Interview: Katsuji Asano of Asano Taiko US - 日本語 (translated by Julia Asano)

Katsuji Asano of Asano Taiko US

I am very excited to feature Katsuji in this interview, which was superbly translated by Julia. It has been a pleasure working with Asano Taiko US (ATUS) and the Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI) since they opened their fantastic facility in Torrance, California - offering workshops, co-coordinating Kyosuke Suzuki sensei's US workshop tours, and helping to make Edo Bayashi materials available on their online store. My first visit to ATUS was filled with a sense of awe at the scale and commitment to quality in every detail. The two main studios are equipped with everything a drummer could want: high-tech sound dampening in the walls, beautiful floors and mirrors, white boards, amplifiers, comfortable temperature, and of course the incredible number of amazing taiko sitting there ready to play.

Asano Taiko US

Operating out of this facility is LATI, a one-of-a-kind taiko school offering an extensive array of classes taught by some of the most experienced and thoughtful teachers I know. I especially appreciate the balance of older and newer taiko forms originating from Japan as well as elsewhere. Because of its clear significance, ATUS has quickly become a hub of high-quality workshops, hosting a constant stream of musicians and educators offering an assortment of topics in various genres. 

Katsuji helped to fund my Edo Bayashi intensive in Tokyo in October 2016 where I was able to deepen my study of this festival music through one-on-one lessons with Suzuki sensei. I'm certain that his thoughtful responses in this interview provide insight into his vision of advancing the art form of taiko, and I'm happy to be involved in this symbiotic partnership. I also want to thank Julia for making this information available in English, capturing the essence of Katsuji's answers much better than I could have.

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1. Can you describe the history of Asano Taiko and how Asano Taiko US (ATUS) was opened in Torrance, California?

Asano Taiko US in Torrance, California

私がアメリカの太鼓を初めてみたのはNATC2005年LA。この時「太鼓」が海外でこんなにも熱狂があるものかと衝撃をうけました。そして独自のコミュニティー、情報を共有するなど日本は無い形だった事に新鮮な気持ちと、このように発展してる太鼓界がとても面白く感じました。

Juliaとも出会い、アメリカの太鼓界にも少し関わったりする中、もしアメリカで太鼓屋の拠点があったらどうなのか？太鼓文化がもっともっと発展していくのでは？日本にも世界ににも良い影響が与えられるのでは？ビジネスになるのか？などたくさんの疑問から始まりました。太鼓文化の発展に関わる事ができたらどんなにやりがいのある事になるかと夢と希望が湧き、そして2011年のNATCの盛り上がりとお話を聞くなかででやろう！っと決め本格的に動きだしました。

場所の選定では西海岸、東海岸か。日系コミュニティー、太鼓チームが多い地区、日本との行き来、世界のハブ。

多方面の要素が踏まえLA近郊で決めました。LA近郊で治安問題を踏まえ探していくとまずは新しくてこれから発展していくアーバイン近郊が候補に入ってきましたが、交通の便、物件の良さがあったのでトーランスに決めました。

The first time I saw taiko being performed in America was at the 2005 North American Taiko Conference. I was surprised to see how popular taiko was and how different the U.S. taiko was from Japan. Taiko players in the U.S. are very open natured and willing to share their knowledge of taiko which was both surprising and interesting for me. 

After meeting Julia, I had opportunities to participate in many American taiko events and started to wonder, what if I started a business in the U.S.? Would the taiko community grow even more? Would Japan, or even on a larger scale, the world have any effect on this unforeseeable challenge I’m about to embark on? Can we make this a business? I started pondering many questions to myself. After attending the 2011 North American Taiko Conference and seeing the US taiko community again, I decided to take the first step and start the business.

My first debate was choosing the right location. Should I start the new business in the east coast or west coast? After researching which areas had the most taiko groups and a bigger Japanese community, I decided that Southern California is the place to be. I chose Torrance as the city due to its accessibility for commute and ideal properties. 

2. What is the Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI)?

Los Angeles Taiko Institute

http://taiko.la
LATI is a taiko institute housed in Asano Taiko U.S. located in Torrance, California. We opened in July 2013 (when Asano Taiko U.S. opened) and started with less than 20 students and now have over 200 students coming every week. We offer various types of classes for all levels and have 9 instructors who teach anywhere from 2 yr olds to students in their 70’s.

3. UnitOne, the ATUS taiko ensemble, consists of very experienced players. What is the artistic vision and mission for this group?

UnitOne at 2015 North American Taiko Conference

始めたきっかけ
How it started

日本の場合は島国、小民族で形成されていたので限られた音楽性（これは良い事であり、何百年と続いている伝統芸能などある）で次世代に繋がってきています。チームプレーに徹する事が日本の和太鼓の良さにもなっていると私は思っています。

Due to our country being an island nation, I believe that when it comes to musicality, the style of music becomes limited as they get passed on to the next generation (I would like to note that this is a good thing, as this is how traditional art have been continuously protected and honed over the generations). Because of its small ethnic group that Japan is based on, I believe it created strength in team play when it comes to expressing Japanese Taiko.

逆は独創がなかなか生まれにくい。持っているグルーブ感が限られている。アメリカでは色々な文化が入り混じり、様々なジャンルの音楽に触れ合う機会が多いです。そして人々の中にそういった日本にはない感性が多く入ってます。現在のアメリカの太鼓でよく見られるのは独創的な音楽性。一人一人の個性が非常に際立つ事。

However, the downside to this close-knit formation is that it becomes harder to create new and innovative music with originality. The groove feeling of the artists have become limited. But in America, various cultures and backgrounds intertwine, allowing many opportunities to interact with diverse genres of music. It from this melting pot where taiko in the U.S. have the sensibility that Japan has yet to experience. Taiko in America has its strength in originality, their ingenious musicality standing out in each and every player.

いと昔は日本と同じでチームとしての統一感があり、アメリカの太鼓文化も今まさに「変化」していっている状態だと思います。この日米のいいところを伸ばす事ができるチームが出来たらおもしろい！とおもいました。私が日本の良い所を取り入れながら、プレイヤー自身のもっているものを生かせればと。

Currently, I believe that taiko in both countries have the same sense of unity as a team which has always been unchanged, yet we are in a place where taiko culture is facing a shift before our very eyes and “transforming” into something new. Instinctively I felt that it would be amazing if we can develop a team that can incorporate the strengths from both countries!  My hope is to deliver the good components of Japanese taiko, and give life to the potentials in each taiko player here in the U.S.

また私のそばに素晴らしい太鼓プレイヤーがいる事が始めようと思った非常に大きなポイントです。基礎を大事だと思ってくれ、また自分自身を成長しようと思うプレイヤーがここには多くいます。そのような太鼓打ちを輩出していく事もこの会社の使命だと思っています。

Lastly, the major reason why I decided to start this company is because I am surrounded by amazing taiko players. Many of the players here put much respect in the foundation and philosophy of taiko, and take it upon themselves to incorporate it back into their lifestyle for their own growth. I believe it is our mission as a company to continue this cycle and produce more taiko players such as them, making a mark in the art and history of traditional Japanese music in America.

4. What are some of your observations regarding the North American taiko scene?

・コミュニティーを大事にしている
・太鼓楽しく打つ事を大事にしている（日本と違い表に出す）
・自分らしさを太鼓を使って自分なりに表現している
・ベテンランも学ぶ姿勢がある
・情報を共有している
・新しい道を探している

- They look after their community
- They value the ideal of enjoying taiko (compared to Japan, they openly express their emotions)
- Taiko is used as their way of expressing their individuality
- Even the seasoned veterans are in a humble stance to learn
- They share their knowledge and expertise
- They are always passionate and striving to broaden their horizon

5. In 2015, ATUS sponsored Kyosuke Suzuki sensei’s workshop tour of California, Oregon, and Washington. Can you talk about some other ways in which ATUS is contributing to advance the art form?

NATCへはここにある全楽器を持って行き貸し出しします。Taikoインビテーショナルへの楽器の貸出。日本からのゲストを呼んでWSを行ったり,交流と技術の習得を支援。

We lend all of our studio drums to TCA during the North American Taiko Conference, and also to Intercollegiate Taiko Invitationals. We invite artists from Japan to host various types of workshops to bridge American artists in hope that they can have more access to Japanese art forms. 

6. What products and services does ATUS offer in the Torrance facility as well as the online store?

Asano Taiko US in Torrance, California

浅野太鼓商品全般を販売しています。在庫が置いていない商品でも日本に在庫があれば１週間程で届くシステムができています。また販売に関して特注品（バチや衣装、その他の楽器、台など）も受け付けており、できるだけプレイヤーの要望に応えられるようにしています。祭り関係のお店とASANO TAIKO USが直接取引きがあるので太鼓に関わるものを大体提供できます。また太鼓の締め直しや革の張り替え。浅野の商品以外での修理も受けています、修理はASANO TAIKO USで行うので時間と費用が随分抑えられます。「太鼓の音を育てもらう」そうゆう風に楽器と一生付き合って行ってほしい願っています。Online shopも開設して全米、世界に向けて販売が可能になっています。

We sell Asano Taiko products here at Asano Taiko U.S. Products out of stock can be ordered from Japan and we will receive them in 1-2 weeks. We also accept customized orders mainly on costumes, bachi, taiko, and stands, hoping to cater to all the needs of the taiko player. Asano Taiko U.S. has direct contracts with many shops that carry festival goods, allowing us to be able to supply most items relating to taiko and we also offer reskinning and restretching service. We gladly accept repair orders even for non-Asano brand items, and since repairs are done on-site, time and cost can be reduced greatly. We have also established an online store so now customers throughout the world can place an order with us. 

7. Do you have any events coming up in the next several months?

4月バチBBQ
6月大江戸助六さんWS（予定）
7月ブリーチ祭り
8月NATC
12月発表会

April - Bachi BBQ (LATI event)
June - Oedo Sukeroku Taiko workshops
July - Bridge USA performance
August - North American Taiko Conference
December - annual recital

8. What are some long-term goals for ATUS and LATI?

より多くの人に「太鼓」に関わってもらう事。
Growth of the taiko community.

「和太鼓」という芸能の価値を高める事。
To branch out and root deep in hopes that “taiko” will become a higher valued art form.

太鼓プレイヤー全体のレベルアップ。
Improve skill levels of all taiko players.

日本では出来ない事をアメリカでやっちゃう（色々な意味で）。
Challenging many things that are possible only in the U.S.

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Katsuji Asano of Asano Taiko US in Torrance, California

Born in 1983 into the famous Asano Taiko drum-making family, Katsuji Asano quickly discovered a love for both business and the arts.  After graduating from Kanazawa Institute of Technology in 2006, Asano joined the Percussion Division of Yamaha Music Trading Corporation. 

In 2006, Asano returned to taiko (Japanese drums), and began work at Asano Taiko, Inc. in Ishikawa prefecture.  He learned both the craft of Japanese drum-making and the business side of marketing, working directly with taiko artists.  With hopes of spreading the art of taiko on an international scale, Katsuji Asano opened Asano Taiko U.S., Inc. in 2013, the first facility of its kind outside of Japan to offer an instrument store, on-site workshop, and taiko school staffed by professional taiko players.

Links
Asano Taiko US
Los Angeles Taiko Institute
UnitOne

Interview: Iris Shiraishi talks Midwest taiko, composing, teaching, and learning from Suzuki sensei

Iris Shiraishi of ensemble-MA

Recently I had a wonderful conversation with Iris Shiraishi of ensemble-MA. Iris kindly organized my Minneapolis workshops during my February Midwest teaching tour. It was a visit I was eagerly anticipating because of the opportunity to conduct a masterclass for Iris’s Edo Bayashi class. We have known each other for many years, and I feel like the rapport comes from our parallel experiences - the coalescence of Hawaii culture, music school, learning from Kenny Endo, and our ongoing study of Edo Bayashi and Edo Kotobuki Jishi with Kyosuke Suzuki sensei of Wakayama Shachu. In the interview, Iris talks about her musical start in Hawaii, earning degrees in composition and music therapy, and discovering taiko with Rick Shiomi and Mu Daiko. She also describes her own group concept with ensemble-MA, the transition of Mu Daiko under the new organization TaikoArts Midwest, and working with older adults through her outreach program TaikoAlive.

Iris provided two of her compositions for me to intersperse into the conversation: Soaring and In My Dreams. There are more videos of her original work on the ensemble-MA website so I would recommend checking them out. I also included a link to Iris’s feature in the PBS art series MN Original as well as the Mu Daiko 20th Anniversary concert and festival.

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Iris Shiraishi of ensemble-MA

Iris Shiraishi is a musician and taiko player, a teacher, music therapist and arts administrator. She has degrees in composition (BM, MA), arts administration (MFA) and music therapy (PhD) from the Universities of Hawai'i, Iowa and Minnesota, and has been studying and performing taiko since 1997. A founding member of Mu Daiko under the direction of Rick Shiomi, she left a thriving music therapy practice to pursue a full-time career as a performer, composer, residency artist/instructor and administrator for Mu Daiko in 2002, eventually becoming its Artistic Director in 2010. She has received grants to study with Kenny Endo and Suzuki Kyosuke and in addition counts PJ Hirabayashi and Chieko Kojima as her most influential role models and teachers. Iris left Mu Daiko and formed ensemble-MA in 2014, a group of taiko players and musicians which is dedicated to learning the music of Edo Bayashi and original, taiko-based work. She has composed and premiered over 20 compositions for both e-MA and Mu Daiko and has taught literally thousands of taiko enthusiasts ages 3-103. 

Links
ensemble-MA website
MN Original featuring Iris Shiraishi (PBS arts series)
Minnesota Taiko Festival

Interview: Sumie Kaneko talks music, ma, and her new album

Sumie Kaneko - koto, shamisen, vocal artist

My first time meeting Sumie was also the first time we performed together, when she was a guest artist at On Ensemble's Sounds of LA concert at the Getty Center three years ago. I remember the music coming together quickly with only a few rehearsals thanks to Sumie's thorough preparation in learning the group's material as well as bringing well-written charts of her original pieces. The audience reception was enthusiastic and my favorite part of the collaboration was her clear and distinctive expression on koto, shamisen, and voice. Changing one member in a quartet makes a significant impact, and happily that first concert went very well and was a lot of fun. Since then, Sumie and I have shared the stage numerous times at On Ensemble and Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble concerts.

In this conversation, Sumie talks about how she started playing koto at age 5 and the contrast between studying Japanese traditional music at Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts) and majoring in jazz vocals at Berklee College of Music. We also talk about her two albums – J-Trad & More and the newly released Dead of the Night – which I would highly recommend everyone check out at the links below. This kind of uncategorizable music with diverse influences (Japanese classical and folk music, jazz, pop, samba) speaks to me because this perspective is familiar in my own music. Sumie kindly sent me three of her original tracks to incorporate into the interview: Maihana, Kaleidoscope, and Sublimate, Outcome. During our discussion about the touring life, Sumie memorably shares one of her secrets to help stay grounded during the constant changes on the road. She also talks about upcoming projects, and we even touched upon the inclusion of both of our pieces on the soon-to-be-released live album featuring Ho Etsu Taiko and On Ensemble.

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Sumie Kaneko's new album Dead of the Night

Japanese Koto & Shamisen player and Jazz singer/songwriter Sumie (Sumi-é) Kaneko creates music that spans a millennium.  A master in the traditional repertoire of these ancient instruments, she has also pioneered their use in jazz and experimental music, through solo and group performances worldwide. 

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Links
Sumie's website
Dead of the Night (CD Baby)
J-Trad & More (CD Baby)

Sumie began playing Koto at age 5, by the following year she was appearing on Japanese TV program at NHK. In 1995, she won the Takasaki International Competition in Koto performance. She studied Japanese traditional music at Tokyo National University of the Arts, and in 2006, studied Jazz vocal at Berklee College of Music. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Blue Note NY, TED talk, Regattabar, Getty Center, Boston Ballet, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She has also given workshops at Harvard University, MIT, Princeton University, Wellesley College and Berklee College of Music, among other institutions. In 2014, her group was invited to the Washington, DC Jazz Festival, which is co-sponsored by the Embassy of Japan.

She has collaborated with many world instrumentalists, such as Evan Ziporyn, Kenny Endo, and Kaoru Watanabe, as well as painters, dancers and calligraphers. She has toured internationally in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Jamaica with Japan Foundation, and every year since 2013 she is invited to Bangladesh, Pakistan and India from Embassy of Japan. In 2017 February, she returns to Japan Foundation’s JAILA program and on tour in Nicaragua and Guatemala with contemporary taiko group On Ensemble.

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Interview: Jason Matsumoto talks taiko, his film project, collaboration, and the new CD

Last month Jason Matsumoto sat down with me to talk about his group Ho Etsu Taiko, recent projects, and upcoming events. The first time we worked together was in September 2015 when Ho Etsu invited On Ensemble to play a joint concert in Chicago. I enjoyed the collaboration and was immediately impressed with their organization, performance level, and new taiko compositions. Months after that show, Jason decided to release a CD of the live concert recording, and we talk about this in the interview.

We also talked in depth about Jason's current project as executive producer, a film called The Orange Story. This short film is about the internment of Japanese Americans and was created for students and educators with the goal of providing an entry point in discussing issues of race and discrimination. You can find out more about it through the links below.

Jason sent me two tracks from the new CD: Traveler (performed by Ho Etsu) and Parallax (performed by Ho Etsu and On Ensemble). I have added excerpts of this music in the interview. Please check out the links below to find out more about the release date and how to get your own copy.

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Ho Etsu
www.hoetsu.org learn about our music, our mission and our history; newsletter sign up for CD news
www.facebook.com/hoetsutaiko follow us!

The Orange Story
www.theorangestory.wordpress.com learn more about the project
http://joom.ag/DKvQ "Hidden Histories" is a curated screening package that includes The Orange Story, this is the lookbook!
www.facebook.com/theorangestory follow us for related news stories and project updates
Chicago film premiere event December 2, 2016

Full Spectrum Features
www.fullspectrumfeatures.com

Jason Matsumoto is a fourth-generation Japanese American from Chicago.  He earned a business degree from the University of Washington in Seattle and spent one year in Japan as a study-abroad student attending Sophia University in Tokyo. By day, he is a director of pricing for financial derivative products at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. By passion, Matsumoto is the director and composer for Ho Etsu Taiko, a Chicago-based ensemble centered around Japanese drumming. Most recently, he has assumed the role of co-Producer for The Orange Story, a film project funded by the National Parks Service that aims to provide digital educational content about civil liberties as told through the lens of Japanese American incarceration during WWII. Matsumoto serves as Vice President of the Board of Full Spectrum Features, a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) production company committed to increasing diversity in the media arts and utilizing the power of cinema to educate the public about important social and cultural issues.

Interview: Kirstin Pauka talks taiko, Asian theater, cats, and the artist life

Kirstin Pauka, professor of Asian theater at UH Manoa

I recently had a fun conversation with Kirstin Pauka, professor of Asian theater at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Kirstin and I played together as members of the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble during my seven years in Honolulu. Throughout this time we went on concert tours in the US, Europe, and all over Hawaii. As I learned in the interview, Kirstin's entry into the taiko world was early, making her the senpai (most experienced) for all of us who trained under Kenny. There are some interesting taiko stories, but she also talks about her professorship and her recent multi-award-winning project "Battle of the Monkey Kings," a Balinese shadow theater production. I also asked Kirstin about working as a director and how to manage successful interdisciplinary collaborations, and other past projects such as "Randai" and "Taiko Drum and Dance." Check out the links at the bottom for video clips of the shows we discussed.

It was fun hanging out with Kirstin during my recent Hawaii trip, where I got to meet her new cat. Because it was so funny, I couldn't edit out the part of the conversation toward the end about cat shadow theater.

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Battle of the Monkey Kings

Battle of the Monkey Kings

Battle of the Monkey Kings

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Kirstin Pauka is Professor of Asian Theatre at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, full-time faculty in the Asian Theatre Program and Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Her primary area of specialization is theatre of Southeast Asia. She has done research on Randai theatre of Sumatra, and has published books, multimedia titles, and numerous articles on Randai and related topics. Dr. Pauka has produced and directed several Southeast Asian Theatre productions at UH Kennedy Theatre. In 2001, 2005 and 2011 she directed the US premieres of English language productions of Indonesian Randai theatre which included 6-month intensive artist-in-residence training programs with guest artists from Indonesia. Dr. Pauka has given workshops and lectures in Wellington (New Zealand), Sidney, (Australia), Padang (Indonesia), Amsterdam (Netherlands), St. Petersburg, (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden), Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Hawaii (USA), and Toronto (Canada). In Spring 2016 she directed a production of Balinese Wayang Listrik (Shadow Theatre) in collaboration with Balinese artists.

Kirstin Pauka has been studying kumi daiko with Kenny Endo for the past 24 years and has been a performance member of the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble for the past 22 years annd has toured with the Ensemble to Europe, Japan, and the US mainland.  Kirstin has received Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts apprenticeship grants with Endo-sensei in 2007-9 and 2015-16 to study edo bayashi. Kirstin is also a member of the African dance band Jamarek, who just released a new album: Fechal.

Video links
Battle of the Monkey Kings
Randai (2012)
Randai (2006)
Taiko Drum and Dance