TOPICS

Program:

Noh dance
“Sakuragawa
(The River of Cherry Blossoms)”:
Tsunao Yamai | Kiyomi Muraoka
JAZZNOH “YUYA”: BLU-SWING | 
Tsunao Yamai | Kiyomi Muraoka
Jazz live: BLU-SWING
DJ play: Shuya Okino

Drink:

1 drinks

On Friday, February 20th, we will be launching “MOMOKAWAROH –Tokyo Underground Arts Society–,” a new experiential lounge taking place only on Fridays.

It will be a fusion of music, fashion, and art, set against the backdrop of a Noh stage, that conveys traditional Japanese culture worthy of preservation and transmission.
Harmonizing tradition and technology, this program will present “Tokyo nighttime culture” as a new offering for the world. The second installment is “JAZZNOH LAB.”

It will be a collaboration representing Japan, between Tsunao Yamai, Noh master of the Komparu school of Shite-kata (principal actor) and recipient of the general designation of Important Intangible Cultural Property and “BLU-SWING,” a five-person band active worldwide which pursues its unique jazz-based sound.

The DJ for the evening is music producer and DJ Shuya Okino, also known for the unit “Kyoto Jazz Massive,” a renowned name in the global club jazz scene.

The event opens with a Noh dance performance by Shite-kata Tsunao Yamai and his disciple, the noh actress Kiyomi Muraoka. This is followed by an experimental session featuring Tsunao Yamai’s dance to original tracks by BLU-SWING, and utai chanting performed by BLU-SWING vocalist Yu-ri Tanaka and Kiyomi Muraoka. Flowing into a City Pop Jazz Live by BLU-SWING and culminating in a DJ play by Shuya Okino, the performance fusing and shifting from Noh to jazz is breathtaking.

Experience the fusion of a projection-mapped story, cutting-edge jazz music, and traditional performing arts, centered on the theme of “Jo-Ha-Kyu,” a fundamental structural principle in Japanese traditional performing arts and culture. Set against the old pine tree on a Noh stage painted by the Edo-period (1608 – 1967 A.D.) Kano school, the performance is accompanied by the signature hospitality of SUIGIAN.

* Jo-Ha-Kyu: Japanese performing arts term which refers to three phases of a musical piece or stage performance. “Jo” is a peaceful introduction; “Ha” is a dense development phase; and “Kyu” is a fast-paced final chapter.