Kodo anniversary tour rolls into Morristown on Saturday
11:18 AM, Mar. 15, 2011

MORRISTOWN — Experience the sounds of traditional Japanese taiko (drum) when Kodo, considered the world's greatest Japanese drummers, come to Morristown this weekend with their 30th Anniversary One Earth Tour.

Artists and fans from around the world travel to Sado Island in Japan every August for the famous Earth Celebration music festival, which features three days of original music and cultural events.

Taiko culture and the natural surroundings of Sado Island have been at the heart of every festival; when Kodo began touring the world three decades ago, the performers soon discovered the sound of the taiko drum had a similar effect worldwide.

"We feel that drumming is one of the simplest forms of human communication. We have performed for over 30 years with an unchanging hope that Kodo's performance can reach all kinds of people around the world," said Jun Akimoto, the band's manager. "There's a saying in Japan that as long as you hear the sound of taiko, you are the part of the community."

Akimoto said Kodo's music and performances revolve around simplicity. Their concerts feature performers in simple costumes and include some dancing, but the focus remains the sounds of the traditional Japanese instruments: about 20 drums in a variety of sizes, along with bamboo flutes and cymbals.

"I hope people will feel the direct and dynamic beauty and energy of the performers as human beings and the instruments as an art of traditional craftsmanship," Akimoto said. "We believe this kind of simplicity and energy can transcend the boundaries of cultural, political and historical differences — and I hope that everyone will come to the Kodo concert with open hearts.

Since their debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, Kodo has performed more than 3,300 concerts on five continents. After the name "One Earth Tour" was adopted in 1984, the band has used their music, supported by the sounds of the taiko, to convey messages of humanity, environmental awareness and peace.

The band strives to preserve and re-interpret traditional Japanese performing arts. Kodo has collaborated with other artists and composers throughout the years, but the music remains steeped in tradition; the sound of the taiko is said to resemble a mother's heartbeat as felt in the womb, and the word "kodo" can mean "children of the drum" - a reflection of the band's desire to play the drums simply and purely, "with the heart of a child."

"Tradition dies when it stops. Kodo explores the possibilities of how much our imaginations grow and expand, without using complicated technologies such as sound reinforcements or lights and stage-sets," Akimoto said. "The oldest repertoires of Kodo, which were learned from the original performing arts forms based in many local communities, towns and villages throughout Japan, have evolved gradually as generations shift — but the core elements have never changed."