Overview: Trio Watanabe in Japan (May 14th through 21st)

Thank you to the organizers, presenters, venues who were instrumental in this mini-tour coming to be. It was a wonderful adventure for me, a spiritually enriching and emotionally rewarding. Here is a brief rundown of how the week went: 13th - arrive in Tokyo. Eat shabushabu to fuel the coming week of performance and travel. For those of you who don't know, shabushabu is the name of the sound raw strips of meat make when you briefly dip it in boiling broth before munching it down. Add ramen noodles to the broth after consuming all the meat and other vegetables and you are set.

14th - Concert at SuperDeluxe in Roppongi. Many friends and family came to this hip club, a venue more accustomed to presenting dj parties and rock bands than to a violin, harp and flute trio. My mother had so many classmates in the audience wanting to visit with her, she had trouble returning to the dressing room during the intermission.

15th - travel to Sado and return "home" to Kodo Village. It's as if I'd never left...

16th - school performances: Fukaura elementary, Hamochi high school and Ogi middle school. Some kids were quiet, some kids were talking, some were very attentive, while others were not... They were all a wonderful audience however. Who knows what sticks in their minds and subconscious? I wonder what effect did and will the music have on these kids years from now?

17th - rehearsal, barbeque with friends, enjoy the painfully beautiful Sado...

18th - performance at Hananoki. A beautiful old wooden building, lovingly maintained. The harp sounds especially sonorous in the room. Intimate show with lots of old friends in the audience. I make my parents improvise for the encore.

19th - travel to Tokyo. Performance at the jazz spot "In F" with pianist Kuroda Kyoko, tabla player Yoshimi Masaki and special guest Isso Yukihiro, the great Noh Kan player. After the show is over, Isso san and I sight read Teleman and Bach duets on the flutes.

I returned to the US but went directly up to Montreal to record and perform with my friend Patrick Graham. The music was fun and interesting, but meeting his son Hibiki left a stronger impression. At eleven years old, he had many Kodo songs memorized- some very involved, very long, through composed pieces. We got into an argument about the rhythm to one song and after we checked a DVD, it turns out he won.

'LOFT CONCERT' at Montreal (May, 23)

'LOFT CONCERT' Vendredi le 23 mai, 2008 20h

Kaoru Watanabe(NYC) Flûtes japonaises et occidentales. Ancien membre du groupe Kodo. www.watanabekaoru.com   Patrick Graham(MTL) Multi-percussioniste. Membre de GaPa, autorickshaw et La Nef. www.patrickgrahampercussion.com

Sattvika Danse 10 ave. des Pins O. Studio 228 Montréal, QC 8$ Info: (514) 603-1934

TRIO WATANABE performing with MITSUE WAKABAYASHI(May 1)

TRIO WATANABE performing works from the new CD [Song of Shinobué]with guest MITSUE WAKABAYASHI (dance).

A St. Louis Symphony violinist for over four decades, Haruka Watanabe has recently released an album of original compositions entitled Song of Shinobué.  Among other distinguished musicians, this album features his wife Ayako Watanabe - one of the most in-demand harpist in St. Louis who also has a distinguished decades-spanning history with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.  The shinobue of the title refers to the Japanese traverse bamboo flute that Haruka's son Kaoru specializes in, having studied and performed for close to a decade with the world renowned Japanese drumming ensemble KODO.  This newly formed family chamber music ensemble, TRIO WATANABE will be performing primarily songs from the new album and will be joined by dancer Mitsue Wakabayashi from Japan for this concert.

CDs will be available for sale at the concert.

Date: Thursday May 1 at 7 pm.  Place: The Palm House in Tower Grove Park             4526 Magnolia Avenue, St. Louis MO. 63110 Admission: $10

Performing with Kenny Endo (Apr. & May)

Kaoru will be performing with Kenny Endo at the following places:

Tuesday, April 22, 12:15pm Harper College the Performing Arts Center, Illinois FREE for more info (Harper College website): http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/page.cfm?p=989&verbose=1871&month=4

Saturday, April 26, 8:00 p.m. Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble Concert Oberlin College Finney Chapel, Oberlin, OH Free and Open o the Public for more info: http://www.oberlin.edu/eas/events/Taiko/KennyEndoTaiko.htm poster: http://www.taikoarts.com/images/re.Posters.pdf

April 27 Kalamazoo College concert, Kalamazoo, MI

May 2 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Opening Reception, Newton White Mansion, Mitchelville, MD

Live with KENNY ENDO(Apr.12) & RESONANCE II (Apr.15)

Here are two shows coming up very soon.  They were decided last minute but music will come from someplace ancient.  PLEASE forward this e-mail to people you know and I hope to see you all there!  Best,

Kaoru

=============================  April 12 (sat) at 9 pm  KENNY ENDO and KAORU WATANABE

Kenny Endo (taiko Japanese drums, percussion), the first non Japanese born to receive a natori - an esteemed stage name awarded only to KABUKI musicians who have attained a certain level of mastery- will be performing with Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese and western flutes), former performing member and artistic director of the acclaimed KODO drummers of Japan.  Drawing from a repotoire of traditional Japanese music, originals and improvisations.  FREE OF CHARGE

ZEBULON 258 Wythe Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-218-6934 http://www.zebuloncafeconcert.com/

====================== April 15 (tues) at 8 pm RESONANCE II  New Music for Japanese flutes with Strings

Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese flutes- noh kan, ryuteki, shinobue and flute) Mike Block - cello Kiku Enomoto, Trina Basu, Sarah Bernstein - violin  Stuart Popejoy- bass / Structured improvisations inspired by the music of the Noh Theater, Gagaku and Japanese folk songs, and original compositions.    DROM 85 Ave A (btwn 5th and 6th) New York, NY 212-777-1157 $10 http://www.dromnyc.com/home/

GO: ORGANIC ORCHESTRA(Mar.31)

GO:  ORGANIC ORCHESTRA Creative music concert residency

MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY ADAM RUDOLPH

Date: MARCH 31  starts at 8:30 PM Place: Roulette             20 Greene St. (between Canal and Grand) 2 blocks west of Broadway Price: $15 at the Door, DTW members students, seniors: $10 Reservations: 212.219.8242 Roulette & Location One, members free www.roulette.org   www.location1.org

Participating artists include: Graham Haynes, Haynes, Stephen Haynes, Martin Loyato, Jordan Mc Lean – Trumpet and Cornet Steve Swell, Peter Zummo – Trombone Ned Rothenberg, Charles Waters, David Rothenberg, Avram Fefer  - Clarinets Alex Waterman, Tomas Ulrich, Daniel Levin, Kirsten Jerme, - Cello Charles Burnham, Sarah Bernstein, Trina Basu, Thea Farhadian – Violin Sylvain Leroux, Ze Luis, Michel Gentile, Kaoru Watanabe – Flutes, Bamboo Flutes Batya Sobel – Oboe Sara Schoenbeck – Bassoon Jerome Harris, Kenny Wessel, Leni Stern, Marco Cappelli - Guitar Harris Eisenstadt, Brahim Fribgane, Daniel Moreno, Dende, Gustavo Aguilar, Rich Stein, Tim Keiper, Jonathan Singer, Alby Roblejo – Drums and Percussion Lindsey Horner – Acoustic Bass Stuart Popejoy - Acoustic Bass Guitar Chris Dingman – Vibraphone Alex Marcelo – Acoustic Piano Alessandro Olla – Electro-acoustics

" I was fortunate to have  attended two nights with Adam Rudolph's Go  Organic Orchestra at Roulette a few months back  and was blown away by Adam's distinctive blend of  jazz and world music as well as his conducting."   - Bruce Lee Gallanter - Downtown Music Gallery

"A pioneer in world music" - NY Times

"The music, performed by a large ensemble of wind and percussion players, rose like vines from hand drummer Adam Rudolph's written instructions and hand signals. And it truly is organic -- a blend of gentle sustained dissonance, heaven-crashing rhythm jams, and individual improvisations. No joke: a startling and involving development in roots music, with more to follow."   - Greg Burk, LA Weekly

More info: http://www.metarecords.com/gohtml  

JAPAN IN AMERICA (Mar.22)

Town Hall’s Global Rhythms presents a showcase concert celebrating the Japanese-American experience. Featured artists include Chieko Kojima, principal dancer and drummer with Kodo, Japan’s most renowned taiko ensemble; Hawaii’s Kenny Endo, the legendary Japanese American taiko drummer and composer; drummer and flute player Kaoru Watanabe, former long-time member of Kodo; and special guest Susumu Yamagami, one of Japan’s great masters of the Tsugaru shamisen (a traditional stringed instrument) in his first ever US appearance. Completing the ensemble is Seattle Kokon Taiko, offering the Seattle premiere of Kenny Endo’s The Rites of Thundering, using the massive odaiko, the largest of the traditional Japanese drums. There is a pre-concert talk on taiko drumming by historian Tracy Lai at 7:20 pm.   Advance tickets are $22/$19 Town Hall members, seniors & students at Brown Paper Tickets or 800/838-3006. $25/$22 at the door.

Town Hall Seattle 1119 Eighth Avenue (at Seneca Street) Seattle, WA 98101 Phone (206) 652-4255 Fax (206) 652-5858

for more information, go to http://www.townhallseattle.org/sArticles.cfm?aId=85.

HANAYUI tour on the West Coast

Kaoru will be touring with the group HANAYUI on the West Coast in March. Hanayui consists of veteran KODO dancer, Chieko Kojima, singer Yoko Fujimoto and the Okinawa Classical dancer Mitsue Kinjo. Here is a list of the performances:

March 2, 4:00 pm: Broadway Performance Hall, Seattle, WA www.jcccw.org or email: sktaiko1@mac.com.

March 4, 7:30 pm: Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR www.pacificu.edu (info will be up the beginning of Feb)

March 8, 8:00 pm: Japan America Theatre, Los Angeles, CA www.jaccc.org/hanayui2008.htm

March 13, 8:00 pm: Rhythmix Cultural Works, Alameda, CA, http://www.rhythmix.org/hanayui.html

March 14, 8:00 pm, March 15, 2:00 & 8:00: Portland Taiko's spring concert, “From the Village,” Winningstad Theatre, Portland, OR www.portlandtaiko.org/home-season/index.html

for more information, please see http://www.kodo.or.jp/kasa/ .

Performing with Koji Kakinuma at the ”Japan!Culture+Hyperculture"

Kaoru will perform with Koji Kakinuma(Japanese calligrapher/artist) at the Millenium Stage in the Kennedy Center, Washington DC as part of “JAPAN! culture + hyperculture festival”.The Kennedy Center has broadcast the Millennium Stage performances live on the web. And it also broadcast performance archives.

Performance "Trancework - the world of BAKE-MOJI" Feb.12,2008 (Tue) 6:00pm-7:00pm at Kennedy Center : Millennium Stage (part of “JAPAN! culture + hyperculture” festival)

 Shodo(Japanese calligraphy) is a unique art form that embodies both the graphic aspect of painting and the temporal aspect of music. One of Kakinuma’s specialties is a performance in which he executes a work of Shodo in concert with musicians. He has experimented various kinds of performance - from traditional to avant-garde, from figurative to abstract, from small pieces to monumental works. At Millennium Stage, Kakinuma presents an epoch-making Shodo performance with two improvisational musicians - Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese fue flute) and Tatsuya Nakatani (contemporary percussion). Using a byobu (Japanese folding screen), Kakinuma plays “the world of Bake-Moji,” the metamorphosis of simple characters into a work of abstract art. Kakinuma also presents one of his trademark innovations Trancework, in which he paints countless repetitions of a simple, powerful phrase as he falls deeper and deeper into a trance.

Koji Kakinuma website: www.kojikakinuma.com Tatsuya Nakatani website: http://www.hhproduction.org

for more information about the festival, see http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/festivals/07-08/japan/index.cfm http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm?artist_id=KAKINUMAKO

To watch performance live on the web: access http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/ at 6 p.m. Eastern time on that days.

To watch performance as archive: access http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm?artist_id=KAKINUMAKO

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566 Tickets and Information: 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600 Administrative Offices: 202-416-8000

Performing with Tatsuya Nakatani(Per.) (Feb.6)

February 6th (Wed) Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese flutes) and Tatsuya Nakatani (percussion) will be performing an evening of improvised duets at the Tenri Cultural Institute as a precursor to an upcoming performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

Doors open at 8 pm, music begins at 8:30 $10 with reservations, $15 at the door

For information and to make reservations please call 646-624-9405 or e-mail Kaoru at kaoru@watanabekaoru.com

Tenri Cultural Institute is located in Greenwich Village on the ground floor of 43A West 13th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues (near the New School and Parsons School of Design).  http://www.tenri.org/

=====================

ARTIST INFORMATION

Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese flutes) Originally from St. Louis, MO, Kaoru graduated from the Manhattan School of Music as a jazz flute major in '97.  He then moved to Japan to join the acclaimed Japanese drum (taiko) ensemble KODO, where he spent 9 years as a performer- specializing in the various Japanese flutes (Shinobue, Noh Kan, and Ryuteki) and artistic director.  He left Kodo in '06 and returned to New York to further explore music informed by Noh, Kabuki, Gagaku and Japanese folk songs as well as jazz, classical music and free improvisation. 

Kaoru has performed with, among others Bando Tamasaburo, Jason Moran, Stefon Harris, and has acted as artistic director of Japan's oldest world music festival, Earth Celebration- where he worked in collaboration with Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hildago, Tamango, Yosuke Yamashita and calligrapher Koji Kakinuma.

In order to be able to share the knowledge and experience from his time spent in Japan and from a lifetime of playing music, Kaoru also teaches and gives workshops in shinobue and taiko drums. http://www.watanabekaoru.com/

Tatsuya Nakatani (percussion) is originally from Osaka, Japan. In 2006 he performed in 80 cities in 7 countries and collaborated with 163 artists worldwide. In the past 10 years he has released nearly 50 recordings on CD.

He has created his own instrumentation, effectively inventing many instruments and extended techniques. He utilizes drumset, bowed gongs, cymbals, singing bowls, metal objects, bells, and various sticks and bows to create an intense, organic music that defies category or genre. His music is based in improvised/ experimental music, jazz, free jazz, rock, and noise, yet retains the sense of space and beauty found in traditional Japanese folk music.

In addition to live solo and ensemble performances he works as a sound designer for film and television. He also teaches Masterclasses and Workshops at the University level. He also heads H&H Production, an independent record label and recording studio based in Easton, Pennsylvania. He was selected as a performing artist for the Pennsylvania Performing Artist on Tour (PennPat) roster as well as a Bronx Arts Council Individual Artist grant.

New in 2007, Nakatani has created a 9-piece Bowed-Gong performance, which includes 40" and 35" gongs.

http://www.hhproduction.org/TATSUYA_NAKATANI_WORKS.html

KRUSSIA: New album released

My good friend KRUSSIA, a crazy Russian beatboxer has released an album called Making Moves. I am playing both flute and fue on the creatively named track, "F**K YOU" featuring C-Rayz Walz. Please visit KRUSSIA's Myspace page for details.

Richard Amos: Karate Video released

My good friend Richard Amos has released a karate video that is meticulous in detail, comprehensive and clear in content and is beautiful to watch. The soundtrack isn't too shabby either.  For more information, please go to http://www.amazon.com/Shotokan-Mastery-by-Richard-Amos/dp/B000W2IIFU

S.O.B's presents JAPANESE NIGHT(Dec.4)

S.O.B's presents JAPANESE NIGHT Feat. ZAN  

special guests: Manhattan Taiko Featuring: Kaoru Watanabe Special Appearance: 10tecomai

date & time: Dec. 4(Tue) doors: 7PM, Show: 8PM Place: S.O.B's www.sobs.com   204 Varick St. @ W.Houston tel: 212-243-4940  

Song of Shinobue CD releaced

  A CD of my father's compostions has just been released.  I think it's gorgeous music that embodies my father's passion for music and his bicultural life.  It was an honor to be a part of this album.

Haruka Watanabe- Composer and Violin Ayako Watanabe- Harp Kaoru Watanabe- Flute Jennifer Montone- Horn Vera Parkin- Piano

http://aamrecordings.com/SongofShinobue.htm

"Mai" at Niigata & Sado (Dec. 21 & 22)

I will be performing with the dancer Wakabayashi Mitsue in Niigata city on the 21st of Dec and in Sado on the 22nd.

=================== In Niigata:

Date & Time: Dec. 21st (Fri)  7:30 pm show

Place: Gioia Mia www.niigata-gioiamia.com Tel: 025-224-2588 Ticket: 4,000 yen for advanced tickets, 4,500 yen at the door

======================= In Sado:

Date & Time: Dec. 22nd (Sat) 6 pm show

Place: Sado, Kanai Nohgakudo

Tel: 0259-63-4124

Ticket: 3,000 yen for advanced tickets 2,500 for below middle schoolers               plus 500 yen for tickets at the door

Live at "In F", Tokyo(Dec.18)

I will be performing in Tokyo on the 18th of December with great guitarist Natsuki Kido and singer Mio Matsuda. Natsuki is a very in demand guitarist in Tokyo, while Mio is an elegant singer of Portuguese, Brazilian and Japanese music. This will be the first time the three of us work together as a unit. "In F" is the name of the jazz bar. They have great ODEN and sake all from the Niigata prefecture. Take the Seibu- Ikebukuro Line to Ooizumi Gakuen. From the north exit, it is a 10 minute walk.

Date & Time: December 18th(Tue),  starts at 8 pm.

Address: Nerima Ku, Higashi Oizumi 3-4-19. Tsuda Building 3rd floor Tel/fax:  03-3925-6967

charge: 3000 yen

Please e-mail in-f.sato@nifty.ne.jp or just e-mail for further info.

Go: Organic Orchestra report

I performed in this wonderful ensemble lead by the great percussionist Adam Rudolph at the Roulette in Soho this past monday. The music can basically be described as structured group improvisation shaped by Adam as he guides the musicians along with a variety of predetermined hand signals indicating pitch, scales, melodic shapes, dynamics, range, tempo, texture, solos etc.

For instance, Adam may indicate the strings to play a low, soft long held note using any note of a certain scale - creating a lush dissonant chord- while the trumpets play short high bursts of staccato notes in a different key and over these layers of sound, a bass clarinetist may be improvising freely.  Consequently, much of the music is atonal and devoid of specific tempo, although there are times when Adam directs us to play pre-established rhythmic grooves and melodies.

Adam was constantly listening to the contours and movement of the  solos and accordingly shaping the orchestral backing, giving the   music a compelling ephemeral quality to it.  All of the twenty some musicians there were strong improvisers, able to take the music in very different emotional directions.

Adam also encouraged everyone in the orchestra to bring non-western woodwind instruments.  Among the many "non- conventional" instruments that I saw there was a fulani flute from West Africa, Brazilian flutes, harmonic flutes, quarter tone flutes, a shakuhachi, bird whistles, bottles, didgeridoos, Native American flutes, and an ornate Vietnamese flute.  My Noh Kan, Ryuteki and shinobue felt very at home in this setting.

The Orcehstra will perform once more this monday, November 26th.

GO: ORGANIC ORCHESTRA (Nov. 19 & 26)

GO:  ORGANIC ORCHESTRACreative music concert residency

MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY ADAM RUDOLPH

Mondays - November 19 & 26  @ Roulette 20 Greene St. (between Canal and Grand) 2 blocks west of Broadway 8:30 PM $15 at the Door DTW members students, seniors: $10 Reservations: 212.219.8242 Roulette & Location One, members free www.roulette.org   www.location1.org

Each week will feature a unique orchestration - Participating artists include:

Graham Haynes. Martin Loyato, Stephen Haynes, Amir Eisaffar – Trumpet and Cornet Steve Swell, Peter Zummo – Trombone Ned Rothenberg, J.D. Parran, Charles Waters, David Rothenberg, Avram Fefer - Clarinets Tomas Ulrich, Daniel Levin, Kirsten Jerme, Alex Waterman, Rubin Kodheli - Cello Charles Burnham, Jean Cook, Sarah Bernstein, Gwen Laster – Violin Stephanie Griffin, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Viola Sylvain Leroux, Ze Luis, Michel Gentile, Jane Rigler, Steve Gorn, Kaoru Watanabe – Flutes, Bamboo Flutes Batya Sobel, Salim Washington – Oboe Sara Schoenbeck – Bassoon Jerome Harris, Leni Stern, Kenny Wessel, Marco Cappelli, Matt Waugh - Guitars Harris Eisenstadt, Brahim Fribgane, Shaun Kelly, Mamadou Makan Kouyate – Drums and Percussion Lindsey Horner, Nick Rosen, Keith Witty, Stuart Popejoy, Tim Kiah, Kevin Farrel – Acoustic Bass Chris Dingman – Vibes, Marimba Alex Marcelo, Sylvie Courvoisier – Acoustic Piano "A pioneer in world music”          - NY Times "The music, performed by a large ensemble of wind and percussion players, rose like vines from hand drummer Adam Rudolph's written instructions and hand signals. And it truly is organic -- a blend of gentle sustained dissonance, heaven-crashing rhythm jams, and individual improvisations. No joke: a startling and involving development in roots music, with more to follow."

 - Greg Burk, LA Weekly

for more on GO: ORGANIC ORCHESTRA http://www.metarecords.com/gohtml       

Gagaku and Capoeira

Okay, it's hard to say if I really started either considering I've only done each once but they both are something that I think I can really get into if I just keep it up.  These are both things that I've had interest in but have had neither the time nor the opportunity to properly study. Gagaku is something that I have always loved and have spent time in the past trying to stylistically imitate the way the Ryuteki (Gagaku flute) is supposed to sound from CDs.  Ironically it is not until I after I left Japan that I have sought a little more formal training in Gagaku.  I visited the workshop of the Tenri Institute.  The workshop was taught by Noriyuki and Louise Sasaki who also teach Gagaku at Columbia University.  Like I said, I only went once, but they graciously gave me some music to work on and I realized that I had been thinking of some of the most well known songs (Etenraku for example) wrong as far as what where the measures and beats lay.  One thing I have learned about Japanese music in general is the importance of the SHOUGA (not ginger but the type of omonomopiatic vocalization of melodies that they have in so much of Japanese music).  I started really trying to check out the Shouga and through that trying to get some of the more subtle nuances that I had been missing when trying to imitate just from records.  One goal of mine is to try to memorize a Gagaku piece in it's entirety- including the shouga- by the next practice a couple of weeks from now.  I also want to memorize a few more Bach pieces so I sort of have a lot on my plate.

So, on to Capoeira.  I visited the studio of the venerable Maestre Joa Grande.  An instructor named Matt took me aside and showed me the very basic movements of Capoeira and their names.  Not being able to speak Portuguese, I really struggled trying to remember the names of some of the moves.  I remember the English equivalent to some: "Cut the Grass"  "Scissors"  the name of a frog, the tail of a certain type of fish, etc but that doesn't help when Matt was calling out the names of the movements in their native tongue.  Since I haven't been getting too much exercise recently, I really felt it in my legs and I know I will suffer for it tomorrow.  However- it was great!  A huge challenge to the mind and body.  I intend on keeping it up.  I will probably take a lot of classes in the beginning to get the basics, then cool of a little as my I get really busy with all the calls for gigs that I expect will be coming any day now.

Daniel Rosen: RESONANCE page

Daniel Rosen has set up a nice page regarding my RESONANCE concert.  I will be putting up images and video as soon as I can.  The concert happened almost two months ago by the way...  I work slow.

http://www.geocities.jp/wtymd050/misc/resonance/index.html