“Kyoto Meets the Lower East Side” Photographs by George Hirose and HANAMI DAIKO at Drom by Lia Chang

Hanami Daiko at Drom

There will be an opening reception on May 7 at 6pm, to christen the Drom Art Space, where “Kyoto Meets the Lower East Side” Photographs by George Hirose are currently on view through May 19. After the reception, Yoshikazu and Yoko Fujimoto, founding members of KODO hit the NakaNaka stage for HANAMI DAIKO, an evening of Japanese Taiko, song and dance at 7:30pm. They will be joined by Eri Yamamoto (Piano) / Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese flute and taiko).

Admission is $15 in advance www.dromnyc.com and $20 at the door.

 Drom 85 Avenue A (btwn 5^th and 6^th Sts.)
 212.777.1157 | www.dromnyc.com

"Obama" Photo by George Hirose

“Kyoto Meets the Lower East Side” Photographs by George Hirose  www.georgehirose.com
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday   6:00 -  till late, and by appointment (optimum viewing hours 6:00 – 7:30 pm )

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Eri Yamamoto at The Stone and Drom by Lia Chang

Eri Yamamoto

Jazz pianist Eri Yamamoto tickles her ivories this week with two different bands in New York. On Tuesday, April 14, she plays at The Stone with The Rob Brown Quartet featuring alto saxophonist Rob Brown, drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist William Parker.
8pm $10
@THE STONE
3rd St and Ave C, NYC
www.thestonenyc.com

On Thursday, April 16, she performs in Drom’s NAKANAKA Japanese Art and Culture Series as a duo with flute and fue player Kaoru Watanabe.
7:30 pm $10
@DROM
85 Avenue A, between 5th & 6th Sts
www.dromnyc.com
212-777-1157
 
www.eriyamamoto.com

www.wantanabekaoru.com

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Eri Yamamoto and Kaoru Watanabe Make Sweet Music Together

Eri Yamamoto and Kaoru Watanabe made sweet music together at Circle 57 Salon on October 19 in New York. (Photo by Lia Chang)

Jazz pianist Eri Yamamoto first heard taiko drummer and flautist Kaoru Watanabe perform when they were appearing in different ensembles on the same evening at The Stone, John Zorn’s not-for-profit performance space dedicated to the experimental and avant-garde, this summer. Watanabe’s improvisational style, playing western flute and bamboo flutes inspired by the musical landscapes of the Kabuki theater, Gagaku, and Noh with two master percussionists Tatsuya and Adam Rudolph, spoke to Ms. Yamamoto, a Japanese native who grew up in Kyoto listening to this music every day.

She proposed a collaboration via emails in Japanese, assuming he was from Japan. After all he spoke fluent Japanese and had studied Fue, traditional Japanese Folk Dancing, and taiko drums with the world famous Japanese Taiko group, Kodo, who train on the island of Sado in Japan, had travelled as member of the group, and served as a guest artistic director.

Watanabe, born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, (whose parents are members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, his mother is a harpist and father is a violinist), wrote back in English. To her surprise, she discovered he was Japanese American, but recognized in his music, his Japanese soul.

After a few rehearsals under their belt, they played together for the first time as a duo, on a sun drenched Sunday afternoon at the Circle 57 Salon in New York. Performing their original jazz based and Japanese influenced original compositions during their first collaboration, Ms. Yamamoto and Mr. Watanabe’s synergy was lyrical magic, as if they had been playing together for years. I look forward to their next. Click below to her Kaoru Watanabe’s original composition Underlying.

Eri Yamamoto and Kaoru Watanabe Jazz it up at Circle 57 Salon on October 19

Kaoru Watanabe (Photo by Lia Chang)

Jazz up your Sunday afternoon with pianist Eri Yamamoto  and Kaoru Watanabe (western/Japanese flute), who will be performing original compositions with elements of Japanese music and free improvisation as a duo, at Circle 57 in New York, on October 19 at 3pm. Eri and jazz pianist Bruce Barth present these “Circle 57″ salon concerts, which showcase art and music in an intimate setting. Painter/illustrator Inga Poslitur is this week’s highlighted artist.

Circle 57 Salon, New York
Tickets are $10, RSVP to kaoru@watanabekaoru.com, seating is limited.