MUSIC REVIEW : Kodo at UCLA

Kodo has always been a highly disciplined troupe, famous for precision and power, a starkly stylized stage presence and almost grim intensity. The physical rigor is still there, but the One Earth Tour ’92 also revealed Japan’s “children of the drum” in more playful modes, Tuesday in the first of six performances at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

The prototype of this was Leonard Eto’s “Morinosei,” a new, flexible medley which began here with bamboo flute, small drums, gong and cymbals and ended riotously with dueling oke-daikos , slung over the shoulders of four drummers clearly enthralled with the sheer joy of rhythm.

Kodo has traditionally unwound in its scripted encores, and Tuesday was no exception. A vivid backdrop unfurled, the lighting brightened and the whole 12-member company exploded with interactive energy, capped by the athletic, folk-based capering of underused dancers Michiko Chida and Kan Kurita.

The opening, Eto’s “Shishi-ku,” begins with typical austerity but soon adds three colorfully costumed dancing musicians, wearing long wooden slats extending from their shoulders into towering headpieces. Bending forcefully at the waist, they slap these sticks against the floor in visual and aural punctuation.

Gesture reinforces sound in all Kodo pieces, even the pure percussion selections such as the familiar “Chonlima” by Roetsu Tosha. The ritual aspect of this is most apparent in Kodo’s signature O-daiko number, however,Yoshikazu Fujimoto addressing the 800-pound drum with respectful dignity before launching a thunderous martial arts improvisation upon the massive instrument.