Incense

INCENSE

/ˈinˌsens/
1) a gum, spice, or other substance burned for the sweet smell it produces.
2) make (someone) very angry.

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Kaoru Watanabe explores the dual uses and meanings of the piece's title—burning and calming, smoldering and healing, provocation and release—as they relate to personal ritual, social conflict, and rising above the tumultuous moment. This solo features Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion, zithers and vocalization, mixed with electronics - the convergence of ancient and modern technologies.

Initially developed during the pandemic and premiered live at Joe’s Pub in NYC, Watanabe has since performed the work at Dartmouth College, Lincoln Center, and excerpts at Hirshorn Museum, Yokohama’s Osanbashi Hall, Centre Musique de Monde in Montreal, Antenna Cloud Farm, and elsewhere.

Artist bio:

Composer and instrumentalist Kaoru Watanabe's work is rooted in traditional Japanese performing arts and infused with experimental and improvisational elements. His signature skill of merging the music, literature, and aesthetic philosophies of Japan with disparate styles and mediums has made him a highly sought-after collaborator, working with such iconic artists as André 3000, Yo-Yo Ma, Wes Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Laurie Anderson, Jason Moran, and Japanese National Living Treasure Bando Tamasaburo. The son of two St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians, Watanabe studied jazz at the Manhattan School of Music before moving to Japan to study noh-kan flute with Matsuda Hiroyuki and Edo Matsuri Bayashi with Suzuki Kyosuke in Tokyo. He then moved to Sado, a remote island in the Sea of Japan. He undertook a rigorous two-year apprenticeship with the groundbreaking Japanese taiko performing arts ensemble Kodo, where he trained in traditional Japanese folk dancing, singing, drumming, woodworking, tea ceremony, rice farming, Noh, and Kyogen. Watanabe then became the first American to join the ensemble as a performing member, serving as an ambassador of Japanese music on the world's greatest stages and as artistic director of their annual music festival, leading collaborations with luminaries such as Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Tamangoh. After a decade in Japan, Watanabe returned to New York to pursue a solo career, collaborating with top artists of their respective genres, such as flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena, rapper Residente, visual artist Simone Leigh, Rhiannon Giddens, the Sydney Symphony, and the Silkroad Ensemble, and many others, all while championing the essential qualities of Japanese flutes and percussion. In 2024, Watanabe launched Bloodlines Interwoven, a multifaceted commissioning project, festival, and ensemble celebrating heritage, immigration, and diaspora through music, cuisine, and storytelling.