“Dahaza” (Pounding Waves Group) was founded in 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as a desire to have a group of multi-instrumentalists who play Wagakki – or Japanese instruments. The mindset of being open and fostering a relationship with Japan is very important to the group, and through the gathering of like-minded musicians in Alcvin Ryuzen Ramos, Anny Lin, John Nguyen, and Nori Akagi, Dahaza was born.
“Daha” (Pounding Waves) is the title of a famous classical shakuhachi meditation piece which is a metaphor for breaking through one’s obstacles in life to reach success, happiness, and ultimately enlightenment. Dahaza performs original and contemporary pieces on a variety of traditional Japanese instruments including taiko, shakuhachi, shamisen, sanshin, and shinobue, with the occasional guest koto artist.
General Contact info: dahazamusic@gmail.com
Photos by Megan Campognolo