Stories
Taiko Interview Articles We worked with Sojin Kim, curator of the Big Drum: Taiko in the United States exhibition, to bring you a series of articles that look at the history, development, and evolution of taiko in the United States. Based on transcripts for interviews videotaped for the exhibition, each article featured a different taiko group and will collectively give you a glimpse at the diversity and growth of taiko. Marco Lienhard: Bridging Worlds with Music Marco Lienhard may have, at one time, seemed like an unlikely face in the world of Japanese taiko. He was born in Switzerland; he is not Japanese; he is not Asian. However, the rhythmic thundering of the taiko drums have become as natural to him as the sounds of his own heartbeats. Originally from Switzerland, Marco Lienhard joined an exchange program and went to Japan in the early 1980s . During that year, he was introduced to taiko. Following up on his growing interest in Japanese music, he soon contacted a group in Japan, Ondekoza. The group members met him in Osaka, and after leaving his exchange program, Lienhard eventually joined the group. Starting with the bigger taiko drum, he later learned shakuhachi and fue, quickly becoming a vital part of the group. He remained with Ondekoza from 1981 to 1994. Since his departure from Ondekoza, Marco Lienhard has remained a key figure in music in the United States and Japan, shaping the way that taiko has been changing over the years. He has toured extensively as a solo artist, and he eventually founded his own Japanese music and dance group based in New York, Taikoza, which has performed worldwide since 1995. Most recently, Beginnings, Taikoza’s first album, was nominated for a 2004 Just Plain Folks Music Award. Click here to read the entire article on the Big Drum: Taiko in the United States website. The Rhythms of Life: Shasta Taiko “This woman came up to me and said, ‘I don’t know why, but I just burst out crying when you were playing taiko’,” Jeanne Aiko Mercer says. “That happens a lot,” the pioneering taiko artist explains. “I think taiko is very healing. It’s a release, and I think people need that in their lives.” For Mercer and her husband Russel Baba, who founded the renowned Shasta Taiko group in 1985, the thundering rhythms of the taiko drum are more than just music—they’re an affirmation of life. Click here to read the entire article on the Big Drum: Taiko in the United States website. San Jose Taiko – Embodying the Spirit of Taiko in America For San Jose Taiko, it all started over 30 years ago. After seeing a performance by Los Angeles’ Kinnara Taiko at a YBA (Young Buddhist Association) conference, Reverend Hiroshi Abiko was inspired to start something for the youth at San Jose Buddhist Church that was both musically and culturally interesting. He recruited Roy Hirabayashi and Dean Miyakusu, both youth advisors for the YBA, to do this “taiko thing.” Roy and Dean raised the initial seed money for the group by throwing a dance party at San Jose State University. The event was a success—a packed house brought them $1,500 which was enough to buy some initial equipment. Click here to read the entire article on the Big Drum: Taiko in the United States website. Kenny Endo: Connecting Heritage through Music ...Kenny Endo is an internationally renowned taiko artist who performs both as a soloist and with his ensemble. He was the first non-Japanese national to be honored with a natori (stage name and master’s degree) in hogaku hayashi (classical taiko). Watching Kenny Endo perform or listening to him discuss the subject of taiko, audiences are immediately struck by the passion and energy with which he approaches his art. In an interview originally conducted for the Big Drum exhibition, Endo spoke eloquently about the role that taiko has played in his own life as well as in the lives of other Japanese Americans. A percussionist since elementary school, Endo said his interest in taiko was sparked when he saw the San Francisco Taiko Dojo in San Jose in 1973. ”It was the first time I saw this group of drummers. It really blew me away. I knew I wanted to do it as soon as I saw it.” Read the entire article on the Big Drum: Taiko in the United States website. TAIKOPROJECT: Not Your Mama's Taiko “This isn’t your mama’s taiko, but it may be your hip younger cousin’s.”—LA Weekly ...The TAIKOPROJECT, founded in 2000, is an ensemble of taiko drummers drawn from groups across North America. The group is dedicated to promoting American taiko through educational activities and public performances. Fusing tradition with edgy and sometimes daring contemporary elements, the ensemble is one of the fast-rising stars of taiko. To read the entire article, visit to the Big Drum: Taiko in the United States site. November 2005 | |
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