Shoko Nagai's TOKALA
October 29, 2023 @ 3:00PM — 4:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center: 605 Main Street Middletown, CT 06457 Get Directions
This concept of bringing together Japanese folk, pop music, and middle eastern music is exactly in line with your concept of the bridge between the artistic heritage of world culture. We have seen art works, instruments, and other artistic objects from the Persian Empire preserved in imperial storage in Nara, Japan. We can only imagine what it was like for musicians of Japan to hear the sound of Persian court music! Surely, it has left a strong imprint deep in the Japanese traditional culture.
SHOKO NAGAI (Bandleader/ Pianist / Accordionist / Improviser / Composer)
Shoko Nagai is a versatile musical artist who improvises and performs with world- renowned musicians on piano and accordion and composes original scores for films and live performances. Since moving to the U.S. from Japan and studying classical and jazz music at Berklee, she has adapted her mastery of the keyboard to prepared piano, accordion, Moog synthesizer, and other instruments. Whether she is performing Klezmer, Balkan, or experimental music, Nagai is a charismatic presence onstage, who hypnotizes audiences with her intense focus and virtuoso sound. Nagai has received New York Foundation Arts 2023, Chamber Music America 2021, City Artist Corps 2021, and JazJants 2008. A veteran of the New York downtown music scene, she performs with John Zorn, Erik Friedlander, Marc Ribot, Eve Sicular (Isle Of Klezbos) Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto), Satoshi Takeishi, Elliot Sharp and many eclectic performers.
SATOSHI TAKEISHI (Drums / Percussions / Arranger /
Whether behind a drum set, a hybrid percussion set or computer-based electronics, “connecting the contrasting elements beyond genre in quest of the essence" is what Japanese-born musician/improviser Satoshi Takeishi strives for in his performances. After attending to Berklee College of Music, he has lived in Colombia, South America and Miami, Florida before arriving in NYC in 1991. He has performed and recorded in a vast variety of genres, executing in styles of jazz, rock, contemporary classical, avant- garde, experimental electronic, and world music. Takeishi received a Grammy Award in 2015 with Paul Winter Consort, and "Rising Star of 2019" Jazz critical poll as a percussionist. He continues to move among a wide range of musical environments and constantly strives for an integration of his diverse musical experience and knowledge.