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Upcoming Japanese Music Performance, Feb 23, 8pm @ Engelman Recital Hall, Baruch Performing Arts Center
Kaoru Watanabe teaches Taiko drumming in Brooklyn and my wife, son and I all take lessons from him. I recently posted my son showing off his still developing Taiko abilities. Kaoru is sitting in the back.
Kaoru used to play with the world famous Kodo drummers, an amazing Taiko group I head in concert back in the mid 90's I think when they performed in Los Angeles alongside a famous gospel group...yes Taiko and gospel together. Pretty amazing.
Kaoru and another famous Taiko performer, Kenny Endo, are teaming up to perform at the Baruch Performing Arts Center :
Saturday, Feb 23, 8pm @ Engelman Recital Hall, Baruch Performing Arts Center (NYC)
“Rhythms of Japanese Drums and Flutes — Kenny Endo and Kaoru Watanabe: Taiko and Fue” juxtaposes arrangements of traditional Japanese music with original compositions and improvisations by the two performers themselves. Both born in the United States, Endo and Watanabe each spent ten years honing their craft in Japan and are leading exponents of their instruments; as Endo explains, their work “is informed by the traditional music of Japan as well as the improvisational characteristics of American jazz.” Their new collaborative album, Convergence, is due for release in February.
Kenny Endo, taiko (drums); Kaoru Watanabe, taiko and fue (bamboo flutes)
Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Ave, NYC7:15pm: Pre-concert lecture-demonstration by Kenny Endo and Kaoru Watanabe
I highly recommend it!
To give you an idea what these two musicians can do, here is a video of Kaoru Watanabe and Kenny Endo in NYC back in 2009:
