Odaiko New England

National Anthem with Tiger Okoshi

Tiger Okoshi warms up before the show.

David Wiggins pre-sets a hira.

Diane and Cat putting on their brand new happi.

Kristen and Tiger during the concert.

Weary travelers, Diane and Juni, arrive at the hotel.

Lunch!

 

Our national anthem, The […]

Good Vibrations at Northeastern

Diane perfecting her mischievous stage look.

Matt getting his groove on…or maybe his tabi…or perhaps both.

One thing that made Kokyo especially festive–the addition of Cat on fue and Joy on chappa.

The New Snuggie Spokesperson!

 

For the second year […]

Odaiko New England meets Shidara – again

Just over a week ago, Odaiko New England founding member Karen Young and advanced student Shane Tysk left Boston and flew to Japan to take part in a two week residency with Shidara. Shidara is a professional taiko group living and practicing in Toei, in the remote regions of Japan’s Aichi prefecture.

During our […]

Taiko, Old and New

Bachi flew everywhere. So did bananas and the chicken, making its plaintive cry as it flew through the air. […]

Blown Away by KODO

ONE's Mark and KODO's Yosuke rock on Miyake

My first live KODO concert experience started with a pleasant surprise. By being at the right place at the right time, my son and I got to go backstage at Symphony Hall before the concert and meet some of the KODO people. One performer was […]

My Date with Kodo

It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been on a blind date – afterall, what would Mr. Lau say? Yet that’s exactly what meeting Kodo today feels like! Not only do I get to meet members of Kodo, I’ll be driving some of them to our reception after their Boston concert.

[…]

KODO: Playing with Style

Sheilarae holds the Ji while Kenta Nakagome of KODO readies himself for a Miyake solo

It may have been the first time anyone has participated in a jam-session Miyake with Kodo while wearing an LBD (Little Black Dress). It was certainly the first time I observed such a thing. For sure, a Kodo […]

A Concert a Day…

I just had a whirlwind weekend full of rhythm, attending a concert each day for the past three days.

Friday Night: San Jose Taiko in Keene, NH

Hanging out with San Jose Taiko after their show.

Wow!

One of the early numbers was a piece involving passing accented rhythms back and forth between two […]

San Jose Taiko – Cool in Keene

Meg Suzuki, back in her days with ONE, hanging out with the members of KODO. Meg, did you really bake cookies with the KODO logo?

Several members of ONE trekked to Keene, NH, to witness the cyclone known as San Jose Taiko rock the Colonial Theater. ONE has a direct connection to SJT […]

Taiko Telethon Express

Fifteen of us performed “Mahora” for our Woburn neighbors at the First Live Telethon of the Council of Social Concerns. It’s a wonder how we, in the span of two hours, could load out the equipment, drive to the venue, quietly load in, get dressed, wait, snack, warm-up (or not), stage drums, perform, load out, […]