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This coming Sunday, June 26, 2011 some friends and I will be debuting a festival-inspired piece. It’s a 12-minute bonanza of every slant-drum idea we’ve had over the last two years. It’s been one of the most exciting things I’ve worked on this year and I’m really looking forward to the performance. It’ll be our first time performing it so it’ll be rough around the edges but there are no less than a dozen new movements and concepts on debut. See Double Rainbow, Spark, Swoon, Offset Murder, She Wrote, Fricassee, Fricashime, Donzoko Scramble, Bullet Points, straight-ji nidan, and backup singers with a stepping groove — performed for the first time! I’m really lucky to be joined by some of the most enthusiastic bon-taiko players in Los Angeles: Jen Baik, David Wells, Masato Baba, Candice Shikai, Janet Hwu, Liz Ishida, Darren Endo, and Yuri Yoshida. This is going to be fun!!!

JCI Carnival new piece debut
Sunday, June 26, 2011
2pm ~ 2:15pm
free, outdoor community festival
Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute
1964 W. 162nd St. Gardena CA 90247

JCI Carnival flyer PDF

Maz and I will be performing in the big TaikoProject show, Rhythmic Relations 2011, to be held in the Los Angeles Little Tokyo JACCC plaza on Saturday, June 25. We’re collaborating with Ryutaro and the show will include TaikoProject’s affiliated groups Bombu, Kitsune, and Loma Pacific. If you’re in the area, please join us!

Rhythmic Relations 2011
Featuring TAIKOPROJECT, Bombu Taiko, Kitsune Taiko, and Loma Pacific Taiko
With Special Guest Ryutaro Kaneko (former director for KODO)
Two shows only – Saturday, June 25, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
JACCC Plaza, Little Tokyo
Ticket info: http://jaccc.org/taikoproject.php
Show info: http://www.taikoproject.com/RR2011

Tickets for our big performance at the Cerritos Center have gone on sale!  This year our guest artist include Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer co-founders of Shasta Taiko, the extraodinary flutist Kaoru Watanabe and incredible multi percussionist Patrick Graham.  In 2007 we collaborated with the Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble, then last year we collaborated Kenny Endo for a return engagement.  Both performances were reviewed nicely and sold out so get your tickets early!

Taiko 2.0
On Ensemble with special guests
Saturday March 12, 2011, 8:00pm
Tickets:  $37/$49/$61
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

This came up at the last second, but I’m performing tomorrow with Tarang led by tabla master Abhijit Banerjee tonight at Whittier college.  My good friend and amazing ghatam player Somnath Roy is also in the ensemble.  If you are in the area and want to see me struggle through some crazy fast complicated Indian pieces the concert is at 8pm at the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts.

My good friend Kineya Yasoyo has organized a shamisen performance fundraiser for Nichiren Temple in downtown Los Angeles. I will be performing two Kabuki pieces, as well as the newest version of my solo taiko piece, Err. Included with the ticket price, all guests will be served Japanese tea as well. There will be Japanese food for purchase too! If you’re in the area, please come! Tickets are $35 at the door.

Nichiren Temple
2801 E 4th St
Los Angeles CA

This June we’re very excited to be performing in Eugene, OR at the Oregon Bach Festival!

Since 1970, the Oregon Bach Festival celebrates the music and legacy of J.S. Bach in an unequaled environment of performance, discovery, and community, in the refreshing early summer of the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps the most expansive and critically acclaimed platform for Bach’s music in America, the Festival forges connections between people through a love of great music.

I’m still not sure quite how we were picked to be a part of the OBF but it’ll be an absolute honor to be among the amazing artists at this year’s festival!

On Thursday June 25th, we’ll be performing at 6:00pm at the Jordon Schnitzer Museum of Art for the public reception of the World Harmony Project.

On Saturday June 27th we have a kids show “Taiko Together” at 11:00am and a full concert at 7:30pm at the Soreng Concert Hall.

Check out the Oregon Bach Festival website for the full schedule of events.

Okay I though 3.5/5 stars was bad but we just set a new record low for an On Ensemble album review.  1.5 stars from In Tune magazine a weekly entertainment tabloid, published each Friday by The Daily News in McKeesport, Pa.  According to the rating scale 1.5 stars means “Run for your life”.  Ouch.  Well at least it was honest and was an actual review as opposed to a descriptive definition and at least we got a strong reaction.  In the spirit of “no press is bad press” here is the full review:

The avant-garde musical stylings of On Ensemble, which fuse traditional Japanese drums (taiko) with modern elements of rock, hip-hop and electronica, probably will appeal to many listeners. Sadly, I’m not one of them, as I have no desire to revisit “Ume in the Middle”.

I found this nine-track mostly instrumental collection to be a challenge to get through and, despite my best efforts, couldn’t embrace the music of Masato Baba, Kristofer Bergstrom, Shoji Kameda and Kelvin Underwood.

Songs such as “Waiting” and “After Rain” – with the latter’s use of bamboo flute and bizarre, wordless throat singing – are intriguing, if not enjoyable, and I kind of liked “Butoh-bot Malfunction.” But for the most part, this is a record that is too out there for my taste. Perhaps I’m just not sophisticated enough.

Our next performance will be at Drom on Friday January 16th at 8pm.  We’ll be joined by frequent On Ensemble collaborator and amazing Japanese and Western flutist Kaoru Watanabe. Tickets are $15 and are available at the Drom website.