MUSIC PERFORMANCE

ROOTS AND RHYTHM
Shakuhachi & Ghatam in Dialogue — Japan Meets South India

7PM - 8:30PM, Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Murasaki Hall at The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
(5700 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036)

Please register HERE
Free, RSVP Required
This program will not be recorded

For the first time on North American soil, two world-renowned masters of traditional music unite. John Kaizan Neptune — celebrated shakuhachi virtuoso — and Giridhar Udupa — master of the South Indian ghatam — share a musical bond that spans two decades and a celebrated collaborative album. Now, joined by percussionist David Neptune and guitarist Christophe Ambrosino, they bring that rare chemistry to the stage in a live performance that weaves Japanese melody, South Indian rhythm, jazz, and world fusion into something wholly new. Original compositions. Ancient instruments. One unforgettable experience.
 

MUSICIANS

John Kaizan Neptune - Shakuhachi is a San Diego-raised surfer-turned-bamboo virtuoso who has spent over five decades pushing the shakuhachi — a five-holed Japanese flute — far beyond its traditional roots. A master of the Tozan School (his honorary name, Kaizan, means Sea Mountain), he made history when his album Bamboo became the first jazz record by a foreign artist to win Outstanding Album of the Year from Japan's Ministry of Education. Across 24 albums, he has taken the shakuhachi to places few could imagine — recording three albums in India, collaborating with jazz luminaries like Robben Ford and Nathan East, and weaving together traditional Japanese instruments with world fusion sounds that have earned him wide acclaim across continents. His rare gift lies in honoring the ancient while fearlessly exploring the new — blending the koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi with jazz, blues, Indian classical, and beyond. Now, he's bringing that full sonic world home to Southern California with this quartet.

Words Can’t Go There movie trailer about John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgYsK7k7R-Y&t=5s

Ghatam Ghiridar Udupa - Ghatam is one of the world's most celebrated percussionists — a true global ambassador of Indian Classical music and the man synonymous with the ghatam, the ancient South Indian clay pot percussion instrument. Born into a musical family and playing since the age of four, Udupa has spent three decades building a career of staggering reach, performing in over sixty countries and gracing the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Kennedy Center, and the United Nations. His rare ability to root himself deeply in Indian Classical tradition while fearlessly crossing into jazz, world fusion, and even electronic music has made him a sought-after collaborator with legends like Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. His 2024 debut album, released on Germany's 7K label, merges traditional Indian percussion with electronic soundscapes — earning him a five-star review from the UK's Songlines magazine. Udupa brings that same boundary-dissolving energy to Southern California, where his meeting with John Kaizan Neptune promises to be something truly electric.

David Neptune - Takeda and Handpan is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and percussionist based in Los Angeles.

Born and raised in Japan, David grew up immersed in the world of Japanese and global music through his father — shakuhachi virtuoso John Kaizan Neptune — performing alongside him in concerts from an early age. That deep musical upbringing shaped everything that followed.

His debut documentary feature, Words Can't Go There (2019), tells the story of that musical life from the inside: a son's portrait of his father's singular career bridging Japanese tradition and world music. The film premiered at the Warsaw International Film Festival and went on to win multiple awards.

David's connection to his father's work extends well beyond the screen. In 2023, he launched Takeda Drum — a business producing the bamboo percussion instrument his father invented, inspired by the West African udu and crafted entirely from bamboo. David performs on the Takeda in concert halls and festivals around the world, including the OC Japan Fair, where he also lead a drumming workshop.

His percussive voice draws on a global palette — India, Japan, Latin America, and Africa — woven into a style that is entirely his own.

Christophe Ambrosino - Guitar was born in France and has been living inside music for over 30 years. His journey began with the saxophone, but curiosity took him further — guitar, bass, percussion, flute, piano, and voice all became part of his language. Music, for Christophe, has never been a single instrument. It's a way of understanding the world.

Before fully committing to that calling, he earned a degree in physical education, spent five years as a camp counselor, and rose to become a high-level gymnastics coach, leading multiple teams to victory. But the pull of music was stronger, and he followed it.

Back in France, he created and performed musical education shows for young children — using playful, interactive storytelling to open their ears and spark a lifelong relationship with sound. It was teaching as performance, and performance as teaching.

In 2001, Christophe moved to the United States and hit the road as a touring musician, fronting his own band Maria y el Sol — a vibrant, rhythm-driven blend of cultures and influences. A decade of performing eventually brought him west to Los Angeles, where two unexpected passions took root alongside music: dog training and permaculture.

He continues to teach people how to live more harmoniously — with nature, with animals, and with themselves. And increasingly, that means returning to his first love. Christophe believes the musician lives inside every one of us. His work is helping people find it.