August 12, 2009
NATC 2009 Videos
I’ve continued to edit down and post some of my videos from this past weekend to YouTube. And now, I’ve collected them all in one convenient playlist. Hover over the video box with your mouse, and arrows – along with small thumbnails representing links to the other movies – will allow you to navigate through the playlist.
Enjoy!
August 11, 2009
NATC 2009 videos
I have started to edit, re-encode, and upload to YouTube some of the videos I took this past weekend. The first, a special performance of Hiryu San Dan Gaeshi, is already finished. Be sure to check it out, and stay tuned for more!
August 9, 2009
NATC 2009
Well, the 2009 North American Taiko Conference has come and gone, and as I sit here in my hotel, I figured I’d take the time to write some reactions. Rather than writing an overview of everything that’s happened, however, I’m just going to touch on a few major things.
Living History
Walking around NATC, you can’t help but walk past any number of people that had a major impact on taiko in America. Of course, Tanaka-sensei was an overwhelming presence. At the same time, however, he was quite warm and inviting. As I and a newly-made friend (from Oberlin, curiously enough) passed him in the street on the way to a workshop, he asked us what workshop we were going to (a katsugi-okedo workshop taught by Ringtaro Tateishi, if you’re wondering :P). Then, he took the time to offer us a few tips about stretching and what muscles to watch out for, as katsugi-okedo uses different muscles than normal taiko playing. It was an incredibly touching gesture from a man without whom kumidaiko might not not exist in America.
Add in the many many names I passed multiple times a day, and it was a pleasant reminder that while taiko’s history in America is rich, it’s still young. That first generation of taiko performers, who have been playing for 30-40 years now are still playing today. Being able to see them all come together to perform at the Welcome Reception (videos of which I hope to put up on YouTube once I get back to Pittsburgh) was a true joy.
Community
This weekend helped me realize just how much taiko in America is about community. For a few days, hundreds of people (around 500 this year, I heard) gather in one place, united by their love of taiko. People from all ages, places, backgrounds… taiko is something that everyone has in common. I met a great number of people for the first time this weekend, yet it was easy to settle into a conversation.
At the same time, however, at times it seemed that one’s place in the taiko community is defined somewhat by which group you’re with. Given that I’m not in a group, that put me in a bit of an awkward situation at times. Conversations inevitably started (or wove towards) the question, “so what group are you with?” Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done about that for now. But it did give me added incentive to try and start up something taiko-wise in Pittsburgh (not that I needed any more incentive…)
Taiko Jam
Saturday and Sunday presented the opportunity to attend Taiko Jam, the concert that accompanies each NATC. And what an opportunity it was. Beyond the pure joy of watching taiko for 2+ hours, it was a very interesting concert. The first half featured Las Vegas Kaminari Taiko and Kishin Taiko. Each has their own strengths, but they both offered solid, enjoyable taiko performances.
The second half totally changed the game. It featured On Ensemble and Portland Taiko, and was completely different in a way from what the first half offered. In a good way, of course. The first half gave us “traditional” kumidaiko, if one can even say that. Pieces inspired by matsuri-bayashi, original pieces – similar to what many in the US (and abroad) perform. With the second half, however, we were given something completely different. It was still kumidaiko, mind you – that is, literal “group taiko” – but of a different sorts from LVKT and Kishin. On Ensemble could maybe be described as taiko fusion. It uses taiko, and all the members are (very) accomplished taiko performers, but it goes off in a direction unlike almost anything else out there. Each member brings their own unique skills to the table, creating a musical mixture that still feels like taiko. If they ever come to your town, I highly recommend checking them out. Words do not do justice to their music.
And THEN, just when we thought the evening couldn’t get any better, out walked Portland Taiko. Like On Ensemble, here was something… different. Portland’s a little less… out there than On (having a lot in common with LVKT and Kishin), but at the same time they’re off in a different direction. They integrate dance in a way that I’ve never seen before. Certainly, movement is an integral part of kumidaiko – of course, I think that some groups maybe take it a little TOO far – but they take it to another level. Plus, their sense of ma – something that’s kinda of hard to translate into English; sort of “space,” but much more – was incredible. You could FEEL the silence in their music, and it worked perfectly.
After the first night, I was quite glad I had bought tickets to Sunday’s concert. And while the feel of Sunday’s concert was much different – given that most of the NATC participants had left – it was still worth it. I feel like I appreciate the performances that much more, having moved past the initial shock and awe.
So, where do we go from here?
Now that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it. If I wasn’t pumped up enough to play taiko after June’s whirlwind of workshops, I am now. I just have to figure out how to accomplish it. I don’t own a drum (only my self-made practice drums), or anyone else to play alongside, or a place to play, or….
Certainly, there’s a bunch of stuff to overcome. But, I’m feeling rather invigorated. Somehow, I’ll get it done. Even if I have to take a tire drum out into the middle of Schenley Park and bang away for a few hours.
August 5, 2009
NATC Ho!
Tomorrow I depart for the West Coast, LA, and the North American Taiko Conference. This is going to be a trip of many firsts for me: my first trip to LA, my first time attending the NATC, and my first time volunteering at a convention. Yup, I decided to volunteer. Why, you may ask? Well, for a number of reasons.
- I figured it’d be a good way to meet people. Now obviously, I’m going to meet new people at the convention regardless. Heck, I’m only going to know maybe two or three people out of the hundreds that’ll be in attendance, and the chances I’ll run into them may be slim. By being a volunteer, however, I’ll be able to experience the convention in a way that only a few others will share. That tends to help break the ice a little better.
- As mentioned, being a volunteer would give me a good opportunity to see a side of the convention that others typically don’t see. From a research perspective, this could be useful in the future.
- I actually like volunteering/helping out at events like this. Normally I’m not the volunteer type, but someone I tend to enjoy being on staff at events, working beside the scenes at things, etc.
So, I’ll be helping out at the Welcome Reception on Thursday evening, then helping to move equipment Saturday morning. All in all, not that, and I’m not really going to be missing anything either, save one Workshop where my hours overlap with the workshop hours. But that’s a minor price to pay.
Beyond the volunteering side, I’m just in general looking forward to the whole experience. As has been made apparent in earlier posts, I’m a bit alone taiko-wise. Sure, I know people, and I’ve been able to do some playing this summer, but given that I’m back in Pittsburgh now I’m back to being a solitary taiko player in a taiko-less city. This weekend, I’ll be surrounded by people who enjoy playing the same music that I do. We can talk shop, so to speak – can’t really do that with people to whom you have to first explain the ins and outs of “taiko.” Granted, most of these people have MUCH more experience than me. I’ve only been playing for… eight months now, and that’s not even been an consistent 6-7 months: 2 months of classes, a few where I was just practicing by myself once or twice a week, a month of pretty intensive study, and now my current state where I”m not really doing much of anything (taiko or otherwise – I’ve been pretty lazy lately). Still, there’s something to take away from all this. At the very least, it’ll probably motivate me to figure out how I can practice up here in Pittsburgh.
Anywhoo, there’s the long and short of it. For the moment, at least. If you happen to be in LA, and mosy over to Little Tokyo this weekend, keep a look out for me!
Until next time.
July 26, 2009
Taiko Blogs
A few months ago, towards the beginning of this blog, I posted a list of some interesting taiko videos I had come across from around the ‘net. Today, I’d like to return to that idea, only this time, instead of posting links to videos, I’d like to highlight some taiko blogs out there on the vast web. Since I began using Google Reader about a year ago, I became almost addicted to RSS feeds, and taiko blogs contributed to that. This is by no means a comprehensive list – just a list of ones I’ve come across and read regularly. Maybe, some readers might be able to contribute some of their own links.
All the blogs I’ll be listing are in English. There are some Japanese blogs I follow as well – if there’s interest, perhaps I’ll talk about them in the future.
May 21, 2009
Taiko in Pittsburgh
Now, it may seem a bit odd, my focus on taiko, especially considering that: a) there is not a big Japanese population in Pittsburgh (one of the smallest Asian populations in the city, according to the 2000 census); b) there isn’t a taiko group nearby (the nearest one is Icho Daiko, 3 hours away in Cleveland); and c) tours by the larger groups like Kodo rarely come through town.
However, when you take a closer look Pittsburgh has been pretty lucky on the taiko front. Even if the big groups rarely come around (San Jose Taiko did visit in Oct. 2007), This probably stems from the fact that most groups rely on the involvement of local groups to help support their concerts – no group generally means no concerts. Still, even though the Japanese populace in Pittsburgh is small, it tends to come out in droves for events. San Jose Taiko’s concert proved that, as did a performance by the Pittsburgh-born enka singer Jero, the recent Pittsburgh Sakura Project planting ceremony, and other such events.
Even with that being the case, there have been several taiko concerts every year for the past several years, thanks to area organizations. The DrumTalk Rhythm Festival, hosted by the organization Afrika Yetu, has for the past few years featured among the guests artists Takumi Kato, the 2008 winner of the Tokyo International Taiko Contest (the youngest such winner). Takumi’s visits to the area have also been sponsored by the Bethany College Japan Outreach Program from Bethany, WV (ab0ut a hour southwest of Pittsburgh). He’s also given workshops and performed concerts in the Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio area.
Similarly, Bethany’s Japan Outreach Project has also brought Ryo Shiobara, the 2007 winner of the Tokyo International Taiko Contest, to the area; together with Takumi, they have played concerts and given workshops every Spring for the few years.
I find the fact that two taiko performers like Kato and Shiobara regularly come to the Pittsburgh area and perform (they performed at the University of Pittsburgh in Oct. 2007, Slippery Rock University & the Pittsburgh Sakura Project Planting Ceremony in April 2009) to be rather impressive, especially considering that there’s no group here. The concerts are always well-attended and well-received, and the artists have said that they enjoy coming to the area. Not very many cities can claim such a thing.
Now, if only a taiko group could get started in the area somehow…
May 19, 2009
Taiko Videos from Around the 'Net
Continuing the filling of space until the travels begin, I thought that I’d share some videos that I’ve come across on some of the video-sharing sites that are out there.
Taiko Channel (太鼓ちゃんねる)
Produced by the Japan Taiko Association, this 15 minute show airs weekly on Sundays on BS11. It was preceded by a show called Taiko-chan ga Iku!! (たいこちゃんが行く！！ – “Taiko-chan will go!!”), which aired on a local network in Saitama. Typically, a brief clip about a local group or performer is featured, followed by a brief lesson. It’s not much, but still the fact that there’s a weekly show about taiko is great.
Every episode of both programs are available on DailyMotion. It’s also available on YouTube, but they divide each episode into two parts for upload there (due to YouTube length limits, probably).
Taiko videos from YouTube
Of course, there are too many taiko-related videos on YouTube to name, but I thought I’d point out a few noteworthy ones:
A user by the name of irohanihoteton has posted a bunch of videos (34 in all) taken at the Kokura Gion Festival (小倉祇園祭) from Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, which heavily features drums. I’m quite interested in local drumming traditions across Japan, particularly since they’ve inspired pieces like Yatai-bayashi and Miyake that have been popularized by groups like Kodo and Ondekoza (thus having a huge impact on what people across the world think of as “taiko”). You can imagine my excitement, then, when I found these videos.
The user has also posted a bunch of other videos from various festivals as well.
Mifune Toshiro in “The Rickshaw Man” (Muhomatsu no issho 無法松の一生 )
The great Mifune plays taiko in a 1958 movie. This was supposed to have taken place at the Kokura GIon Festival. The movie is said to have been a big influence on the founder of Ondekoza, among others.
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Of course, there’s a wealth of taiko-related videos out there – these are just some that I’ve found that I wanted to share with you all.
May 8, 2009
Why taiko?
Recently I’ve been getting this question a lot, both by Americans and by Japanese. Why am I studying taiko? To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about it until recently. Still, it’s a valid question, so I thought I’d use this blog to think out loud. Figuratively speaking.
May 4, 2009
Summer travels
Given that this blog is (initially, at least) dedicated to my summer travels, I thought it might be a good idea to inform the general reading public of where it is I’ll be going and what it is I’ll be doing.
June
The majority of my travels will be taking place in June. Generally they revolve around various taiko workshops taking place in Hawaii, California, and Japan, but hopefully I’ll get some sightseeing in as well.
From June 8-12, I’ll be participating in the Taiko Center of the Pacific’s Summer Taiko Intensives in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Taiko Center of the Pacific was founded by Kenny Endo, a taiko performer who is the first non-Japanese to receive a natori (stage name) in Japanese classical drumming.
Then, I’ll be going to San Jose, California, to participate in a workshop on June 14 offered by San Jose Taiko, one of the first kumidaiko ensembles in the United States. After that I hope to spend a few days catching up with friends on CA. I’ve never been to that state, so it’ll be a fun adventure. Of course, it’s not like this trip won’t be filled of fun adventures.
On June 16 I’ll be meeting my brother in San Francisc; together, we’ll be flying to Tokyo and staying there for a few days. He’s going to be heading to Seoul for almost two months, but before then we figured out a way to hang out in Tokyo befoe each of us continues our journeys.
After Tokyo I’ll be stopping in Nagoya for two nights. Nagoya’ll be my home base as I wander in the surrounding area. Among the places I’ll visit is Ena, a city in Gifu Prefecture that is the home of Takumi Kato. Takumi is the 2008 winner of the o-daiko division of the Tokyo International Taiko Contest; he’s also the youngest drummer to win. I first met Takumi in the fall of 2007, when he and Ryo Shiobara (the 2007 winner of the Contest) came to Pitt and gave a concert; since then, we’ve remained in contact and met up several times when he’s come to the area to perform. Hopefully, if our schedules match up we’ll be able to meet in his hometown. He’s currently in the middle of a drive to perform 1000 times over the course of the year, quite often going door to door while carrying an okedo-daiko.
From Nagoya, I’ll be going to Achi Village, near the city of Iida in Nagano Prefecture. There, I’ll be participating in the INADANI Taiko Drumming Course, offered by Art Lee and Wadaiko Ensemble TOKARA. Art Lee is the 2005 winner of the Tokyo Contest, the first non-Japanese to achieve such a feat. He’s also the first person to receive a visa from the Japanese government to perform taiko.
During this time, I’ll also have the opportunity to see Ryo Shiobara perform nightly at a resort near the ryokan at which I’ll be staying. I’ll also be able to see a concert given by Art Lee and TOKARA, as well as the 10th anniversary concert of shinkokyu AYA, an amateur taiko group that Shiobara-san organized.
After all that,I’ll be returning to Tokyo for a couple of days to hopefully get some rest and relaxation in(as well as some shopping, including a stop at Miyamoto Unosuke taiko company’s store). I’ll get back in Pittsburgh July 1.
August
Of course, that’s not the end of my travels. I’m hoping to attend the North American Taiko Conference, held August 7-9 in Los Angeles. It’ll be a nice counterpart to my June travels, I think.
…Well, that’s about where my summer stands. Hopefully, I’ll be able to blog about all those happenings as they occur. At the very least, I hope to take a bunch of pictures and bost them on my photo gallery.
The Road Goes Ever On and On... 