Taiwan's award-winning ensemble Ka Dao Yin (卡到音) will offer 8 performances on its Central and North America tour that will take the world music improvisation quartet to six Mexican cities from Oct. 19 to 25 and then to Vancouver for Oct. 27 and 28.
As a band focused on utilizing cross-cultural instruments, Ka Dao Yin consists of pianist Lee Shih-yang (李世揚), German saxophonist Klaus Bru, Chinese zitherist Liu Chun-de (劉俊德), and Chinese mouth organ player Hung Shao-huan (洪紹桓). Each of them brings different music influences and cultural backgrounds to the ensemble.
The band produces avant-garde and category-defying acoustic sounds that express the simplicity of folk music, the rigorousness of classical music, and the beats of jazz. Their music is equally well-received at concert halls, jazz music festivals, world music festivals, art galleries, museums, and experimental music scenes.
This fall, the Taiwanese group has been invited as a special guest by the 2018 Cervantino International Festival, one of the largest cultural events in Central America that greets up to 400,000 visitors per year. The invitation will take Ka Dao Yin to Mérida, Guanajuato, and 4 other cities in the Sinaloa state of Mexico from Oct. 19 through 25.
The group has also prepared a special 70-minute repertoire, titled "Taiwan Graffiti," for its Oct. 21 showcase at the University of Guanajuato. The performance will kick off at 7pm following a panel discussion at 6.30pm.
Kao Dao Yin has prepared separate playlists for its two performances in Vancouver as well. The Oct. 27 act will be played at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown as part of the "2018 Taiwan-Canada Culture Night" organized by the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society, while the Oct. 28 show will feature Vancouver band Proliferasian as part of the "Taiwanese & Canadian Musicians" showcase at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre.