Kaoru Watanabe & FriendsKaoru Watanabe & Friends

Live: Kaoru Watanabe (shinobue, flute) Hiromichi Sakamoto (cello, electronics) Shogo Yoshii (shinobue, kokyuu, taiko, vocals) Daniel H. Rosen (visuals) Artist Information: Kaoru Watanabe  A former member of  the Japanese taiko ensemble Kodo, Kaoru Watanabe is a practitioner of various Japanese transverse bamboo flutes, the taiko drum as well as Western flute.  His music can be best described as an ever shifting blend of the folk and classical traditions of Japan with contemporary improvisational and experimental music. From 2005 to 2007, Kaoru served as one of Kodo’s artistic directors, focusing on their world music festival Earth Celebration. During this festival, he directed shows that combined music, dance, and visual arts and that featured such luminaries as Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hildalgo, Carlos Nunez, jazz pianist Yosuke Yamashita and casts comprised of West African stilt dancers, tap and contemporary dancers, traditional Japanese folk dance, live calligraphy, break dance, capoeira and of course the taiko. Also during and since his time with Kodo, Kaoru has worked closely with legendary Kabuki actor Bando Tamasaburo, an experience that had a profound effect on his artistic growth. In late 2006 Kaoru left Kodo and returned to NY to teach and continue performing fue, western flute and taiko in a variety of musical and artistic settings. Recent projects have taken him across the US, Canada, Japan, Mongolia, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Honduras. [Kaoru Watanabe Homepage](http://www.watanbekaoru.com) Hiromichi Sakamoto  (b. 1962, Hiroshima, Japan) is a cellist who plays not only the cello, but also performs using voices, musical saws, among other things. In order to pursue and broaden the possibilities of the cello, he dares to use various effects, bumping and thumping, scrubbing, and goes so far as to use an electric drill or a grinder, producing sparks. His radical yet lyrical performance are indeed an experience. Besides performing solo improvisations, he collaborates with many other musician as well as people from other genres of art, such as movie, theater, the fine art, photography, butoh, and street performance. His activities are eclectic, crossing over other boundaries. 1999, his solo works CD "zero-shiki" has been released. The musicians he played together at the past, Umezu Kazutoki, Otomo Yoshihide, Uchihashi Kazuhisa, Yokogawa Tadahiko, Haco, Samm Bennett, "CICALA-MVTA", Lars Hollmer(from Sweden), "32 JANVIE" (from Lyon), PUSSE (from Paris), and many others. Shogo Yoshii  Shogo Yoshii is a former member of the taiko performing arts ensemble Kodo. He entered the Kodo Apprentice Centre in 2003 and became a Kodo member in 2007. On stage, he was featured on taiko drums, metallic percussion, bamboo flutes, kokyu (Japanese violin) and in dance pieces. In 2010, he joined the musical ensemble of "Babel," choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet. In the same year, he served as music director and performer in Arte y Solera's flamenco piece, "Dojoji." His original composition "Sora" is used in a textbook for Japanese elementary school students. [Shogo Yoshii facebook](https://www.facebook.com/yoshii.shogo.music) D.H. Rosen  Tokyo-based visual artist D.H. Rosen loves to play with analog and digital media. His live sets are a combination of prepared digital imagery and spontaneous collage. [www.tokyodex.com](http://www.tokyodex.com)