Wadaiko Ichiro Drummers - Preview

7 Mar 1997 — 1 min read

In the early 1980’s Ichiro Inoue, a master drummer and composr founded the Wadaiko Ichiro Drummes as an alternative to the traditional Japanese drumming troupes. The result is a breathtaking fusion of Western and African sounds with more traditional Japanese music. Visually, you get the elegance of ballet combined with the force and precision of the martial arts.

The drums date back 1500 years and range from the massive taiko drum to the smaller shime-daiko drum. They were used in religious ceremonies as well as a means of rapid communication during the war.

The show itself is stunning. The troupe glides effortlessly across the stage, lugging drums that weigh up to 450 kilo. To achieve such a performance, the drummers train up to seven hours a day for months on end. And this involves weight-training and running

Reviews

Issue 1082

From Issue 1082

7th Mar 1997

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Michael

Andie MacDowell sings, John Travolta dances, Bob Hoskins cockney accent gets progressively more suspicious - what more could you possibly want? Hopefully not a plausible plot, as that’s certainly one thing that Michael doesn’t supply. Michael (Travolta) is an angel on his last visit to Earth, who communicates

Laika - Sounds Of The Satellites

This is an album by one of those bands which people have only ever heard of, not actually heard. However, I think this is a bad thing. They quite succesfully mix the jazzy sound of Portishead with the beat intensive mood of Massive Attack, occasionally throwing in a bit of

Various - Talvin Singh Presents Anokha

Talvin Singh Presents... is not simply any old compilation album. He both writes, plays and produces on several of the tracks, and the album’s diversity stems from the fact that this has been compiled only under the heading Asian Underground. Anokha is the club night that has become synonymous

Subcircus - The Garage

This London quartet, Subcircus, ought to be quite pleased with themselves really. Hard working fellas, they played pushing on a hundred gigs last year. Supported the likes of Suede and Stranglelove. Put out their debut album, which is being met, ever so slowly, with more than its fair share of

Books

Hot takes: Murakami

Haruki Murakami has become a household name. Often seen as the frontrunner of Japanese literature in the West, he has also become an increasingly divisive author. Despite criticism regarding his presentation of women, and repetitiveness or banality in his oeuvre, Murakami still emerges as a widely read, well-enjoyed novelist. So

Books

Murakami: movement to survival

A comparative analysis of Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance

News

The at-risk researchers now working at Imperial

Felix spoke to Cara, the charity that offers academics in danger a place in British universities.