Big Drums!

[eldar]

Tonight, I was mostly attending Kodo. Kodo are a Japanese band of mostly drummers (with a bit of dancing, singing, chanting, and bamboo flauting thrown in for good measure - oh, and a lady with a lantern on her head too). Now, to their drums. Now, I don't just mean weedy little things we have in The West - such as orchestral timpani. I'm talking here about the O-kaido, massive, 350kg+ drums carved from the trunk of a tree and that vibrate entire theatres. That are played by two guys in tiny loincloths (think Sumo wrestlers, but small and, well, with not an ounce of fat). Sure, there are smaller drums, but the O-kaido dominates the set from start to finish (and is only used a couple of times!). And did I mention how fast these guys (and girls) drum? Blurry kind of doesn't do it justice. To recap: Kodo are bloody fantastic. Go and see them. If you can catch them, that is - they're not in town all that often (once every three years or so, I believe). Highly, highly, recommended.

Comments

Re: Kodo

[eldar.livejournal.com]

If you can get a ticket, do so - and try to get as close to the front as you can.