9 takeaways from Kenny Endo's interview for TCA

On April 23, 2016 Elise Fujimoto of Taiko Community Alliance interviewed Kenny Endo by livestream video. I wasn't able to catch it live but did watch it later in the TCA archive. The video link is below and I would encourage everyone to go see Kenny talk about his background, composition, ji (underlying groove), practicing, kumidaiko (ensemble taiko drumming), costumes, and the future of taiko performance. 

See the video here

My connection to Kenny goes way back. We met when I was a little kid living in Saitama, Japan and Kenny was in Tokyo playing with Oedo Sukeroku Daiko. One particularly memorable event was a concert held inside the Maruki Bijutsukan (art gallery known for large painting panels depicting the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing), where my youth taiko group directed by Saburo Mochizuki sensei shared the stage with Sukeroku Daiko. Many years later, I reconnected with Kenny in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although my excuse to relocate there was to pursue a Masters degree at the University of Hawaii, the real reason was to study and perform with the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble and Taiko Center of the Pacific. It was a great seven years and I learned so much about taiko and being a professional musician.

I am listing my top nine takeaways from the interview. Of course there are many more interesting and insightful moments in the conversation so it's worth setting aside the time to listen to the whole thing. If you have some of your own takeaways, please share in the comments section below.

Kenny's website

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1. In recalling one memorable performance, Kenny mentioned going to Moscow for the first time and, having grown up during the Cold War, "realizing it's not the people, but governments that are fighting."

2. "Maintaining your passion and curiosity" will help you have a long and successful career.

3. When composing, Kenny uses a thematic approach. Sometimes a rhythm comes first and other times it starts with a melody. He usually composes melodies on a shinobue (Japanese horizontal bamboo flute) or keyboard.

4. For Kenny, the elements of a great taiko performance include the energy and spirit of the performers, overall sound, visual aspects, stage presence, and the actual pieces.

5. In speaking about his experience with Sukeroku Daiko, "the ji alone was enough to make you want to feel like getting up and dancing. It's easy to solo over."

6. Kenny's advice to players of all levels: "try to play every day…when you come together it makes the group stronger." Another one: "the longer you've been playing, the more you need to practice." Finally, Kenny quoted his teacher Saburo Mochizuki: "renshu wa kibishiku, sorekara ensou wa tanoshiku, meaning practice with discipline, hard work, and focus so that you can be comfortable and enjoy the performance."

7. Kenny says "in workshops I find that people can solo better than they can play the ji. A lot of times the ji is overlooked. It's kind of like the foundation of a building – if it's strong you can build anything on top but if it's weak, no matter how fancy the building, it's going to have problems later."

8. Kenny mentions that his practicing routine is half technical (with a metronome) and half creative. "I enjoy and look forward to practicing."

9. Asked about the future of taiko, Kenny says that "kumidaiko is relatively new," and that the many different directions – dance, music, theater – are all valid. He is "optimistic that taiko will keep evolving and we will see lots of great performances come out."

My coffee setup: roast, grind, brew, drink

A very good cup of coffee first thing in the morning

Coffee can be a deep topic. While quite ordinary on the surface, serious coffee geeks know about the many variables which affect the final cup. Like any agricultural product, it starts with the grower's ability to consider the soil, climate, and their team of workers. After harvesting, there is fermentation, cleaning, and drying. In the roaster's hands, the skill is in controlling time, temperature, and movement to bring out the best characteristics of each bean. Understanding the general flavor tendencies of growing regions is important, and the best roasters will know the differences in specific farms and microclimates. Then the barista decides the grind size, water ratio and temperature, contact time, brewing method, serving vessel, and any flavorings such as cream, sugar, spices, and extracts. Finally drinker can drink it. Coffee geeks might use all their senses to contemplate what they perceive.

My own coffee geekery began with a home coffee roaster from Sweet Maria's. They have always been my source of green coffee beans and anything coffee related. There is a vast amount of useful information on the website for anyone interested in learning more. The beans from Sweet Maria's are always of the highest quality, and I especially appreciate their direct relationship with growers in making sure business is handled respectfully and responsibly. I've never ordered it, but you can also get roasted coffee there. They are a superior company.

I roast every 5 – 6 days, usually rotating between several origins. I use a burr grinder for consistency and control of grind size. The water is filtered and heated to 200 F in an electric kettle. I have used many brewing methods over the years, but my current device is the Clever Dripper. This unique hybrid method allows you to control contact time like French press while using a paper filter (my favorite filter is Filtropa) like the pour-over style. There is a silicone stopper mechanism on the bottom where the coffee drains when you set it on a cup. One drawback is that it's a bit precarious and one bump could make the whole thing go flying. My cup is double walled and I notice a big difference in heat retention over a regular cup.

I would understand if all this sounds a bit obsessive. In my mind, this is the distinction between geekery and snobbery: geeks seek out knowledge for their own enjoyment while snobs are more concerned with status and self image. This concept can be applied to pretty much anything. Go geeks.

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High quality beans from Sweet Maria's

Freshly roasted coffee has an intoxicating aroma

Assistant roaster used to think I was pouring cat treats into the bowl, but now knows it's just green coffee

Simple home air roaster allowing for pretty good control

Burr grinder is nice to have

Interview: multi-percussionist Patrick Graham talks music, sound, and groove

photo by Randy Cole

Recently I talked with Patrick Graham, a Montréal based percussionist who is doing really interesting work. The first time I heard Patrick perform live was in 2009 at the North American Taiko Conference (Los Angeles) evening concert as a guest artist with On Ensemble. I was immediately drawn to his playing and have become an even bigger fan as I've heard more of his music over the past seven years. In this interview, I asked Patrick about his background, musical training, his concept of sound and groove, and composing. His thoughtful conversation is in symmetry with his music so I would encourage everyone to check out the web links below for video, music, and additional details about his work.

Patrick's musical background and interests have a lot of overlap with my own. No wonder it was so much fun playing with him for an On Ensemble concert in the summer of 2014. It was one of those rare occasions where the music just comes together right from the beginning, as comfortably as if we had always worked together. It's a feeling that is hard to describe; maybe something like speaking the same dialect of our musical language. I also enjoy just hanging out with Patrick and talking about music or whatever. We live pretty far away from each other but I'm pretty sure we'll be collaborating in the near future. Here are some samples:

Patrick and Eien Project

I have included music from Rheo, Patrick's album which came up in our conversation. The tracks excerpted in the interview are: King Worm, Liminality, Le Souffle M'envahit, Brilla, and Strata. It's a great album and I would recommend everyone checking it out at the links below.

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From Patrick:
"I've been so fortunate to study with many fantastic teachers. I am indebted to them.
Bob Slapcoff at Vanier College, Pierre Béluse and D'Arcy Gray at McGill University, Trichy Sankaran, Glen Velez, Tokyo-based sensei Taichi Ozaki (stage name Kato Tosha), Kodo's Tomohiro Mitome led the taiko Koh-Kan workshops in 2000, Tetsuro Naito, Carlo Rizzo and Zohar Fresco."
 

Links
Patrick's website
Patrick's youtube
Patrick's vimeo
Rheo on iTunes
Rheo on CD Baby

How my online lessons work

I have been teaching online lessons by Skype for several years now. While most of us are accustomed to learning from our teacher in the same physical space, current technology is good enough that real-time instruction through a screen is still very effective. I feel that the person we study with is more important than the format of the lesson. There may be teachers available locally but if they don't offer what you need, online lessons can be a great alternative. They also have their own advantages beyond the fact that the two sides can be anywhere in the world (with internet).

How does it work? First, you would send me an email describing what you're interested in covering. Then we set up a meeting time that works for both of us. My policy is that payment is made before the lesson takes place, and the online check out system (Stripe) on my website is secure and works well. There are no refunds but credits are issued for emergency cancellations and rescheduling with a minimum of 48 hour notice. Most of my online lessons have been through Skype so you would need to have an account as well as a screen with a camera (desktop computer, laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc). The slight delay doesn't allow us to play at the same time, but a lot can be accomplished through demonstration and explanation. To take advantage of the format, I send web links, PDFs, and audio files relevant to the topic. Students in the past have also uploaded videos (public, unlisted, or password-protected) of their practicing or performance to get my feedback. And it's possible to record the lesson using software such as Skype Call Recorder. Beginning students, advanced players, and all levels in between are welcomed in my studio.

What do I teach? Past lessons have covered drumset, taiko, percussion, shinobue, and composition. My workshops page shows specific topics I have offered, but I am always open to requests. Perhaps you are learning a new piece and need some guidance on how to work on it. Maybe you want to learn a new instrument such as the atarigane and are looking for basic technique. It could be that you want to write a piece but don't know how to structure your ideas. Or perhaps you want to become a stronger soloist and better improviser. One topic that is requested regularly relates to exercises for improving stick control and rhythmic accuracy. Your musicianship will progress forward if you have goals to work toward, a good practicing strategy, and thoughtful feedback from an outside perspective. If you are interested, I recommend trying one lesson to see if it fits your needs. I have included a short video here so that you can see what the lesson would be like. Please contact me with any questions or to schedule a lesson.

Animals Asia: a foundation you want to know about

Why am I wearing this shirt? People often ask me about the design. The Animals Asia Foundation is an organization dedicated to animal welfare based in Hong Kong with facilities in Chengdu, China and Vietnam. Founded in 1998 by Jill Robinson, their main focus is to rescue moon bears from the horrible conditions of bile farms, providing them a safe and enriching sanctuary to heal and live better lives. The Animals Asia website has many photos along with descriptions of what they do and I would encourage everyone to learn more there.

Animals Asia's website

The reason I'm aware of Animals Asia is because my sister has been one of their resident veterinarians since 2013. Mandala describes her job and experiences in two blog entries:

Living My Dream as a Wildlife Veterinarian in China

“As the vet I have to keep it together – but inside my heart is breaking”

In the video below, the founder Jill takes us inside their facilities and provides a stark glimpse into the reality of bear farming as well as how their work is making a positive difference.

Video: Animals Asia - End Bear Farming 

Below are some photos of the rescued bears. I have not yet visited Animals Asia but it's high on my list of places to travel. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested in this issue and organizations like Animals Asia.

That is why I am wearing this shirt.

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