Thursday, September 20, 2012

Tatsuya Nakatani, Darin Gray, Vanessa Skantze to perform Thursday, October 4 at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

Improvising percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, October 4 at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

Nakatani (pictured), who's originally from Osaka, Japan but now lives in Pennsylvania, has played at LNAC several times in recent years, usually bringing a different concept or premise to each show. He typically employs a variety of sound sources, including drums, bowed gongs, cymbals, singing bowls, metal objects and bells, as well as various sticks, kitchen tools and homemade bows, and draws inspiration from traditional Japanese music as well as free improv, jazz, rock and noise. 

For this performance, Nakatani will team with bassist Darin Gray and dancer Vanessa Skantze for what's being billed as "a rare concert of avant guard percussion, extended technique bass, and Butoh dance."

Gray is, of course, well known to St. Louis audiences as a regular presence on the improvised music scene, performing with groups such as the Dazzling Killmen, Grand Ulena, Gastr del Sol, Cheer-Accident, You Fantastic!, Yona-Kit, and more, while Skantze is an expert in the Japanese theater/dance tradition of Butoh.

Admission to the Nakatani/Grey/Skantze performance at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center will be $7 at the door.

(Edited 9/23/12 to correct the admission price.)

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