The rhythms of the East

From the archive, first published Wednesday 1st Feb 2006.

JAPANESE taiko drummers Joji Hirota and Hidekazu Kato will be appearing at Number 8 Community Arts Centre in Pershore next month as one of only three performances during their UK spring tour.

The audience will have the opportunity to experience the purifying taiko drumming performed on a wide variety of percussion, traditional shakuhachi music, vocal renditions of Japanese folk songs and original music improvised live on stage.

Hidekazu Kato performs worldwide with top traditional instrumental groups from Japan including the famous Bamboo Orchestra. He learned his craft from a lineage of great shakuhachi masters and his many performances in the UK during Japan 2001 were received with great acclaim.

Joji Hirota is a major figure on the world music scene. He has performed with a wide variety of musicians over many years and also composes music for theatre, television and film.

Since his early training in Japan, Joji has formed his own universal musical identity, embracing the foundations of Japanese traditional drumming and the influence of his many international musical collaborations.

Performing on a variety of instruments, Joji's style has been described as melodic drumming. The pair will appear at Number 8 on Saturday, February 18, and tickets are priced at £11 (£10 concessions)

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