Portland Musicians help Japan

Last Monday, when I met with artistic director Michelle Fujii of Portland Taiko, she said that she would speak with PT’s community group about how they would like to respond to the recent devastation in Japan. I am excited to announce that in a few days musicians and concerned citizens throughout Portlandia have pulled together to present a Benefit Concert for Japan.

Portland Taiko + Portland State University’s Department of Music host this benefit concert for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Performers include:

Portland Taiko
Takohachi
Mexica Tiahui
Mike Barber
Natya Leela Academy
Carla Mann and Jim McGinn
Hanzaburo Araki

Let me know if you know of other taiko groups and musicians hosting benefits.

 

Catastrophe/Bliss

Last weekend I visited Portlandia. Luckily I was able to hitch a ride with Tonya & Brant + touch base with Michelle & Toru. My friendships deepened during this time partly because of how the earthquake in Japan continues to resonate close to home.

Two questions from our conversations:

How do you respond to catastrophe?
If you could follow your bliss, what would that be?

Thinking about responses to the devastation in Japan, I created this video slideshow of Ji Mo 寂寞: The Stillness of Solitude.

Perhaps it is old fashioned to think that art can bridge the place between distress and comfort. Nonetheless, I offer this slideshow as an initial response. The music is a remix from a live performance at Lincoln Hall in Portland. The photos are from an early morning at Kubota Garden in Seattle. This stillness of solitude is a reflective space to recompose.

放火 火の粉
hōka hinoko
fire sparks

放火 炎
hōka hono(o)
fire flames

放火 火事だ
hōka kajida
fire roars

Seattle-based artist Diem Chau responds by offering two crayon family portraits as part of a raffle on her blog. Chau will donate raffle proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross.

Here are other ways to alleviate suffering and oppression:

• American Red Cross
• Mercy Corps

Have you found more responses worth noting?

 

Portland Taiko & SF Taiko Dojo

In 1997, I visited San Francisco for a lesson with Tanaka Sensei. For those who don’t know, Tanaka Sensei is considered the Grand Master of taiko in North America. He started SF Taiko Dojo in 1968.

I had heard that Tanaka Sensei was a strict teacher. I arrived early and watched a class taught by the performing members. Sitting on the floor, I was surprised by all the egg cartons that lined the concrete walls of the dojo. I sat politely trying to watch the class and not think of eggs.

During my lesson, Tanaka Sensei sized me up. Upon realizing that I was Chinese American rather than Japanese, he told me that I must explore Chinese philosophy. He revealed his fascination with Qi Gong and acknowledged the influence of Chinese aesthetics on taiko. I left the lesson empowered, not realizing how significant taiko and the incorporation of Chinese thought would become on my music.

This weekend, Portland Taiko hosts joint performances with SF Taiko Dojo. Michelle Fujii, Kelsey Furuta and Toru Watanabe of Portland Taiko perform my composition News, for bamboo/paper/taiko. The work combines instruments common to both China and Japan within a structure that allows the trio to think about and explore sounds and movements that are both contemporary and classical. The performers use their bachi as writing utensils. The paper floats then flickers. Drum patterns morph from set rhythms into poetic ambiguity.

Both Tanaka Sensei and Portland Taiko have taught me the importance of having a unique contribution within a community. Check out the performance:

Taiko Unleashed
02 October 2010, 8PM
03 October 2010, 2PM
Newmark Theatre, Portland OR

 

New Finds with Old Friends

The other night, I met with Kris and Hiro at Native Foods in Westwood. We talked about Björk’s interview on NPR and Raghava KK’s talk on TED. It’s always exciting to share new artistic finds with old friends.

I worked with Kris on Two by Four in 2003. The music features him singing the Japanese and Latin names for stars. I was reminded about how attentive to invention I was during that time. I composed Two by Four in August, while I was relocating from Los Angeles to New York, after visiting On Ensemble in Mount Shasta.

Kris continues to be thoughtful and rigorous in his practice as a musician. Meeting with longtime artistic friends like him refreshes my intellectual rigour and aesthetic excitement as a composer. This is an especially significant reminder during the transition from summer into winter, in this time of gathering crops.

Two by Four — hear an excerpt, see the score and read details at
HearByron.com/TwobyFour.aspx

 

25 Taiko Groups in Seattle

The Regional Taiko Gathering happens August 13-15, 2010, at the University of Washington. Members of 25 groups + additional musicians from Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington will take part in workshops. Some will be part of two performances. Thanks to Stan Shikuma, Barbara Yasui and the other RTG committee members for organizing and hosting this gathering.

Instructors include:

• Michelle Fujii
• Kelsey Furuta
• Eien Hunter-Ishikawa
• Eileen Kage
• Eduardo Mendonça
• Ringtaro Tateishi
• Linda Uyehara Hoffman
• Toru Watanabe

I teach a new class called Chinese Drumming Patterns on Sunday morning. Visit the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of WA to register.