Behind them sat two massive drums on their sides, played by drummers each wielding a single stick and striking the drum with all the flourish of an expert swordsman.
Through drumming, song and dance, the artists kept audience members completely enthralled for a heart-pounding hour-and-40-minute show.
According to the group’s Web site, Kodo can mean either “heartbeat” or “children of the drum.”
Based on their performance this past weekend, its easy to see how the group could fit either meaning. With blinding speed, the artists’ hands frequently appeared as blurred extensions of the drums, and all of Meany Hall seemed to be pulsing to a single beat.
While taiko (Japanese drums) have been used for thousands of years in Japan, the modern ensemble style of the art has only been around since the 1950s.
In 1971, only a few decades after this revival, Kodo began as a small group looking to reconnect with their roots through traditional Japanese performing arts. Debuting at the 1981 Berlin Festival, the troupe has since performed in more than 45 countries across five continents.
Hailing from Sado Island, Japan, the group lives in a community completely designed and constructed by members of the troupe.
In addition to an apprentice center, rehearsal hall and recording studio, the aptly-named Kodo Village is also home to Earth Celebration, an annual international arts festival.
Becoming a member of the elite group is a process that takes years.
After passing a series of interviews and exams, apprentices must go through a rigorous two-year training program during which they live communally in the Kodo Apprentice Centre on the island, abstaining from many modern comforts such as television and radio.
Trainees must learn not only physically demanding drumming techniques, but also a wide array of skills, from rice farming to tea ceremonies. The lucky few — generally less than 10 — apprentices who graduate from the program are given probationary status for a year before becoming full members of the group.
For Friday’s show, Kodo performed 11 distinctive pieces. The acts featured not only taiko, but also other Japanese instruments, including cymbals and shakuhachi (bamboo flutes).
From small handheld drums to the powerful “O-daiko,” a drum made from a single tree measuring four feet across that had to be wheeled out on a platform and played horizontally, the performance highlighted nearly every form of the troupe’s signature instrument.
The only disappointment of the set occurred around the halfway point. During the act, one drummer started out playing a soft, barely audible beat, and he was gradually joined by six other performers who brought the music to a roar before swiftly bringing it back down.
While the piece was enjoyable, repeating the technique several times made the section appear to go on for a bit longer then necessary.
Surprisingly, some of the most entertaining pieces of the night were those that broke away from the generally intense drumming performances. In “Koi-koi Fusha”, three Kodo members performed a playful, upbeat routine that mixed comedy, dance and speed. With a drum slung over each of their shoulders, the artists’ fingers moved from one side of the taiko to the other as if they were flowing across a keyboard. “Jang-Gwara,” on the other hand, featured five performers using jangaras (small metal cymbals) to create a range of unique sounds.
An impressive finale was easily outdone by an encore performance featuring all 14 touring members of the troupe in a dazzling display combining flute players, cymbalists and taiko drums of every variety, in a smiling celebration of the evening.
By: Julian Martin
