It’s a grey day today and snowing in Tokyo. I have to go out into the cold to get more clothes fit for winter. It makes me think of home back in the UK which is also cold as winter gets a grip over there. That won’t stop me writing about events related to Japan and here’s one that has been in my email inbox for a while. The avant-garde Musician Koichi Makigami will give a talk and performance in London on December 03rd. I had to look up his work and it seems like fun based on the first couple of videos I found:
Here’s the information from the organisers:
Koichi Makigami is an internationally acclaimed musician and avant-garde vocalist with a very distinct voice. Also the leader and vocalist of the now legendary band Hikashu, Makigami regularly performs and records solo vocal experiments, combining elements of Japanese theatre traditions and presenting an exciting and energetic array of vocal acrobatics and personalities. Makigami’s compositions and improvisations have gained him numerous fans around the world and have inspired collaborations both within and beyond the field of music.
A musician with a colourful and eclectic career, Makigami will talk about his inspirations, the basis of his work and his career as a solo artist as well as the leader of Hikashu, while reflecting on Tokyo’s underground music scene in the late 70s through to today.
Joined in conversation by Dr Alan Cummings, music journalist and lecturer at SOAS, Makigami will talk about his international collaborations, discussing the potential of these practices and suggesting how music can be a connecting force between different cultures and disciplines.
During the event, there will be a short performance by Koichi Makigami
The talk takes place at The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD. Saturday, December 03rd at 7:00pm. You can book a free ticket to secure a place here.
