By Marilyn Bauer
Wednesday, March 11, 2009

WEST PALM BEACH — The word kodo means heartbeat — the sound a mother’s heartbeat might make in the womb. It also means children of the drum, which is what the Kodo Drummers are. From Sada Island in the Sea of Japan, this group of folk artists tours the world, preserving the sound of the traditional taiko drum and composing new sounds based on interactions with other cultures and other musicians.

If you have heard this group, you have not forgotten their primal force, their mesmerizing performance, the resonance in the rib cage. The Kodo Drummers will bring their One Earth Tour to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on March 13, a balletic display of roughly one hour and 40 minutes.

Stripped to their waists, whipping hand-carved sticks overhead, the drummers attack their instruments, yelping war cries in traditional rhythms of regional Japan. They are one of Japan’s most renowned exports, but have a global perspective.

Their One Earth Tour is their desire “to transcend language and cultural boundaries and remind people of the common bond we all share.”

Other traditional instruments such as the fue and shamisen are part of the performance, along with delicate folk dance and song.