ABOUT THE CONCERT SERIES
Note: All sessions will be recorded and distributed to registrants within 1-2 days of each session. Recordings will be available for access for one month after the last session.
OTO GA TATSU | The Sound Lives
The sound is everything. The sound carries emotion. The sound carries hope. The sound carries a message. The sound must cut, the sound must ring, the sound must rumble, the sound must caress.
Starting in the dead of winter and leading us through to the warmth of spring, a concert series by Kaoru Watanabe featuring solos, duos and trios with guests from all over: Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man; Kodo member Yuta Sumiyoshi from Sado Island, French Guyanese tap dancer and painter Tamangoh, and finally classical Japanese and Western percussion legend Kiyohiko Semba and violinist Kaori Takahashi from Tokyo.
– Kaoru Watanabe
Highlights of each concert:
2/6 (Sat) 3pm Pacific Time: Kaoru Watanabe + Wu Man – pipa (San Diego)
Wu Man on the pipa is exquisite virtuosity, rooted in a deep mastery of centuries of Chinese music while residing both in the present and in the future, tirelessly pushing to innovate her art. We often improvise while performing together, savoring the shifting dissonant and harmonious sounds that emerge when two different musical cultures and personalities converge.
3/6 (Sat) 3pm Pacific Time: Kaoru Watanabe + Yuta Sumiyoshi – taiko (Kodo/Japan)
Yuta Sumiyoshi represents the best of a new generation of Kodo – deep historical knowledge, flawless technique and execution and a voracious appetite for more experiences, challenges and viewpoints. Even though he joined Kodo long after I left, we communicate in a coded language that comes from touring with the ensemble. For this concert, we are creating three pieces with three different core concepts: 1) chance, 2) permutations of a single rhythm and 3) a hypnotic seventeen beat rhythmic cycle.
4/3 (Sat) 3pm Pacific Time: Kaoru Watanabe + Tamangoh – tap dance (New York)
Whether painting, practicing martial arts, chatting about the 8th century Moorish invasion of Spain, playing the flute or tap dancing (which is what he is most known for), Tamangoh is simply Tamangoh: an uninterrupted flow of rhythm and creativity. We have been improvising together for fifteen years now, with the piece in this concert being the latest incarnation.
5/1 (Sat) 3pm Pacific Time: Kaoru Watanabe + Kiyohiko Semba + Kaori Takahashi – percussion + violin (Japan)
Semba, the head of the Semba School of classical Japanese music as well as a legendary drumset player and percussionist in the vibrant Tokyo music world, has at his fingertips four hundred years worth of kabuki repertoire, Brazilian samba, progressive rock drum chops, often delivered within one song, accompanied by his razor-sharp wit, absolute professionalism and manic irreverence. The violinist Kaori is a classically trained, fearless and fiery improvisor.
音が立つ | The Sound Lives
その音色は、感情を揺り動かし、希望を運び、
願いや祈りを届ける。
世界の静けさを切り裂いて、弾けたり、震わせたり、慰めたり、包んだりする。 渡辺薫の４回に渡るコンサートシリーズは、中国琵琶（ピパ）
奏者の第一人者、ウー・マン、 佐渡島の鼓童から太鼓奏者の住吉佑太、 仏領ギアナ出身のタップダンサー兼画家のタマンゴ、 そして邦楽奏者兼パーカッショニストの仙波清彦とバイオリスト高 橋香織という、豪華かつ多様なアーティストと共に、ソロ、 デュオ、トリオでの演奏を予定。 冷たく張りつめた氷を割る、春の芽吹きに目をみはる時、
音は立つ。 – 渡辺 薫
2月 渡辺薫 ＋ ウー・マン（ピパ 中国琵琶）
ウー・マン氏は、何世紀にも渡る中国の伝統音楽を深く習得し、
3月 渡辺薫 ＋ 住吉佑太 （鼓童 太鼓）
住吉佑太氏は深い歴史的知識、優れた技術と演奏能力を持ち、
4月 渡辺薫 ＋ Tamangoh（タップダンス）
絵を描いている時、武道の稽古中、
5月 渡辺薫 ＋ 仙波清彦 ＋ 高橋香織（パーカッション＋バイオリン）
仙波清彦氏は邦楽囃子の仙波流家元であると同時に、
SCHEDULE
Part 1: Saturday, February 6th | Kaoru + Wu Man (pipa)
Part 2: Saturday, March 6th | Kaoru + Yuta Sumiyoshi (taiko)
Part 3: Saturday, April 3rd | Kaoru + Tamangoh (tap dance)
Part 4: Saturday, May 1st | Kaoru + Kiyohiko Semba (percussion) & Kaori Takahashi (violin)
All concerts are one hour in duration starting at:
3:00 PM PT (Los Angeles)
4:00 PM MT (Denver)
5:00 PM CT (Chicago)
6:00 PM ET (Toronto/New York)
11:00 PM (London)
12:00 AM (Madrid +1 day)
8:00 AM (Tokyo +1 day)
10:00 AM (Sydney +1 day)
IMPORTANT NOTES
– Once concert series ticket is purchased, you will receive a Zoom link via e-mail 1 day before each session. Please make sure to check your spam folder if you do not see it in your inbox.
– Each live session is followed by an optional 30-minute hangout plus Q&A time with the artists.
– Can’t attend at the scheduled times? All sessions will be recorded (artists view only) and distributed to all registrants within 1-2 days of each session. Recordings will be available for access for one month after the last session.