Performer Update for Roots and Rhythm
We would like to share an important update regarding the performers for Roots and Rhythm.
Due to an unexpected family bereavement, Ghatam Giridhar Udupa, our originally scheduled ghatam artist, is unfortunately unable to travel to the United States. In accordance with traditional mourning customs observed in India, they will remain with their family during this time.
While we are saddened that Udupa will no longer be able to join us, we are pleased to welcome Shubha Chandramouli, an accomplished mridangam artist, who will be joining the performance instead.  
We are grateful to Shubha Chandramouli for stepping in on short notice, and we look forward to sharing an exceptional evening of music with you. Thank you for your understanding, and we can't wait to see you at the event.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE

ROOTS AND RHYTHM
Shakuhachi & Mridungam in Dialogue — Japan Meets 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

John Kaizan Neptune — celebrated shakuhachi virtuoso — and Shubha Chandramouli — accomplished artist in the field of Carnatic music, joined by percussionist David Neptune, guitarist Christophe Ambrosino, and basist Spencer Hinkle bring a rare chemistry to the stage in a live performance that weaves Japanese melody, 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

Shubha Chandramouli - Mridungam is an accomplished artist in the field of Carnatic music. Initially trained by Sri Poovalur Srinivasan and a current disciple of the legendary Sri. Patri Satish Kumar, Shubha is one of only a handful of performing female mridangam artists in the world. As a collaborator in diverse genres of music and dance ensembles, Shubha has performed at numerous global music festivals, most recently the Reflektor festival in Hamburg, Germany curated by Anoushka Shankar.
Shubha is also a performing vocalist, having given several vocal concerts around the US and India. Additionally, she was a prior member of the Arpana Dance Company, having been trained in South Indian classical dance (Bharata Natyam). Shubha’s unique mridangam accompanying style incorporates her vocal and dance training to deliver a scintillating musical experience..

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.

Spencer Hinkle - Base is a multi-instrumentalist born in Los Angeles and raised in San Diego, with a musical curiosity that knows no borders. Fluent in traditions spanning cumbia, country, and Carnatic Indian music, he weaves an eclectic mix of sounds from across the world into a rich, cohesive groove. When he's not on stage, he's usually chasing the next sunrise with a cup of coffee in hand — always a little restless, always a little on the run.