Produced by world music scholar (and former Grateful Dead percussionist) Mickey Hart, Mondo Head documents a series of performances by Japanese taiko ensemble Kodo.
Recorded in California and Japan across the spring and summer of 2001, the album features an airy reproduction of Kodo's massive sound.
Though taiko music is comprised predominantly of percussion instruments, Kodo's sound is filled with the organic sounds of flutes, bells, and human voices.
The result is a lushly dense melodic tangle that works in and around the meticulously marked beats, inseparable from the rhythm in places.
The music is disciplined and energetic though, at times, seems far removed from the force-of-nature power the band is attempting to achieve.
In places, the music sounds positively Westernized, with smooth vocal chants on the opening "Berimabu Jam" and "Maracatü," as well as with the puzzling addition of blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite on "Echo Bells." Musselwhite's contribution fits surprisingly well in places, but often sounds like Howard Levy's lite work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berimbau JamMickey Hart, Giovanni Hidalgo, Kodo, Airto Moreira | Kodo | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | SangeMickey Hart, Giovanni Hidalgo, Kodo, Airto Moreira | Kodo | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | Okesa PrayerThe Gyuto Tantric Choir, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Kodo, Arto Tuncboyaciyan | Kodo | Play | 06:45 | 15 MB | 43 MB |
| 4 | WataruMickey Hart, Kodo | Kodo | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 5 | MaracatúRhonda Benin, Joey Blake, Mickey Hart, Giovanni Hidalgo, Kodo, Airto Moreira, Linda Tillery | Kodo | Play | 05:14 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 6 | PsychopompMickey Hart, Kodo, Vikku Vinayakram | Kodo | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | DaraijinZakir Hussain, Kodo | Kodo | Play | 06:35 | 15 MB | 30 MB |
| 8 | Oya y OgunMickey Hart, Nengue Hernandez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Zakir Hussain, Kodo | Kodo | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | Echo BellsMickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Kodo, Charlie Musselwhite | Kodo | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | KashiraMickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Kodo | Kodo | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 11 | EktalAzam Ali, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Kodo | Kodo | Play | 07:16 | 16 MB | 43 MB |
| 52 mins | 120 MB | |||||
| 52 mins | 312 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azam Ali | Composer, Voices |
| 2 | Rhonda Benin | Composer, Voices |
| 3 | Joey Blake | Composer, Voices |
| 4 | Bobi Céspedes | Voices |
| 5 | Greg Ellis | Hammer Dulcimer, Udu |
| 6 | Tom Flye | Engineer, Mastering, Mixing |
| 7 | Yokoi Fujimoto | Vocals |
| 8 | The Gyuto Tantric Choir | Bells, Chant, Composer, Damaru Human Skull Drums, Ngoma, Rolmo |
| 9 | Micket Hart | Guest Artist |
| 10 | Mickey Hart | Agogo, Beats, Bells, Breathing, Composer, Drums, Gong, Handclapping, Jegog, Liner Notes, Objects, Pan Flute, Percussion, Producer, Sound Effects, Talking Drum, Water Gong |
| 11 | Nengue Hernandez | Composer, Voices |
| 12 | Giovanni Hidalgo | Agogo, Cajon, Composer, Congas, Handclapping, Shaker |
| 13 | Michael Hinton | Bells, Claves, Gong, Shaker |
| 14 | Zakir Hussain | Composer, Duggis, Guest Artist, Tabla, Taragat |
| 15 | Ryutaro Kaneko | Music Direction, Taiko Drums |
| 16 | Kodo | Agogo, Clappers, Composer, Cymbals, Daiko Drum, Gong, Handclapping, Hirado-o-daiko, Hyoshigi, Jangara, Okedo-daiko, Percussion, Primary Artist, Rattles, Shamisen, Shime Taiko, Shinobue, Taiko Drums, Uchiwa-daiko, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Whistle (Instrument), Wood Block |
| 17 | Airto Moreira | Agogo, Berimbau, Caxixi, Composer, Drums, Guest Artist, Handclapping, Percussion, Sound Effects, Voices |
| 18 | Charlie Musselwhite | Composer, Guest Artist, Harmonica |
| 19 | Jeff Sterling | Assistant Engineer |
| 20 | Linda Tillery | Composer, Voices |
| 21 | Arto Tuncboyaciyan | Composer, Sound Effects, Vocals |
| 22 | Vikku Vinayakram | Composer, Ghatam |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |