Pittsburgh City Paper, Concert Pick >>
Male Kodo odaiko players began wearing the traditional Japanese underwear, fundoshi, after a French fashion designer saw a Kodo member wearing one while exercising and suggested it would make a good stage costume. Female Kodo performers wear kimonos; other performers wear simple Japanese robes.
Drum: The odaiko ("big drum") is made from one large piece of wood (often, the Japanese keyaki tree) and cow skin. Kodo owns three but only takes one on tour. Care must be taken because they're impossible to fix on the road.
Man: For the current U.S. tour, 26-year-old Kenta Nakagome, who has been with the troupe for six years, is playing the odaiko for the first time. To be a full member of Kodo, artists spend three years as an intern and one as a provisional member. Members' ages range from the 20s to the 60s.
Candles: These are traditional Japanese lanterns made of paper and thin wood. They read "odaiko."
Man's back: "Kodo" means heartbeat in Japanese. This Kodo is a group of Japanese taiko drummers. While most taiko groups play original music, Kodo, like American folk musicians of old, likes to travel and learn traditional songs that members can put their own spin on. Don't be surprised to hear Bolivian, Indian or Irish elements. -- Lucy Steigerwald
7:30 p.m. Tue., March 1, and 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 2. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $15.75-42.75. 412-456-6666 or www.pgharts.org
02/24/11 >> go there
