Around 300 kilos and 145cm in diameter, o'daiko is the biggest drum on Kodo's stage
You really can't beat your first experience of taiko drumming - the sheer physicality is awesome - the drummers must remain in peak condition to maintain the skill and the stamina of their high-energy performances.
Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, Kodo are bringing their spectacular drumming to The Anvil, Basingstoke, on Wednesday, February 9, with Tsuzumi, the first date in a short UK tour.
"We’re going to put our hearts out there and I know that if you do come and see it and feel the full theatre shake, you’ll feel the heartbeat or our life. Getting in touch with other people's living energy is what really keeps us alive - it's what we live for. So if you are feeling down or struggling, or you feel like you don't know where to go, I think if you come and see our performance, you'll feel something." Read the interview with Kodo performer Leo Ikenega below.
The performance is a breathtaking, highly choreographed and dynamic exploration of the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, and Tsuzumi will feature memorable pieces that Kodo have honed from decades on stage. In Japanese, the word 'Kodo' holds a double meaning. It can be translated as 'heartbeat', the primal source of all rhythm. Indeed, the great taiko is thought to be reminiscent of a mother’s heartbeat as felt from the womb, and babies are often lulled to sleep by its thunderous vibrations. If read in a different context however, Kodo can also mean 'children of the drum', which reflects the group’s desire to play the drums with the simple heart of a child.
The biggest taiko drum on the Kodo stage, o-daiko, weighs around 300 kilos and measures 145cm in diameter. The Kodo members set up their own instruments, so they need a lot of strength just to get the drum into position. They also need power, technique, and energy to make it resonate fully.
While taiko drums are at the heart of every Kodo performance, Tsuzumi includes pieces that use a variety of other instruments and art forms, too. The programme features a wide range of taiko along with cymbals, gongs, flutes, harps, song, and dance.
The cast of Tsuzumi includes three female performers and this programme shines a spotlight on them centre stage, leading ensemble pieces, playing solos, and conjuring powerful, expressive sound with instruments and their voices.
To become a member of Kodo, hopefuls must first complete a two-year apprenticeship programme. The apprentices live communally and lead a very basic lifestyle so they can concentrate on their rigorous training. So distractions, such as mobile phones and dating, are strictly prohibited. The most recent graduate to join the ensemble makes his overseas debut with Kodo on this European tour.
See, and feel, the outstanding Kodo drummers at The Anvil - visit www.anvilarts.org.uk
Interview with Kodo performer Leo Ikenega
I am a Japanese American. I was born in the United States and grew up half my life there, then I came back to Japan, but I went to an American school in Japan. I went to university in New York. I went to Cornell University, which is in upstate New York.
I've always loved music. I started piano when I was two and I played cello, I played guitar. I've always had a fondness for music; my family as well. My sister is also a pianist. She went to the Royal College of Music in London.
When I was in college, I was studying to become a banker. So I studied economics. I interned at a lot of investment banks and pretty much was on track to be doing that. But, a lot of things happened during my college years, and I kind of wanted to explore my other options and I wanted to do something that was really challenging, and something that can really make an impact on people's lives and, in turn, make an impact on myself.
I always wanted a challenge and frankly, until that point, I didn't really have too many obstacles in my life.
So to join Kodo, you have to do an apprenticeship, which is for two years. You were in the mountains and you don't have internet or a phone, you don't have television, you don't have heating, you cook your own food, you wake up at five in the morning and you run 10km every day.
I wanted to do that and push myself and I always loved music.
If all goes well, after two years of apprenticeship, you get to join the best Japanese drumming group in the world. And I thought that was a good deal.
How did you go from investment banking to then being on a remote island for four months?
It wasn't easy, but I just I really just wanted to challenge myself. Investment banking - not to put those people down or anything - but it just wasn't for me. I didn't feel like I was making a real difference in the world. From my internships, that's what I felt. I didn't think I could grow as a person every day, like someone who's more conscious about what's going on around the world.
Kodo is a group that can be perceived as something that's very traditional, because Japanese drumming, even to Japanese people, seems very old school, or classical or traditional. It’s related to religious ceremonies and stuff.
But the reality is that we travel around the world, and we collaborate with a lot of different artists. What we strive to do is try to break these boundaries and barriers. When I joined the apprenticeship, I didn't really know that. But as I made my way through the group, that's what I really felt. And that's really the reason why I'm why I stuck around; it's incredible.
How long has Kodo been around and what are the age ranges
Kodo has been around for 40 years. Some of the founding members are still around. They still perform but they don't really go on long tours. The oldest, I believe, is 68 so they've been around for a while. And the youngest member, I believe, is 21.
I'm turning 32 this year. I've been a Kodo member for about six years now.
How long can you be a Kodo member for?
You can do it forever It's kind of like tenure I guess. But there's obviously a lot of competition within the group for parts or for being on a tour. We have 35 Members and some of them are the founding members so they don't really tour but I think 14 or 15 people are going to the Europe tour.
We usually move in two different teams, but you have to compete for some slots and it's just really, really physically demanding. Not just the performance, but our schedule is pretty tough.
So that's one reason why people quit, but I always need a challenge and, right now, I'm kind of in the middle of challenges. My biggest challenge was writing an orchestral piece for an orchestra and taiko drummers. So that took about three years on and off. That premiered last year, last October. So I've got that out of the way. And right now I'm kind of a little burnt out but I’m trying to find something new.
What else have you done in the realms of Kodo? And what other roles do you perform? And what will you be performing for this forthcoming tour?
I consider myself as someone who is kind of like Jack of all trades. I probably play the most instruments in the group. So there's the taiko drum and they're different sizes, different kinds of styles to play. And I also play the flute. I also play an instrument called Koto, which is like a Japanese zither - The Japanese guitar. Yeah. I also play the Japanese fiddle.
I write a lot of songs, I write a lot of pieces. So I compose a lot and I also direct shows. The only thing I don't do is cymbals.
My role is not to be the star of the show. But I think I consider myself as someone who make things much smoother; the glue guy. And I do other stuff like I run the social media for Kodo which has been a big challenge. I also make the videos and edit the PR videos.
Tell us just how difficult this training and this discipline is…
I don't even know if tough is the right word, but it's an experience. Especially nowadays, you have your phone with you all the time so, just living without your phone that is a challenge.
The point of all that is to focus yourself 100 per cent on drumming and all the different skills that are necessary to become a Kodo member. You also do things like plant your own rice and you cook your own food, you learn how to gut a fish and cook it; they just give you a fish and you have to cook it on your own.
You have to learn how to do woodworking. You have to make your own chopsticks and you have to make your own sticks for drumming. All that is tough, but also it's kind of necessary to understand where all the tradition and folk art that we use comes from. Like planting rice, these movements eventually became dances or rituals. You have to know where all these things come from; the roots.
And it's one thing to just read about it or watch it, but to experience it firsthand, that's really, really necessary, especially if you want to be a professional in just two years. I think the top thing that people struggle with, in the apprentice centre is that there is about 20 apprentices at one time and you don't really have any privacy. You're moving by the clock, and have to sleep by 10 and wake up at five.
It's really tough mentally as well as physically and that mental strength is something that's really necessary to be able to survive the Kodo life. As a professional musician, you're going to hit a lot of obstacles in your career and that condensed two years really prepares you for it.
But also you also learn how to have compassion for others. A lot of people ask us, how do we perform in sync without a conductor? One reason is because we practice a lot, and you also have to really feel the other's presence. A lot of newbies struggle with that when they come join the troupe because you have to be in sync with the person behind you even if you can't see them. And that's just something you can't really teach, you have to find it on your own.
That really, really intense apprenticeship, I think, is one way to really get that skill.
Are you close with each other?
You're really close with your other cohorts. But at the same time, you have to compete with them, because not everyone gets to become a member.
The apprenticeship is about two years. There are about 20 first and second year apprentices. But let's say there are eight second-year apprentices, some years four might get in but other years non might make it. So the past last year, I don't think anyone made it, the year before one person made it.
What are the categories for making it?
Obviously, you have to have some level of skill performance-wise, but we usually view the apprentices as their level and our level being very different. Once they make it, they're going to realise they're not good enough, and they're going to have to practice a lot.
The skill is important, but not really our priority. What we look at is potential and how much they improved and alos how dedicated they are, and how well they work with others.
Teamwork is very important, especially because we do everything ourselves. And if they have any extra skills. Even if you're the best drummer in your apprenticeship, chances are you're probably not the best drummer when you come join Kodo.
So if they have a skill that's very unique, like, for example, they can play the flute very well, or they can write a lot of songs, those skills definitely help. There's a lot of luck involved as well. It has to be the right timing for them to join.
How do you keep things fresh? And what can people expect from this year's performance?
The programme that we're bringing blends the new elements of Kodo with the older, more classical elements. There are pieces that we've been playing since the very beginning. Some of the pieces were composed in the 1970s. And there are some pieces that were composed in recent years.
Most of the members that are going to the tour are our younger members, so it’s the young generation challenging the old traditions. And so in that sense, I think you get to see, the whole history of Kodo.
It's always fresh for us. Because for me, it's not so much of the performance or the songs that we play, it's where we go. Going to the UK and other European countries already makes it fresh.
Our performances are audio visual. You can feel the air shake. So it's a holistic experience. And you can, that only happens when you have real live audience. And the audience is reaction changes from you know, each country or each city so it's just always fresh for us.
What are the standout moments for you so far in your career?
There’s so many. But obviously, the one that stands out for me right now is our first show that we did after the lockdown in Japan. We didn't have any gigs in front of a live audience for a really long time. So, obviously, that first show I'll never forget.
The audience was just incredible. Even though they can't shout, we could really feel the heat.
The one I personally have strong feelings about is when I did my own show in Paris. I directed a show in Paris. That was my first show as a director, so that one always that wasn't meant a lot to me.
How did the UK crowds generally take to Kodo?
I love going to the UK. I think it differs from each city. In general, they're very polite and a little more like a classical audience. If you go to Italy, it feels like you're doing a rock concert. Or in the States they just have to shout at everything.
I've never had a bad experience in the UK in terms of performance. Just because everyone like the backstage guys, stage crew, everyone's just really, really dedicated to the craft. So you can feel that the audience is also part of it. You know, they also want to make the performance the best experience that they can.
Why do you think people should come along and check it out?
I think in this day and age that we live in right now, there's so much instant fast food entertainment. I think that has its benefits, but it also has its cons. The downside is that people want entertainment or they want to feel good, or they want an experience in just in just five seconds or 10 seconds. You can just find it just at the tip of your fingertips.
Our strength is that you can't replicate the experience of being in a live theatre with us. You can't record that, or put it in headphones, you have to be there, you have to feel the earth shake. And because everything is so, instant right now, I think people are looking for a more real experience nowadays. I think that's why we're so relevant; you can't make this stuff up.
Why did Kodo form?
Before Kodo there was a different group and the founder of the former group and the members had a disagreement and they split up into two, but I believe that the members who formed Kodo were more dedicated to making a professional performing arts group.
What message do you have for the people in the UK?
It's been a tough two years for everyone. It's been a tough two years for us. And what we do, what Kodo is all about is putting your heart into it. Our name literally means heartbeat and also means children of the drum. We have to put everything that we have into a performance or otherwise, it's not going to resonate with the audience.
We’re going to put our hearts out there and I know that if you do come and see it and feel the full theatre shake, you’ll feel the heartbeat or our life. Getting in touch with other people's living energy is what really keeps us alive - it's what we live for. So if you are feeling down or struggling, or you feel like you don't know where to go, I think if you come and see our performance, you'll feel something.
