Sado off. He actively encouraged his Sado friends to speak Sadoben—the local dialect that people often shed to seem less "country" or unsophisticated -- and celebrate the profound beauty of rural and old ways of life.

Besides the countless hangs at his place and around Sado, I remember clearly the few times we hung out in Tokyo. One day, we visited the Teien Museum, an incredible Art Deco museum in the Minato district of Tokyo, and the beautiful and historic Canadian Embassy designed by Raymond Moriyama. Johnny provided a professional-level guided tour throughout, offering insight into the intersections between Western and Japanese design and architecture. We ended up in Shonben Yokocho (piss alley) - a jumble of narrow streets with rows of tiny drinking establishments that’s been hosting Tokyo nightlife since the Meiji era. We drank beer, ate comfort food, and chatted about music, art, women, and politics. At one point, I couldn't help but overhear the two guys sitting beside us enthusiastically talking about a music festival on an island featuring taiko drumming. I interrupted, asking if he was talking about Earth Celebration, Kodo’s annual music festival. They said yes, and it turns out they went in 2005, the first year I was the festival's artistic director. It was a fantastic coincidence, but it made sense, considering I was with Johnny. It was such a special day for me - with so many of my worlds colliding: Western and Japanese art, Tokyo, Sado, and being able to share it with a close friend who could put everything into context and perspective.

In 2018, Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, and Wes asked me to come out for it to hang out and perform. I saw on Facebook that Johnny was also at the festival with the film crew he had worked with on a different film shot in Sado. My former Kodo teammate Tsubasa Hori was also joining me from Antwerp to perform, so we had a fun Sado entourage exploring Berlin together for a day. 

In 2019, I wanted to take Yurie to my old stomping grounds, so we visited Sado. We did the customary Johnny tour - visiting Chokoji temple, the pitch-black dragonflies and old Noh theater stage at Daizen Shrine, eating at his (and my) favorite yakitori place, Kinpuku, and staying with him, Chibo, and Kayla. We bought some fireworks on the way home from dinner and lit them in his driveway, his eyes reflecting the brilliant sparks.

Of Smoke, Fire, and Family

Larry Blumenthal asked me to write about my experience with Bloodlines for the summer edition of Chamber Music Magazine:

Bloodlines Interwoven 2024 Wrapup

I can say unequivocally that it was the most profound, humbling, joyous, and gratifying experience of my 25 years as a professional musician. If it's any indication of how heavy it was for me, it was the first time I've ever sobbed uncontrollably both during a rehearsal and in front of an audience! Brother Nasheet embracing me tightly and saying over and over, "We're doing the work, this is the work" is a moment I will never forget. 

It was not only super heavy but also incredibly joyful and cathartic. The highs and lows were intense, with laughter and tears coming back to back throughout the six-month process. 

For now, the most important thing before setting my sights on next year's festival is that I give my thanks to the many people who made this one possible:

The expert team at Baryshnikov Arts: Ashley, Natasha, Lydia, Tyler, Alex, Jesse, Chani, Pedja, Raphael, Dylan, all the tireless interns, and especially Sonja, who initiated the whole project and guided it to fruition.

The beautiful souls at Mellon Foundation, champions of creating social justice through art

The Kaatsbaan staff, led by Tricia and Ash, and all the volunteers who provided the space and created a welcoming atmosphere

Brother Marc, Mike, and the Firehouse Production crew, whose expertise brought the sights and sounds from the stage to the audience with clarity and soul.

Dan, Lisa, Jennifer, Deborah, and Quinn- all ingenious artists and masterful storytellers whose keen sensibilities perfectly matched the project.

My Bloodlines artist family: Martha, Mino, Maeve, Matt, Adam (O'Farrill), Amir, Alicia, Layale, Jen, Susie, Rajna, Nasheet, Du Yun, Jeff and Bloodlines extended artist family of Adam (Rudolph), Stephen, Hassan, Alex, Arun, Trina, Damon, Sameer, Imani, Samora, Amanda, Chris, Abdurrahim, Chikako and Aya.

Yurie, in addition to cooking over ten meals for between 10 and 20 people each meal over six days, was, as always, an artistic advisor and an emotional rock throughout the process.

Misha offered constant support, invaluable wisdom, and gentle guidance while never imposing his ideas. He had enough faith in the work to allow his name to be stamped on the top of the poster. 

Onward and upward. Look out for word on Bloodlines Interwoven 2025!

Bloodlines Interwoven Fourth Gathering 3/29

日本語は下です。

Last Friday, the latest Bloodlines Interwoven Gathering occurred at Baryshnikov Arts, and something powerful was in the air. Thoughts of family, friends, and ancestors weighed heavily on many of us, and tears were flowing almost from the moment people walked through the door. There was something cathartic and healing happening as we convened in the morning. Many of us were dealing with some heavy issues but felt protected and cared for enough that people opened up completely to each other. We took our time getting into the group activities as people collected themselves. We took that time to prepare some music and our instruments. We did some spontaneous group improvisations, which very beautifully dovetailed into a collaboration with the sounds of passing NYFD fire engine sirens.

The great Mino Cinelu joined us for the first time. Martha, Alicia, Amir, Matt, Jen, Susie, Layale, and I were treated to many stories from his family, life, and career. Then Susie showed us some rhythms used in traditional processions in Philippine folk traditions, and Jen led us through some guided improvisations that had us moving, singing, and playing in ways that took us far outside of our comfort zones and greatly heightened our awareness of others.

Over the last few weeks, I've had inspiring conversations with the Bloodlines artists about programming the festival. The breadth of ideas and creativity shown in various approaches have been remarkable. Along with great song ideas, proposals include sound installations, interactive use of film, string, stage settings, movement, and conduction to engage with memory, geography, and nature in surprising and beautiful ways. 

In the next few weeks, we will be diving deep into compositions, fleshing out ideas, and exploring the enormous palettes of sound each musician possesses. 

先週の金曜日にバリシニコフ・アーツで開かれた3回目のBloodlines Interwoven Gathering（今回のフェスティバルのディアスポラアーティストたちの集会）は、まるで空気そのものが力に満ち溢れているかのようでした。家族や友人、そして先祖たちの思い出が僕たちの心に深く刻まれ、集まったミュージシャン達はスタジオの入口を潜るなり、感情に溢れる涙を見せました。その朝、僕たちが集まった瞬間から、何かが心を浄化し、癒やしをもたらす不思議な力が働いているようでした。重たい問題を背負いながらも、互いに守られ、気遣われる中で、ミュージシャン達は心を完全に開き合うことができました。集まった僕たちは、静かに時間をかけて心を整えながら、グループ活動へと進みました。その準備時間には、音楽や楽器を整えました。僕たちの即興のグループ演奏は、ニューヨークの消防車のサイレンの音と美しく調和し合いました。

今回初めて私たちに加わったミノ・シネルの存在は壮大でした。マーサ、アリシア、アミール、マット、ジェン、スージー、ラヤル、そして僕は、彼の家族や人生、キャリアについての様々な話に耳を傾けました。続いて、スージーがフィリピンの民族伝統に見られる伝統的な行列で使われるリズムを紹介し、ジェンに導かれた即興演奏を通じて、僕たちは自分の快適ゾーンから大きく一歩踏み出し、互いの存在をより深く感じさせる動きや歌、演奏に挑戦しました。

ここ数週間、Bloodlinesのアーティストたちと話し合ったフェスティバルのプログラム案は、本当に刺激的でした。提案されたアイデアや創造性の広がりは、さまざまなアプローチからも際立っています。素晴らしい楽曲のアイデアだけでなく、音響インスタレーション、映像のインタラクティブな活用、舞台装置、動き、そして記憶、地理、自然と対話するための独自の方法など、想像を超える提案がなされています。

これから数週間、僕たちは作曲に深く没頭し、アイデアを肉付け、各ミュージシャンが持つ豊かな音色を混ぜ合わせ、パレットを広げていきます。

Bloodlines Interwoven Update

Nine of the fifteen featured artists of this years Bloodlines Interwoven: from the left, Matt, me, Jen, Martha, Rajna, Nasheet, Layale, Maeve, Susie and our illustrious host, Misha.

日本語は下にあります。

So far, throughout three seven-hour-long sessions, twelve artists have gathered to share the stories of our families going back generations and centuries, traversing East Timor, India, Palestine, the Philippines, Iraq, Taiwan, North Carolina, Havana, Tokyo, Edinburgh, Beirut, Rome, Maryland, Syracuse, Sado, East Village, Walnut Grove, Harlem, and on and on… our people who lived through wars, poverty, slavery, violence, occupation, genocide, colonization, depopulation, as well as peace, prosperity, and bubble economies, who criss-crossed the globe for work, education, research, family, safety, religious devotion and for freedom. There were doctors, nurses, politicians, journalists, activists, scientists, farmers, nuns, scholars, bankers, teachers, masons, fashion designers, businesspeople, poets, singers, dancers and musicians who contended with identity, language, dialects, community, race, religion, belief, patriarchy, matriarchy, rejection, acceptance, failure, betrayal, honor, pride, hatred, resentment, religion, family, erasure, appropriation, assimilation, adaptation, transformation, and forgiveness in their own ways.

As we process these conversations, the second phase will be transforming these narratives into music through composition, improvisation, visualization and storytelling.

As artistic director of this project, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to all the artists and the beautiful folks at Baryshnikov Arts who are making this dream a reality with a huge thank you to @mellonfoundation for making this possible.

The Bloodlines Interwoven Gatherings are held at @baryshnikovartscenter in New York City.

バリシニコフアーツとBloodlines Interwoven Festival （ブラッドラインズ・インターウーヴン・フェス ティバル）を開催します！ 僕がディレクターを勤めことになった「ブラッドラインズ・インターウーヴン・フェスティバル」が、世界各地にルーツを持つ15人のNY在住アーティスト達と共に、それぞれが受け継ぐ歴史や家族の物語を撚り合わせ、未来に紡ぐ旅を開始しました。 Bloodlines Interwovenという名称は、文字通りには、「相互に絡み合った血の繋がり」という意味です。でも、それ以上に、異なる文化や歴史的背景を持つ人々が互いに結びつき、その交流を通じて新しい芸術や表現が誕生する”過程”を象徴しています。 僕らは、このユニークなフェスの第一段階である「集い」の過程に入っています。これまでのところ、3回にわたる7時間のセッションを通して、東ティモールから、パレスチナ、フィリピン、イラク、台湾、キューバ、日本、スコットランド、アイルランド、レバノン、イタリア、アメリカ（メリーランド、シラキュース、イーストビレッジ、ウォルナットグローブ、ノースカロライナ、ハーレムなど）まで、地球のあちらこちらを渡り歩いてきた僕たちの家族の物語を、世代や世紀を遡って共有しました。戦争、貧困、奴隷制、暴力、占領、ジェノサイド、植民地化、人口減少、平和、繁栄、バブル経済を経験し、仕事や教育、研究、家族、安全、宗教的献身、自由のために地球を横断した私たちの先祖たちが、世界中で経験したすべてを通じて、彼らが向き合った世界を旅していきます。 このプロジェクトで僕が声を掛けたアーティスト達の先祖は、医師、看護師、政治家、ジャーナリスト、活動家、科学者、農家、修道女、学者、銀行員、教師、石工、ファッションデザイナー、実業家、詩人、歌手、ダンサー、ミュージシャンと多岐にわたる職業を持つ人々で、彼らのアイデンティティ、言語、信念、そして家族との関係を、「集い」で探求しています。 彼らの物語は、文化や伝統、コミュニティ、人種、宗教、信念、父権制、母権制、拒絶、受容、失敗、裏切り、名誉、誇り、憎しみ、恨み、宗教、家族、消去、横取り、同化、適応、変革、赦し、。。いった僕らが今も抱えるテーマを通して語られています。 今、僕たちはこれらの深い会話を音楽に変える第二段階に入ろうとしています。 作曲、即興演奏、視覚化、そして物語を通じて、これらの生きた歴史を新たな形で表現します。 この夢を現実のものとするために力を尽くしてくれているミハイル・バリシニコフさんとバリシニコ フ・アーツの皆さん、そしてサポートをしてくれるメロン財団@mellonfoundationに、心から感謝を捧げます。 この魅力的な「集い」は、ニューヨーク市の@baryshnikovartscenterで実施しています。

Rajna, Nasheet and Layale at one of our Gatherings

#BloodlinesInterwovenFestival #MellonFoundation #BaryshnikovArts #diaspora #newyorkcityarts #nycarts #crosscultures #dance #art #music #multidisciplinary #creativeresidencies

BLOODLINES INTERWOVEN

日本語は下！

Baryshnikov Arts is pleased to announce that it has received a grant for $2 Million from the Mellon Foundation to support the first iterations of the new Bloodlines Interwoven Festival,with acclaimed composer and musician Kaoru Watanabe as Artistic Director. Taking place for one week each summer beginning in 2024, with a confirmed second run in 2025, the grant will support the work of Kaoru Watanabe and dozens of diasporic performers, scholars, and artists.

The Bloodlines Interwoven Festival has been conceived as a durational dialogue of diaspora musicians and other artists, and a sharing of all that makes up culture—language, food, religions, customs, and philosophies. Presenting a broad range of traditions as they speak to one another—and a full plate of approaches in music and other artistic disciplines, Bloodlines will seek out and embrace original and unique perspectives and concepts.

Bloodlines will be a true cross-cultural exploration via art, focusing on the multi-generational life journeys it took for each artist and attendee to get there. For more information, read the full press release here.

Baryshnikov Arts Founder and Artistic Director, Mikhail Baryshnikov said “This is the fiftieth year since my arrival in the West. It's here I found the freedom to pursue my artistic journey and Baryshnikov Arts was founded to help other artists enjoy that same freedom. I am moved and humbled by the Mellon Foundation's generous support of our mission. It will ensure the commitment of Baryshnikov Arts to artists as critical interpreters of our past, present and future.”

Bloodlines Artistic Director Kaoru Watanabe said, “Artists confront, embrace, and propel forward the rituals, traditions, songs, and dances passed on through generations and carried in our bodies. I’ve dedicated myself to blending my heritage and musical experiences into a unique aesthetic for decades. The trust and support from the Mellon Foundation and Baryshnikov Arts are testament to a journey that, while personal, resonates with a broader artistic community. This opportunity will allow me and my fellow artists to delve even deeper into our stories unapologetically, explore profound new ways of seeing the world through the eyes of others, and share these discoveries with a broader audience.”

“We are so grateful to the Mellon Foundation for this vital $2 Million grant. It makes it possible for Baryshnikov Arts to continue its dedication to the cultivation and support of new perspectives as we focus on developing our organization beyond the scope of its current structures. With the help of this important grant, Baryshnikov Arts will further its mission of supporting artists in order to help create a transformative sense of belonging and community,” said Sonja Kostich, President and Executive Director, Baryshnikov Arts.

2024年、これまで温めて続けてきた音楽フェスティバルの企画に、メロン財団からバリシニコフ・アーツを通じて200万ドルの助成金が下りることになりました。この助成金は、2024年と2025年の初夏1週間にわたってNYのTivoliで開催する新しい音楽フェスティバル”Bloodlines Interwoven Festival”の制作と開催を支援するために使われ、僕は芸術監督を務めさせていただくことになりました。

Bloodlines Interwovenという名称は、音楽フェスティバルのコンセプトを美しく表していると思っています。文字通りには、「相互に絡み合った血の繋がり」という意味ですが、より広い意味では、異なる文化や歴史的背景を持つ人々が互いに結びつき、その交流を通じて新しい芸術や表現が生まれることを象徴しています。

このフェスティバルでは、ニューヨークで活躍するディアスポラのミュージシャンやアーティストが集まり、それぞれの文化や伝統を共有し、対話を深めることで、多様な背景を持つ人々の相互作用から新たな芸術的創造が生まれることを目指しています。言語、食文化、宗教、慣習、哲学など、様々な文化的要素が組み合わさり、それぞれのアーティストが自身のルーツや経験を音楽に反映させることで、世代を超えて伝えられるリチュアル、伝統、歌、踊りなどが新たな形で表現されることでしょう。

メロン財団とバリシニコフ・アーツからの信頼と支援は、個人的な喜びであると同時に、このフェスティバルが、より広いアーティストコミュニティをふるわせるプロセスであることの証です。心から感謝しています。僕とアーティスト達が紡ぎ出す新たな発見を、皆さんと共有できることを楽しみにしています。

End of Summer Update

This summer has been one of heart-warming celebrations with loved ones, inspiring collaborations with old and new friends, and new creative opportunities and challenges for myself. As the fall approaches and I prepare for what lies ahead on the horizon, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect back on and mention some of the most memorable moments from the past few months.

June was a busy month. I had a solo performance at the annual Japan Society Gala for a large crowd of international leaders in finance, politics and diplomacy, and I was warned multiple times that they may not appreciate something too “difficult.” They suggested that I should play something “accessible” and “catchy” for this event. However, being that I have always only created music that I like to listen to— improvisational, experimental, free, connected to and inspired by the past but always with a twist— I had no choice but to play the same way I always have. I used my loopers, delays and effects and played my odd-metered improvisational compositions. I have to say, the “stiff” corporate folks in their tuxedos and gowns were along for the ride from beginning to end, and it turned out to be a lovely and sensitive audience who appreciated the abstraction and freedom.

On stage at the Japan Society 2023 Gala.

Following that experience, I headed to Massachusetts for a performance with the Groton Hill Orchestra. Having grown up listening to both of my parents play in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, these opportunities to collaborate with orchestras feel very full circle. When I performed my first work for orchestra in 2018 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, it felt like a form of validation for the combination of my bizarre sonic world and the orchestra world. Now it feels like one facet of my art— something I need to continue developing and growing. Now it’s a chance to bask in the sound of the shinobue wrapped in a blanket of fifty strings. It’s time to learn how to place the sound of taiko IN but not ON all those delicate layers. Semba Kiyohiko once told me that they don’t HIT (叩く) the drum. They SOUND (鳴らす) it.

An image from rehearsal before the concert with the Groton Hill Orchestra.

The latter half of June was more traveling interspersed with time spent with friends and visits from family. In Tivoli, NY I performed at the celebration for world-famous dancer, choreographer and close friend Mikhail Baryshnikov’s 75th birthday. It was a pleasure to share the stage with other extremely talented artists and performers like Laurie Anderson, Regina Spektor, Diana Krall, Boris Grebenshikov and Mark Morris. I am so grateful to all the wonderful folks at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park where the event took place.

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I also played a gig where, for the first time in a long time, I did not have to schlep any drums around. Percussionist Rogério Boccato brought myself, Gamin and Keita Ogawa together under the name ‘Four Elements.’ We focussed on instruments that were made of skin, wood, bone, seeds, etc. no plastic or metals. I took it a bit too literally and (joyfully) came with only my flutes. I did, however, have to schlep my drums off early the next morning to Fayetteville, Arkansas for performance as part of the Silkroad Train Station Trios, this time featuring Shaw Pong Liu and Balla Kouyate. The performances of these Train Station Trios by various Silkroad artists, including myself, have been exploring stories of the African American, indigenous and immigrant communities that built the transcontinental railroad. You can listen to a recorded interview were we discuss the project more by clicking the link here.

Four Elements (from left): myself, Keita Ogawa, Rogério Boccato and Gamin.

The beginning of July came with some much needed rest and respite. We celebrated my birthday with lovely friends who came to the rescue with coolers and food when our fridge died the night before my birthday, spoiling the feast my partner Yurie had prepped during the prior two days. Back spasms after the weeks of activity kept me off my feet, enjoying the quiet moments and slipping into another world through the pages of a book. We ate home-grown cucumbers and celebrated Tanabata (Japanese summer festival) with my daughter Shinobu and her friends, and before I knew it I was back on stage playing with Tomas Fujiwara, Patricia Brennan and Tim Keiper at one of my favorite spaces in NYC, the Noguchi Museum.

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August began with celebrating Yurie’s birthday alongside our close friends at our home. The following day was our anniversary, but with our hearts so full from the prior night, we did not remember until the day after (haha). We made up for it by planning a celebration of the last 2 years living in our new dream space, and at Yurie’s request we made this occasion into an initiation rite and I set up my instruments and played a couple pieces. This experience directly led to putting on my first official home concerts which has been a dream of ours since moving in. I was inspired by Takigino (noh theatre by firelight) and had two small fires going along with candles provided by the wonderful folks at Lomar Farms. The smoke caught the sunlight piercing through the trees, and the way the sounds reflected off the moss covered stone was mystical. The solo work I do is called Incense and this was one of the most meaningful presentations of it.

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I will spend much of September in Japan for a recording project (more on that later!) and be with my parents as they visit their home country for the first time in many years while saying it may be their last. I’m unsure about that, but I know it will be a meaningful trip.

If you would like to follow my whereabouts to know when I am performing near you, you can follow me on instagram or facebook. Also, feel free to sign up for my mailing list to get updates on blog posts, upcoming performances and more. Just click the small envelope at the top right-hand side of this web page and send me a message with your email address saying to add you to the mailing list. Thank you all for the continued support.

INCENSE - solo show @ Joe's Pub on November 7th, 2021

INCENSE

Music for solo Japanese flutes, percussion, and koto

8PM on Sunday, November 7th, 2021
@ Joe’s Pub

Hello everyone,

I am thankful for the health and well-being of my loved ones, and I often think of those we have lost and those who continue to be affected by COVID.

I will be performing on Sunday, November 7th, 2021, at Joe's Pub, a venue in the heart of NYC that has presented my work for years. At that time, I wasn't sure how things would play out regarding the pandemic and vaccinations and how big of a concert it should be. It only made sense at that time to present a solo show since I had spent all of 2020 developing solo works in my studio while in quarantine.

It's been a few months since my last mailing. Pre-pandemic, I would write monthly to let people know what I'm up to and document and assess my artistic growth. However, in the last year and a half, I took a break from writing these, finding it discouraging to look at how things performance-wise really came to a stop even though I was staying active and busy developing my music and just dealing with things. However, as live performances slowly pick up, I plan to get back into the writing process. I want to use these writings to announce upcoming performances and reach out and communicate with people interested in my music and my life. Please feel free to comment or contact me, and I will try my best to respond!

First of all, an update to what I've been up to the last half-a-year:

I finished OTO GA TATSU- my online concert series. I want to again thank the folks at kaDON, the people who joined both in person and watched the archive, and the extraordinary artists who joined me: Wu Man, Tamangoh, Sumiyoshi Yuta from Kodo, and Kiyohiko Semba and Takahashi Kaori. Having a creative outlet during the pandemic pushed me to create and grow as an artist and stay connected with people in ways that I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

My first live performance of the year (in MAY) was momentous, one of the most unforgettable in my life for so many reasons. Performing in front of an audience in over a year was exhilarating, the venue- the cavernous Park Avenue Armory - was sublime, the cast of iconic and innovative collaborators - Laurie Anderson, Jason Moran, and Vernon Reid was an absolute dream, and add to all that an underpinning drone created by Lou Reed's guitars (manipulated by Lou's guitar tech Stewart Hurwood) and saxophonists and Tai Chi dancers moving around the space - my heart and mind almost couldn't take it all in. Laurie and Jason curated the whole thing, but Jason, a friend for twenty-five years, was the one who invited me into this world.

Around the same time, I worked with the great Adam Rudolph at the Jazz Gallery with Marco Capelli and Arun Ramamurthy. Adam is such an important figure in the last years of my life- playing with him and in his Go: Organic Orchestra has blown open my mind and connected me with so many other fantastic musicians. It's always a pleasure to explore vast musical worlds with Adam. Arun is a wonderful violinist who specializes in Carnatic music of Southern India and how it can exist in other contexts.

By July, I was working more and more in person with other musicians. At a recording/birthday party for my great friend, tabla and jazz drummer Sameer Gupta featuring many incredible musicians, including Martha Redbone and Charlie Burnham. TWO of my trios happened to be there: Bloodlines with cellist Marika Hughes and bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck and BORGUSAKAGU with Brazilian percussionist Rogerio Boccato and Sameer. I was a guest with Elena Moon Park at Lincoln Center, and then, by chance, just about a week later, I played on the same stage with Mark de Clive-Lowe and bassist Parker McCalister and drummer Anwar Marshall.

Also, I was commissioned by Silkroad to compose for the ensemble. We will workshop it at an upcoming retreat and debut it on tour in 2022. I wanted to write something inspired by Gagaku, both in its traditional form and how modern composers such as Takemitsu Toru, Ishii Maki, and Minoru Miki reshaped it. Meanwhile, I was thinking about the individuals of the Silkroad who would be playing the music- people who deal with music from China, Ethiopia, and Black American Jazz. I wanted to create a piece where we can also improvise and dialogue and groove out. The trick is to write something that brings together all these elements so that when taken as a whole, it somehow makes sense, even if it shouldn't. I love Gagaku; I love contemporary groove-based music. I dislike inelegant mashups of disparate music. I am looking forward to hearing what the incredible musicians of the Silkroad can do with the composition.

In terms of travel, I went to Boston, my first time working outside of NY in a long time- to work with students at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. I decided to teach the students Miyake- the Kodo piece that comes from the matsuri festival tradition of Kamitsuki on Miyake Island. I did so because when thinking about what these students need after a tumultuous and confusing year of online classes, rehearsals, lessons, and recitals to get back to sharing space and actual vibrations with fellow human beings, studying Japanese festival music is perfect: it's sacred, secular, cosmic, traditional, and evolving. It brings together communities across generations; it's often a lot of hard work, it's often deadly serious, and it's almost always lots of fun.

The last performance I did was a concert with Ravish Momin as part of his Flowers into Jewels project at Bowdoin University. Ravish is a fantastic percussionist who seamlessly integrates electronics, sampling, and lives percussion into his music. As musicians in Brooklyn do, we met over a decade ago but never worked together until this concert. Besides getting to make music and hang out with Ravish, this concert was significant to me in that, after a year and a half of messing around with it at home, I was able to use Ableton in a live setting for the first time. Just making sure I have all the equipment set up correctly was somewhat nerve-wracking for me, perhaps the least tech-savvy musician out there.

Dealing with looping technology makes perfect sense for a multi-instrumentalist stuck in quarantine. I wrote almost twenty compositions for various online concerts during the pandemic. For me, performing these pieces in public will be a sort of release- an opportunity to finally present the music live after a year of them existing only to certain people online.

Besides practicing Ableton, I've been devotedly studying Gagaku, Noh, and Kabuki, practicing traditional music between one to two hours before working on other things. I've been trying to get deeper into the phrasing and understanding the compositional structures of Gagaku and learning all the parts of Noh and Kabuki ensemble music - starting with the solfege-like singing of the flute and drum parts. I've been exchanging lessons with the great Kenny Endo, me teaching shinobue and him teaching Kabuki bayashi. It's been gratifying to learn drumming techniques, including kake-goe shouting.

All these will be on display for my upcoming Joe's Pub show- the new techniques and knowledge of traditional music, the use of Ableton, and the new compositions that I've been developing during the past year and a half. I am very proud and excited to share this new work with the world and hope you can join me on this occasion.

Sincerely,
Kaoru

OTO GA TATSU featuring Yuta Sumiyoshi from KODO on March 6!

OTOGATATSU part 2 featuring Yuta Sumiyoshi from Kodo this Saturday, March 6 at 6 PM (EST). Ticket holders can view this online concert and all the others of the series at your leisure even if you can't join at this specific time.

Yuta and I will be presenting three pieces that we co-composed just for this concert called 三猿、秒読み、and １７ as well as a solo piece of mine called 花鳥風月。We will be discussing these compositions and answering questions for those able to join us.

KODO has always meant so much to me, inspiring me when I was a fan, guiding me as an apprentice, challenging me as a performing member and encouraging me when I set out on my own. They continue to be miles ahead of the rest and I’m grateful they lent me one of their best!

This is an excerpt of our tune “17”.

Ps- I’m still reeling from the recent loss of the great musicians Milford Graves, Chick Corea and today Ralph Peterson... I will continue to try to honor the spirit of humility, innovation, discipline and empathy these giants were known for.

Milford Graves came out to perform with Kodo when I was an apprentice, just about 20 years ago.

New Concert Series - OTO GA TATSU

Hello friends,

It has been a while since my last mailing. As I write this, a blizzard has descended upon New York City, schools are closed and the mayor has declared a weather emergency. It's gorgeous to experience from inside but I hope people are able to stay warm and safe…

I'm pleased to announce OTO GA TATSU, a once-a-month, four-part concert series starting this Saturday, February 6th at 6 pm (EST) with special guests each week.

First up is Wu Man. She is a virtuosic master of her instrument, the pipa, and almost single-handedly brought it from its home in thousands of years of traditional Chinese music to the great concert halls of the world, playing with all the major symphony orchestras along with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Kronos Quartet.

Guests for the next concerts will be Yuta Sumiyoshi from Kodo, Tamangoh, Takahashi Kaori and Semba Kiyohiko. There will be opportunites to ask questions and get to know me and the guests as well.

Tickets are $20 for a household or $15 if you subscribe to kaDON (a wonderful resource for studying Japanese music). Limited free tickets are available for those who can't afford it now but still want to enjoy good music.

2020...WHEW.... what a year...

I hope people are doing as well as possible considering the situation across the globe.

I checked in on my website for the first time in a long while and saw that the last time I updated was in mid-January. Even at my best, I'm not very good about keeping up with my website and mailing lists but apparently, this pandemic and everything else that's been going on has REALLY set me back. Usually, these updates are to make announcements for upcoming performances, recordings and other projects but since nearly everything is on hold or canceled, there hasn't been much to update on that end. If anything, writing these is a way for me to process how events of the world have been affecting me as an artist, the music and entertainment industry, and the various communities and institutions I'm a part of.

Where to begin?

QUARANTINE AND COVID
About two weeks into quarantine I got very sick- fever, headache, cough, extreme exhaustion, completely lost my sense of smell- most likely COVID, especially considering that tests taken months later show I have antibodies. My partner Yurie nursed me back to health, cooking, and cleaning and doing multiple loads of laundry a day as I sweated profusely through clothes and bedding. Every morning, day in and day out, I would wake up in a fog, lumber into the kitchen, eat with my eyes half-open, use the restroom, then go back to sleep for another few hours. The fever finally broke the morning of day six, but then returned by the afternoon. After about ten days, the fever did finally break for good and over the next ten days, I slowly started building my strength back up, taking incrementally longer walks around the neighborhood.

Regarding the cough, it wasn't so much that I was coughing but that I felt my body wanting to cough but I suppressed that desire using the breath control that I'd been working on professionally for the last few decades. I had heard so many stories about how COVID attacks the lungs and how so many people suffer horrendously and are not able to breathe. I noticed early on how drained I felt after each bout of coughing and I didn't want my body consumed by it. I also could feel that the more I coughed, the more I wanted to keep coughing and that I was weaker to stop it... I feel that my experience strengthening and consciously controlling my breathing literally saved my life.

Before, during and after my bout with COVID, being in my apartment in Manhattan, I remember so clearly the endless wailing of ambulance sirens. I also remember how at 7 pm every night, New Yorkers all over the city would open their windows and cheer the first responders with applause, shouts, hitting pots and pans, and ringing bells. Thinking back to that time just a few months ago feels like a lifetime ago. The endless performing and traveling that had been my life for the last couple of decades feel like two lifetimes ago. I occasionally wondered when the seven pm ritual would end. When the official quarantine was lifted? Or the vaccine or cure discovered? The answer turned out to be the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that rocked the city. With so many people on the street marching and chanting, basically, there was nobody left to make noise for the first responders. Instead of a 7 pm beautiful cacophony marking the end of the typical workday, we now had the beautiful cacophony of chanting, drumming starting up and stopping and starting up again throughout the day.

BLACK LIVES MATTER
Finally, it's starting to feel that people are being held accountable for how their actions strengthened the systemic racism that permeates American society, thanks to the civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor. While something as innocent as Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem (which was written by a slave-owning anti-abolitionist) was considered controversial just a couple of short years ago, now it's *almost* normal for athletes to openly show forms of protest. Speaking as an artist, I see the many arts organizations and institutions around me are undergoing long-overdue changes within their power structures and I see white musicians aggressively questioning their own peers about hiring and programming practices with an intensity that I hadn't really seen before.

Thinking back to my own life as a civil rights and environmental activist, I see that my endeavors have been meager. Yes, I have composed pieces in homage to black lives slain by the police (for example, Iki on my Néo album was written as a requiem for Eric Garner whose final words "I can't breathe" became a mantra-like prayer) and yes, I have always hired, by a vast majority, people of color and women to be in my ensembles. Yes, I often turn down and speak out against projects that reinforce cultural and racial stereotypes. One example of this is I had lengthy conversations with Wes Anderson about cultural appropriation and whitewashing while creating the soundtrack for Isle of Dogs, even considering at one point quitting the project. Perhaps most importantly, yes, I try to teach my seven-year-old daughter about the evils of racism, about the importance of knowing the history and background of how our society came to be and to fight for equal rights for everyone. (How does one teach a child the concept of one person buying, owning, and selling others?)

But what does all of that really add up to? What can I do differently? Much more aggressively call politicians, fundraise more for causes I believe in, mentor more the next generation, and the next generation after that to understand the roots of music and how to be aware and reverential of the past while evolving the music and the practice forward, engage more in conversation with people of conflicting views, speak truth to power. I need to develop a more robust vocabulary and a deeper understanding of society, power dynamics, oppression, politics. I think back in shame of the many instances of looking the other way when something racist or sexist was said and not saying anything to not create conflict or an awkward moment, especially when they involve someone in a similar sphere.

Society must do better.

I must do better.


SILKROAD COMMISSION: FRAGMENTS
So... what else? I was commissioned to write a piece for Silkroad, the ensemble I've been doing a lot of work with over the last ten years or so. The commission was for a two-person team and I had the wonderful Edward Perez as my partner. Edward is a first-rate jazz bass player, an expert in Latin jazz and Latin rhythms, who has written for the New York Philharmonic and others. On top of that, we were from the same circle of friends in high school although we missed going to school together by a year. It was both of our first times co-writing a piece and we had the pandemic-induced quarantine to deal with on top of that. The piece we wrote, called Fragments, was a reflection of the feeling of fragmentation in our world in terms of race, politics, and the pandemic. On top of the commission to write the piece, our duo was selected to debut the performance during the online Tanglewood Music Festival as part of the Silkroad 20th-anniversary concert. For the filming, Edward and I drove up (separately) to Tanglewood and, following their strict social distancing protocols performed for five remote-controlled cameras. For the last 25-30 years, I've been playing music with people on a near-constant basis so I felt the rush of endorphins as my brain tried to reconnect all those synapses- listening, reacting, breathing- the music was new and was actually too difficult for me to play... so there were quite a few flubbed moments EVEN after a few takes, overdubs and edits. I practiced so much but wasn't able to execute as I would've liked so I'm a little disappointed in my playing in the end.

KIBO NO HIKARI
Here is a performance I did as part of Music for Beirut, an online fundraiser to support the Children's Cancer Center Lebanon, which was damaged by the explosion that occurred August 4, 2020. The music features a recording of a man named Rami Taoukmani who makes music out of a traditional coffee grinder - basically a wooden bowl and long pole. I made this recording when I visited Beirut in 2018. I visited again in 2019 and both visits left such a wonderful impression of the people of Beirut. I fondly remember walking around the fun Hamra district, which was devastated by the explosion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO_NfqAoJBs&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=KaoruWatanabe
Please donate here: https://cccl.org.lb/Donate/44/CCCLs-Rescue-Fund

Past Online Concert:

杳と暁 HARUKA AND AKIRA

October 10, 17

This two-part concert series is for me an opportunity to connect to an audience, to mourn the loss of loved ones and to a way of life, and a way to celebrate the way forward as we pull together to face the new world we now inhabit. All the music that will be presented will be compositions created in 2020, most of it after the quarantine began. The title of the series, HARUKA TO AKIRA comes from the name of my father and uncle who were named by my grandfather, who happened to pass away in May 2020 at the age of 106, a product of a forgotten age. My father Haruka’s name (杳), which can be interpreted as “deep” or “distant hope” is a reflection of one of the darkest times of modern history, World War II, while his younger brother, whose name AKIRA (暁), “the light of dawn” or “enlightened”, was born after the end of the war.

I will be posting video from this concert eventually on the media page of this website.

My studio is my sanctuary, is my temple, is my place of work, my place of rejuvenation.

2020 Greetings & Upcoming Shows

A belated Happy New Year to everyone.

In an auspicious start to the new decade, my first few concerts are lead or curated or in collaboration with some mighty, mighty Asian woman. My first show is on 1/17 and is part of drumXdrum: a polyrhythm festival, curated by the masterful percussionist and composer Susie Ibarra. The following week, I’ll be performing with the multi-instrumentalist Jen Shyu and the piri player, Gamin at the Greene Space in NYC, and from there will head up to Dartmouth College for a concert the following day with pipa virtuoso Wu Man. 

Starting the very next morning, I’ll spend a week in residency at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA working with an all percussion (and fue) version of Silkroad, and soon after I’ll travel to Paris for a few concerts with flamenco maestra Eva Yerbabuena, her company, and singer Anna Sato. 

I’ve been practicing a lot these days— about 4 hours a day on average— and developing new (for me) techniques and approaches to playing music. After twenty years of playing music professionally, I feel like an absolute beginner, often extremely frustrated with the gap between how I want to play and how I'm able to play. I have no choice at this point but to keep pushing ahead— I have rent to pay and mouths to feed for one— and ultimately I feel inspired and excited for all the music I'll be making in 2020.

Best,

Kaoru

July and August Review

My last update was in July and we're already deep in October. I've been inconsistent with updating my website and maintaining a presence on social media- instead, have been focussing on being more present in each particular moment. Not good for business but good for the soul!

On the other hand, I did have a wonderful summer, full of music and travel and I do like to share what I experienced for those who may get something out of it.

To recap some of the highlights: I debuted a new trio with Matt Garrison and Satoshi Takeishi at the Philadelphia Museum, I did a presentation at Princeton for So Percussion and their summer institute followed by a two week trip to Japan. This trip was a combination of work, study and meetings.

For me Japan means many things- it's my ancestral homeland, it is a place where, starting at age 22, I completely redefined my sense of music and personal identity. Occasionally returning home to Japan is vital for maintaining the nuances, the flavors and the feeling of Japanese music, since I'm now living in New York and constantly absorbing influence from musicians I'm playing with who come from across the globe. When in Japan, I saw Noh Theater, visited with teachers, performed with biwa master Sakurai Akiko and multi-instrumentalist Yoshi Shogo and generally spent time with master calligraphers, instrument makers, potters, painters, and of course many musicians. I took a trip to my adopted hometown of Sado Island, where I visited Kodo Village and reconnected with old and dear friends there. I returned to New York musically refreshed and inspired and feeling whole.

After Japan was a trip to Beirut, Lebanon where I performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble as well as a large group of very special kids....kids who live in the poorest communities in Beirut, many coming from families of refugees or are refugees themselves. For this concert, we performed along with the children as they presented songs and dances they had created that spoke against the racism, sexual violence and poverty that was a part of their everyday lives. I hope to return and continue working with them and am already planning a few possible next steps.

I returned to New York and immediately hosted Hayashi Eitetsu for a workshop in my studio. Eitetsu san has been perhaps the most influential contemporary taiko drummer in the world for the last four decades. Besides the workshop, I was able to spend a lot of time with him talking about music, art and politics. Next up, Adam Rudolph and members of Brookyln Raga Massive and I performed a house concert that was full of new challenges and lots of fun, a mixture of music from Morocco, India, Japan and of course, New York. The following week, one afternoon I performed for children at the Carnegie Hall Education wing with Satoshi Takeishi and another taiko legend Kenny Endo. The following day, I drove to the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, MA for a weeklong residency, again with the Silkroad, working with students and performing a concert. A week after returning, I drove out to Philadelphia's Painted Bride to perform with Adam Rudolph's Go: Organic Orchestra, a fun ensemble that I've been a part of for almost ten years now which has influenced my approach and understanding of music greatly.

I am currently writing this update from the road- University of Maryland to be precise- working with pipa virtuoso Wu Man. We will be performing this weekend at the University of Chicago this weekend. I have a few fun things coming up in the remainder of this month: my trio BOROGUSAKAGU with Sameer Gupta and Rogerio Boccato will take place with Brooklyn Raga Massive's twenty-four-hour Raga Live Festival (we go on at 5 am!) and a duo performance with Kazunori Kumagai at the Asia Society annual gala dinner.

Next month I will be doing another residency at Grace Farms with the artist Alyson Shotz and jazz drummer Nasheet Waits among others, a trip to Barcelona with flamenco artist Eva Yerbabuena, followed immediately by my own concert in Istanbul, followed closely by a trip out to French Guiana with my old friend Tamango where we'll be developing some new work.

Onward and upward...

Summer Greetings!

Summer Greetings

Greetings from Madrid while in transit to Granada. My last update was in early March so there's a lot of catching up to do. 
I've been traveling to different corners of the world, making music and learning and growing tremendously from the profound challenges of various projects. 


Here's an overview of what I've been up to: 

MARCH

• A duo performance in El Paso, TX, revisiting the duo repertoire that Fumi Tanakadate and I have been developing over the past couple of years.

• Trio concerts in San Antonio, TX, with a new group featuring percussionist Satoshi Takeishi and harpist Maeve Gilchrist. We were joined by the principle dancer of the Houston Ballet, Nao Susuzaki. I love the sound of this trio- not only is Maeve a fantastic improviser who provides both bass and melody, but she happens to plays an instrument that I heard my mom play in the house every single day growing up. And as always, Satoshi brings so much musicality, feeling and intensity to everything he does.

• A concert in Philadelphia, again with Fumi but with the addition of Gamin, a master musician on the Korean piri, taepyoungsol and saengwhan. We did all my compositions and a lots of improvisations and I continued my exploration of using the koto in a decidedly non-traditional manner.

• A private event as a member of the Silkroad Ensemble- performing with Shane Shanahan, Maeve, Preeti Vasudevan and Yo-Yo Ma. I've done a few performances with Yo-Yo by now but occasionally I recall how moved I was seeing him give a masterclass when I was about 16 years old- almost thirty years ago... We performed two of my pieces along with tunes by Shane and Maeve. All in all tons of fun.

APRIL-MAY

• A few days in Elizabeth Town, PA, deep in Amish country, again with the Silkroad Ensemble as part of the Ware Lecture Series on Peacemaking. There was a time when I used to think the Amish were backwards for not embracing modern technology... I guess they were right all long considering how the world is looking now?

• Silkroad Ensemble- Heroes Take Their Stands Tour. This was an incredibly challenging tour for me. I wasn't used to reading music while playing taiko (strangely, my ability to read music while playing flutes didn't at all translate to percussion playing) and I had to do a lot of it. I wasn't used to reading music off of an iPad while using a blue-tooth-connected pedal to turn pages (a surprisingly tricky thing to coordinate for me!). During rehearsals, I always felt the sound of taiko completely overwhelmed the delicate string and wind instruments even while playing as soft as possible, so I was struggling to feel comfortable play with the tone and command that I'm used to. I used in-ear monitors for the first time. One of the pieces I played was way too fast for my skill level. We were doing one of my compositions, a last minute commission by the Silkroad Ensemble that I had scrambled to pull together. All this and more combined and I was a wreck in the beginning of the rehearsal process. All these glaring deficiencies in my playing came to light and I had to rewire my brain and body to feel at all decent about my playing. In the end, I feel I came out of the whole experience a better musician.

©David Bazemore - UCSB Arts and Lectures

MAY

• I performed in a site-specific opera, Murasaki's Moon, inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The composer Michi Wiancko, composed a gorgeous score and the staff, crew and performers were all truly world class. For me personally, I had to draw from all of my skill sets, improvising and reading lots of music on both the fue and taiko, working on my transposing skills and switching quickly between fue to maneuver through key changes, following a conductor, listening and matching singers as well as other instruments, often from across the room. I felt like all the skills I've been developing over the last three decades were being exploited. Having done that Silkroad tour helped tremendously in all of this.

• Shortly afterwards, I played a gig on western flute- something I only do perhaps once or twice a year, playing with some old friends Kyle Sannaand Skye Steele as well as a host of new friends for a performance celebrating the poetry of Walt Whitman, channeled through multiple actors and musicians. Most of the music was written by Kyle and Colin Jacobson, a member of the Silkroad Ensemble who was on the Silkroad Heroes tour. More and more, all of my worlds seemed to be colliding in magnificent ways.

JUNE

• I spent a few days up on Grace Farms, a newly build space designed to host collaborative meetings between musicians, dancers, poets, visual artists, scientists, activists, theologists, architects and other creative types. The facilities, designed by the Japanese architecture firm SANAA, was elegantly and perfectly sculpted into the sloping wooded landscape. I was there for a project convened by visual artist Alyson Shotz, an acclaimed artist who has works in the Guggenheim, Storm King and other major museums and art spaces across the world. The renowned drummer Nasheet Waits invited me to be a part of the project. We spent the part of the time reading and discussing TIME, as viewed through the lens of science, religion, music and poetry and then we tried interpreting and processing some of those discussions through dance and music improvisations.

• I made a short trip to Madrid to perform once again with the flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena- again, I felt all the experiences written above helped me alter my approach to how I work with Eva and her company in a way that felt better than it had before.

• From Spain, I went straight to Uganda for my first visit to the African continent. I was there for some events in Kampala and had a day to visit the source of the Nile River by boat and drive around the city. It was beautiful and inspiring to meet many wonderful folks but difficult to see and hear about the rampant poverty, lack of jobs and resources for people living there.

• Now, I'm back in Spain for two more shows with Eva Yerbabuena, one in Granada and one in Cordoba. I have a few days between shows so I will try to travel around a bit seeing different cities I've never been and having new adventures.

This summer will be on the slow side, a few performers here and there, and time to focus on writing music, practicing, developing new material, maybe making an album (?), then things will pick up in the fall again. My next show in the US is July 12th at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (more info here).

I find myself constantly in a state of gratitude for all the opportunities to perform, to study and grow and for all the continued support from friends, family and other supporters. 


Sincerely,
Kaoru