Recap of performance and workshop tour in NorCal, May 2016

I had a wonderful time on the road in northern California last month. Packing the equipment skillfully into the car is always an important step, having to consider making it all fit, avoiding damage to the car and instruments, accessibility, and proper weight distribution. My equipment list included a vibraphone, four-piece drumset, cymbals, hardware bag, shimedaiko, amplifier, dry erase board, suitcase, a banker box of food, cooler, sleeping bag, and a few other smaller items. The common reaction from folks who helped me load in or out is "wow, you fit all this into that car?!"

photo credit: Tracy Cornish

My first engagement of the tour was an outdoor concert with Kenny Endo at the Satsuki Bazaar in Berkeley on May 22. It was a beautiful day and we had an enthusiastic audience. The other musicians included Mas Koga (shakuhachi, saxophone, shinobue), Noriko Tsuboi (koto), and Hiroshi Tanaka (taiko, percussion). For the final piece "Spirit of Rice," Kenny called up the great drummer Akira Tana to sit in with us. What a blast that was! Akira brought an infectious groove and energy, taking the music to a whole new place. Thank you to Pam and Judy for taking great care of us.

photo credit: Tracy Cornish

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Next door to the Berkeley Buddhist temple is a great Indian music store called Musician’s Mall. My friend Robbie Belgrade works there and he kindly gave me an extensive tour and hands-on demonstration of all the instruments there. I have been big fan of Indian music for a long time so it was a treat to experience this in person. The bansuri (Indian flute) is especially intriguing and I couldn't resist picking one up along with a method book. By doing some preliminary self-study, I hope to gain a bit more insight into this deep musical tradition.

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My next stop was a workshop for Jiten Daiko in San Francisco. They requested the topics of sounds, sticks, and ji playing. Everyone had great energy and thoughtful questions, and I really enjoyed working with all of the members. As taiko players, we are always looking for a space that can accommodate loud drumming, is spacious, has storage, and is affordable. It's great that Jiten Daiko has figured this out! Thank you to Kristi, Jeremy, and Galen for your work in putting this workshop together.

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After a few days of teaching some private lessons in the area, I headed to UC Davis for the 2016 Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational held over Memorial Weekend. It was my first time attending this annual event and I came away appreciating the scope and depth of the current collegiate taiko scene. I was asked to teach two workshops called Solo Composition, which is a subject I enjoy covering. Among the 50 total participants in my workshops, I found that many had an interest in learning how to add more visual elements to their soloing. My approach to soloing is based more on the musical side but we were still able to apply the same concepts to expression through movement. Thank you to Gloria, Lisa, Eric, and Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan for all your work in hosting this event.

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I was unable to stay for the entire weekend of ITI because of having to leave immediately after my second workshop to play a concert with John Kaizan Neptune at Kuumbwa Jazz in Santa Cruz. Admittedly, departing Davis at 5 PM for a 7:30 PM start time in Santa Cruz is a bit risky, but I was fortunate with very light traffic and arrived 15 minutes before downbeat. This was my second time working with John but I have known his music since discovering his album Tokyosphere in the late 1980s. Compact discs were just becoming popular and the first two CDs in my collection were John Kaizan Neptune and Led Zeppelin. Also performing were Robbie Belgrade (tabla, percussion, bass clarinet), Shirley Muramoto (koto), and Kyle Abbott (shamisen). There was also a very special guest in the audience, the innovative creative genius of shakuhachi making in the US, Monty Levenson. John called up Monty to sit in for the final piece where he jammed on the "takeda," a bamboo-only instrument similar to udu and west African drums invented and built by John. I had the opportunity to play the takeda previously and John knew how much I liked it, so I felt honored when he generously gave me the one he was playing during the concert. My friend Kyle offered to host me at his place for the evening and I had a great time hanging out with him late into the night over a complex bourbon-barrel aged stout, discussing music, teaching, coffee, food, and possible future collaborations. Kyle also got up early next morning to make me a great cup of coffee before my departure. Thank you to John, Ginger, Kyle, Leslie, Monty, Kayo, and the wonderful crew at Kuumbwa Jazz.

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My final stop was a workshop for Ichimi Daiko in San Luis Obispo. I had met this group several years ago when I was on tour with Kenny. This was an especially enjoyable workshop because of the warm hospitality and positive atmosphere. I had fun working with this group of mixed ages and experience levels because of everyone's full engagement and willingness to try anything. There was a potluck after the workshop where everyone brought delicious food, giving us the opportunity to relax and get to know each other. Thank you to Ruth, Steve, and the whole Ichimi Daiko group for such a wonderful ending to my tour.

ShastaYama, an annual summer outdoor festival featuring taiko, music, dance

Shasta Taiko at ShastaYama 2009 (photo credit: Gary Ono)

I am very excited to be performing at ShastaYama next month. I've been wanting to attend ever since becoming aware of this festival several years ago. Mt. Shasta is a unique place and an incredible setting for an outdoor music festival, complete with the dramatic backdrop of the mountain. The founders are Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer, both of whom are wonderful people and great artists. I asked 5 questions to my friend and bandmate Masato Baba for a special inside look at this year’s event.

ShastaYama
July 30, 2016 at 6 PM
Shastice Park - Mount Shasta, CA

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1. Can you describe ShastaYama?
ShastaYama was started in the city of Mt. Shasta in the summer of 2005.  My parents, Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer, wanted to create an outdoor taiko festival to bring people from around the area to enjoy a night of taiko and music.  They were supported by a long time friend and supporter, Mario Rubino, who acts as the co-producer of the show. 

2. What is the musical lineup this year?
This year On Ensemble are the headliners.  On Ensemble is a taiko-fusion group based in Los Angeles and features Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer's son, Masato Baba (me), and former student, Shoji Kameda.  The two of us grew up playing taiko together and after 32 years are still going strong.  Other members include Eien Hunter-Ishikawa, Abe Lagrimas, Jr, and Sumie Kaneko.  Together, they combine taiko with bamboo flutes, vibraphone, koto (Japanese zither), shamisen (Japanese banjo), western drum set, ukulele, and voice to create a unique, fresh sound.

Tadaima (Russel and Jeanne's jazz group featuring Gary Fitzgerald), Unit Souzou (featuring Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe), Shasta Taiko (Russel and Jeanne's taiko group), and a special guest group featuring Isaku Kageyama, Bruce Ghent, Joe Small, Yeeman Mui, and Heidi Chan will be featured as part of the program.

3. How can everyone learn more and get tickets?
Check out the website: shastayama.org 

4. What is your favorite part of ShastaYama?
My favorite part is performing and giving back to the area I grew up in.  Mt. Shasta is an amazing, spiritual place where I feel at peace.  The land, air, and water is as pure as it gets nowadays which I definitely took for granted when I was growing up there.  It holds a special place in my heart. 

5. Do you have any upcoming events you would like to mention?
On Ensemble is also taking part of Summer Sounds at the Hollywood Bowl from July 25-29.  The website says:  "Built on the pulsating beats of taiko drumming, the traditional music and instruments of Japan are blended with styles from the West in ways that will let your imagination soar." http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/summersounds-2016

Personally, I have a big event in Los Angeles with my other group, TAIKOPROJECT.  We are performing for the re-opening of the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre on July 8.  Collaborating with Grammy Award-winning Quetzal (a Chicano rock band), we are "exploring common musical ground to create a new sound that is quintessentially Los Angeles".
-This quote was taken from the Ford website: http://fordtheatres.org/en/events/details/id/1021

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Masato Baba at ShastaYama 2012 (photo credit: Karrie Ann Snure)

Masato is considered one of America's most outstanding taiko talents. He began taiko training at the age of 6 when his parents, Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer, founded Shasta Taiko. As a member of Shasta Taiko, he gained the valuable experience performing, teaching, and touring throughout his formative years. Masato polished and refined his taiko skills for over 7 years touring world-wide with renowned American Taiko Master Kenny Endo. He also served as the Youth Director of Endo's Taiko Center of the Pacific based in Honolulu. Baba studied taiko in Japan with Nihon Taiko Dojo and fue (Japanese bamboo flute) with Kyosuke Suzuki of the Wakayama School. Masato Baba has emerged as one of the most respected taiko artists in America. He is a pivotal member of highly acclaimed ON Ensemble. Masato is an original member of TAIKOPROJECT, served as their Musical Director and is now the Artistic Director of the multimedia theater company. Maz also is the lead instructor for several Los Angeles based taiko groups. Baba was also the lead coordinator of the successful "World Taiko Gathering" held in Los Angeles in 2014. Baba was featured in the DVD "Spirit of Taiko," a history of American taiko that focuses on 3 American taiko generations represented by Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka, Kenny Endo, and Masato Baba. Masato has performed at the 2009 Acadamy Awards, on The Voice, and with Alicia Keyes on "The X Factor”. Masato Baba is influencing and inspiring the growth of taiko, performing and conducting workshops across the country and around the world. With his parents, Masato is helping to establish and develop ShastaYama's growing reputation.

Video: Benny Greb on the Art and Science of Groove

Groove is an all-important topic for drummers. I spend a lot of time researching and practicing to strengthen my concept of groove, and to help my students boost their skills. It can be a challenge to precisely define this word because it is a very personal thing. If someone asks you to "make the music groove more," what do you change? Two different drummers might adjust different elements of the beat and still be able to improve the groove. Because this concept can't be notated on sheet music, it's necessary to learn from live concerts, audio recordings, videos, and teachers. The first step starts with acknowledging the utmost importance of good timekeeping, feel, and groove.

I am a fan of Benny Greb because of his musicality as well as his humorous and effective teaching approach in his instructional videos. His newest video is called The Art and Science of Groove, which is available online as a physical copy or digital download. Greb appeared on Drumeo's YouTube channel and summarized his new instructional video, answering questions and demonstrating his approach. Below is a list of the five main topics covered. I would highly recommend that you watch the YouTube lesson and order the actual video. He presents the concept of groove in a very clear method that is easy to understand and provides many useful ideas and exercises.

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"My basic point is that time and groove is not a super advanced subject; it should actually be the first thing and the most important thing." - Benny Greb

Greb: these myths about groove are untrue - you have to be born with it, it takes forever to develop, and you can't change your feel.

1. TIME – "feel the quarter note pulse in parallel to what you are playing." The example Greb uses is to clap the "football clave" while vocalizing the pulse using a "chid" sound. He also recommends practicing with a "gap click" where the metronome is audible on the first bar and silent on the second bar.

2. FEEL – "everything that is lifelike has a certain pattern of breathing out, breathing in, like this exchange of downbeat, upbeat, in and out." He suggests thinking of a pendulum swinging side to side for regulating your breathing. "When something really grooves, it's an outgrowth of empathy."

3. SOUND – "just by the sounds and sound levels that you use, you can completely create new grooves." Greb demonstrates by playing a swung funk beat and gradually changing the balance of the bass drum and snare drum as well as switching from hi-hat to ride cymbal. This is a good example as the beat clearly shifts from a rock-type feel to something much more jazz oriented without changing the actual rhythm.

4. BODY – "if you have a weird posture or do something with your body, it can be that things you can do, suddenly you can't do them." In his example, Greb taps his foot at a normal 90° angle position, and then pulls his foot in under the throne to show that the foot tapping becomes impossible with the smaller angle. He also points out a common mistake where drummers breathe normally during timekeeping but hold their breath during fills. "Play a groove and pick a breathing tempo that's a fraction slower than you normally would breathe… You get into a very nice relaxed state by doing that."

5. MIND – this is the "most underestimated" part. "Your mind is the architect that makes musical decisions that guides what you actually do." Greb suggests changing your mindset by putting a question mark on any statement. "A fill has to incorporate tom-toms?" He says a player can come up with something fresh and exciting without spending hours practicing it. "A fill has to be something else than a groove?"

Q & A
How do you translate practice sessions to a live performance setting?

Get a free 30-day trial to Drumeo: http://drumeo.com/trial Buy Benny's new lessons: http://bennygreb.com Video Index: 0:13 - Song "Next Question" 6:35 - Jared intros Benny Greb 11:30 - "Time" Drum Lesson 27:19 - "Feel" Drum Lesson 32:44 - "Sound" Drum Lesson 38:36 - Track Benny Wrote 43:10 - "Body" Drum Lesson 50:07 - "Mind" Drum Lesson 55:30 - Open Drum Solo 1:04:03 - Q/A 1:20:16 - Song "Grebfruit" It just keeps getting better and better at Drumeo.

"First of all, make sure you record your practicing to see if it's really there and not an illusion. Make it's measurable. Do you have a recording? Did it sound bad or just feel bad?" If there is a definite difference between the practice room (great) and live performance (bad), "it is probably because you don't have enough headroom practiced." In a live situation, "you have less bandwidth available to execute things that you practiced."

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