SEPTEMBER 21
This California-based group, formed in 1973, takes some liberties with the rigorously choreographed, highly acrobatic art of taiko drumming. As practiced by Japanese groups like Kodo, taiko is pulverizing stuff, the elaborate rhythms hammered out on the huge barrel drums with militaristic precision. San Jose Taiko, which is predominantly female, incorporates non-Japanese rhythms from hip-hop to Brazilian, wears colorful matching outfits, and smiles a lot (the Kodo guys favor strained scowls). Taiko is best experienced live, and I’ve only seen a short video of this outfit, but it looked suspiciously like “Taiko–The Musical” to me.
5:00pm FIELD MUSEUM (NORTH STEPS)
This instrumental Scottish sextet plays a Celtic analogue to Bela Fleck’s jazzed-up, note-crammed bluegrass–a shapeless, soulless, technically flawless mishmash of fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, percussion, and piano.
12:30pm CULTURAL CENTER (MBC STUDIO)
See above. With samba dance lessons by Shirley Snell.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
This mostly instrumental sextet plays the traditional music of Spain’s northwestern Asturias region, a Celtic foothold that became something of a backwater as the Inquisition spread south. Flute fiddle, and piercing bagpipes play the elaborate melodies while hand drums, acoustic guitar, and bouzouki lay down the airy but meticulous rhythmic framework.
