Taiko Legacy 19 and Reduction 8 Return to Live Stage
A stage scene from the Reduction 8 at the Edlis Neeson Theater of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
To explore new style of music by merging Japanese traditional music and Western music, “Reduction 8” and Tsukasa Taiko’s “Taiko Legacy 19” took place at the Edlis Neeson Theater of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago on December 17 and 18 respectively.
The annual two concerts returned to live stage for the first time after two years of curtailed programming and streamed performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reduction and Taiko Legacy explore new styles of aesthetics, combination of the East and the West in the contemporary environment while paying high respect on the Japanese traditional music, which is established by decades of practice and discipline. Tatsu Aoki, Executive Director of Taiko Legacy, has realized this new form of the performance with his strong leadership.
In his greetings printed in a program leaflet, Tatsu said, “The production of Taiko Legacy and Reduction series is a reflection of our Asian American and Japanese American cultural diaspora. We create through the traditional threads, building an aesthetic centered around lineage and advancement: our identity expressed in the contemporary landscape.”
So, Tatsu invited four grandmasters from Japan to the two concerts; Chizuru Kineya, Nagauta shamisen; Takane Umeya, tsuzumi; Hyakkyou Fukuhara, bamboo flute; and Kimiei Fujima, Japanese classic dance. Another Chicago’s grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima (Shubukai) also joined the concerts.
Special guests from the West were; Harmid Drake, drums; Michael Zerang, hand drum; Nicole Mitchell, flute; Edward Wilkerson Jr., saxophone; Mwata Bowden, horn and tenor saxophone.
Tatsu Aoki, Executive Director of the Taiko Legacy
Reduction 8
Reduction 8 opened with a piece “Kiku (chrysanthemum) played by Tatsu’s bass and Mwata’s horn, and then Kioto Aoki’s big Japanese drum came in.
From left: Chizuru Kineya, Takane Umeya and Hyakkyou Fukuhara
Chizuru Kineya, Takane Umeya and Hyakkyou Fukuhara, who were sitting on a red carpet, started to play a classic Nagauta piece “Yoshiwara Suzume,” and then Kimiei Fujima danced the piece. It was a rare scene even in Japan that four grandmasters playing together on a stage.
The next was taiko drumming pieces of “Karami” and “Reki Reki” played by the Tsukasa Taiko, and then Mitchell and Wilkerson joined them with a flute and alto sax.
Yoshinojo Fujima (L) dances “Mai” with Miyumi Aoki (C) and Kioto Aoki
Kioto and Miyumi Aoki began to play big Japanese taiko drum and bamboo flute, then Zerang and Umeya came in and played a piece with improvisations. Yoshinojo Fujima appeared on the stage and danced a classical piece of “Mai”. She later said that it was a kind of challenge dancing the piece without melody.
The last piece was “Yamashirogari” started with Tatsu’s small Japanese taiko, and then Tsukasa Taiko’s taiko drumming came together. Hyakkyou, Mitchell, Wilkerson joined them, and the stage moved to the finale. Drake’s drum set and Eigen Aoki’s taiko-drum set came together, Zerang, Mwata and Tatsu joined them, and all the performers created a climax of the East and the West combination.
In addition to the stage performances, every interval between the pieces were filled with improvisations played by grandmasters and Chicago’s musicians such as flute and bamboo flute, Nagauta shamisen duo and flute and alto sax.
All the performer of Reduction 8 and Tatsu Aoki (C) greet the audience at the finale
After the stage ended, Tatsu Aoki said “I’m very pleased to make today’s programs with four grandmasters from Japan. They were the first members when I created this program. I really feel like we eventually returned to the live stage for which I had been awaiting during the pandemic.”
“Defense” and “Offense”
Chizuru Kineya
As a grandmaster of Nagauta shamisen, Chizuru Kineya said some years ago that inheriting tradition and creating new music styles required “Defense” and “Offense.”
“You can’t really defend [what you have] unless you are able to offend effectively. If you just keep defending, you can’t go beyond the existing boundaries. I love what Mr. Aoki is doing, searching for something new. That’s why I continue to participate in the series,” she said the year before the pandemic occurred.
Kineya had hosted her annual recital in Tokyo, Japan and demonstrated the defense and offense to attract more people to Japan’s traditional arts. Unfortunately, her 10th recital celebration was cancelled due to the pandemic, and a few stage performances were allowed to hold.
She said things have been improving around the year of 2022, and she could play on the stages little by little.
“I’m very happy to come to Chicago and seeing everybody is in good health. I’ll be here in 2023, so come and enjoy our performance,” she said.
Takane Umeya
Grandmaster Takane Umeya played piquant sound of ootsuzumi (big Japanese hand drum) which often punctuates scenes in Noh play or Kabuki. To make such intense sound, Takane said that a drumskin was usually dried over the fire in Japan; however, “Chicago’s dry weather made the tsuzumi sound great,” she said.
Takane’s most part in Reduction was improvisation, so she had to play until the curtain came down on the stage. “Improvisation is not easy, but I could play freely with other musicians. I enjoyed playing in Reduction and I’m also enjoying being here in Chicago,” she said.
Hyakkyou Fukuhara
Grandmaster Hyakkyou Fukuhara improvised her bamboo flute with Mitchell’s flute although musical scales and pitches are quite different between the two instruments. “I was like following Mitchell’s flute,” she said humbly.
“The stage’s atmosphere was wonderful, and I love Chicago’s personality, too. I’m pleased to play in Chicago with nice audience,” she said.
Kimiei Fujima and Yoshinojo Fujima
Grandmaster Kimiei Fujima came to join Reduction from Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. During her dancing on the stage, she balanced on one foot and stopped for a while. It was a breathtaking performance.
According to Chicago’s grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima, Kimiei has been teaching Bon dancing for Bon Festival in the Garden of Phoenix in Jackson Park. Yoshinojo said that she asked Kimiei to teach it because she wanted to have authentic Bon Fest in the Phoenix Garden in summer.
Edward Wilkerson Jr.
Edward Wilkerson Jr. has become a familiar saxophone player in Reduction. Regarding exploring new styles of music with the Japanese tradition, he said, “Tatsu and I have been playing together at least for 30 years, so we have a good combination. We’ve found a way to make it happen.”
Taiko Legacy 19
Taiko Legacy 19 was held on the following day of Reduction 8. The Tsukasa Taiko’s Gintenkai Unit and Youth Ensemble, Cool Ladies, Genryu Arts, Grandmasters from Japan and Chicago and guest musician from Chicago made an exciting stage with advanced, aesthetic taiko drumming and Japanese tradition.
The pieces presented were “Age no Aikata”, “Takasago Tanzen”, “Reki Reki”, “Okeiko Hachiban”, “Hata Kun”, “Hatchobori”, “Motone”, “Rokuban”, “Kaiha” and “Aikata Ichiban”.