SHOKO NAGAI’S TOKALA

Wednesday, March 29 from 8:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

Barbès – 376 9th Street, Brooklyn

Suggested Donation: $20

Shoko Nagai's TOKALA explores the sound of the ancient connection between Japan and the Middle East via the Silk Road. The cultural exchange that happened there left an imprint which became an integral part of Japanese culture. The music of TOKALA can raise awareness of the ancient connection between the Far East and the Islamic world of the Middle East.

Experience TOKALA tonight at Barbès, a bar and performance space in South Slope, Brooklyn. Click here to reserve your ticket.

Performers

Shoko Nagai — Accordion, electronics, voice
Satoshi Takeishi — Percussion
Frank London — Trumpet

About Shoko Nagai

Shoko Nagai is a versatile musical artist who improvises and performs on piano and accordion with world-renowned musicians and composes original scores for films and live performances. As a teenager in her native Japan, Nagai was trained on Yamaha’s electronic organ, the “Electone,” to perform popular music.

Since moving to the US from Japan and studying classical, jazz, and composition at Berklee College of Music, she has adapted her mastery of the keyboard to prepared piano, accordions, and other keyboard instruments, often inspired by the minimalist approach of composer Toru Takemitsu. Whether she is performing Klezmer, Balkan, or experimental music, Nagai is a charismatic presence onstage, hypnotizing audiences with her intense focus and virtuoso sound.

For more information, please visit Nagai’s website.

“We have seen the art works, instruments, and other artistic objects from the Persian empire preserved in Imperial storage in Nara, Japan. We can but only imagine what it was like for musicians of Japan to hear the sounds of Persian court music. We are sure that it has left strong imprints deep in the Japanese traditional culture.”

— Shoko Nagai