Koji Hirata encountered the bandoneon, a type of concertina, at the young age of 13. While it's common for a teenager to take up a musical instrument, Hirata showed an unusually high level of commitment when, at 16, he took a solo trip to Argentina to learn it.
"I thought there was no other way to learn the bandoneon than going to Argentina," Hirata, now 32, says. "I wanted to know how the real maestros performed it."
The aspiring musician left his hometown of Yokohama and went to Buenos Aires, where he studied under the late bandoneonist Carlos Lazzari. His one-month stay at the renowned musician's home exposed him to the "soul of tango."
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