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

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

Taiko 2.0
On Ensemble with special guests
Saturday March 12, 2011, 8:00pm
Tickets:  $37/$49/$61
Cerritos 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.

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 performance in Brattleboro was great fun and we have many people to thank. First of all a big thank you goes out to Todd Roach and the Loft for presenting us at the New England Youth Theater. I was blown away by the community of world percussionist that Todd has nurtured in Brattleboro. It’s great to see the arts thrive in smaller more rural communities. Another great big thank you goes out to Patrick Cooperman of Cooperman drums for letting us stay at his beautiful home in Grafton. Cooperman drums makes some of the best frame drums around and his house is full of great antique drums… a drummer’s paradise.

Finally a huge thank you goes out to Patrick Graham for coming down and playing with us. Patrick should be familiar to On Ensemble fans and he has a new solo CD coming out soon called “Rheō“. I got a chance to hear some of the tracks on “Rheō” and they sound amazing. Patrick has a series of CD release concerts coming up in Montreal so check them out if you are in the area:

“Rheō“ - A concert series marking the release of Patrick Graham’s first solo CD, featuring guests Ben Grossman (hurdu-gurdy & electronics), Kaoru Watanabe (fue & flute) & Tomomi Morimoto (contemporary dance)
January 22nd-23rd
8:00pm
MAI, Montreal arts interculturels
Montreal, Quebec

Saturday Jan 10th, 6:55pm
Sunday Jan 11th, 11:05pm
Lincoln Suite, 4th Floor, NY Hilton

On our way out to New York we’ll be stopping in Brattleboro for a performance at the Loft on January 9th. After the conference we’re headed to Boston for workshops with Odaiko New England then back to New York for a performance with Kaoru Watanabe at Drom.

Patrick and Kaoru are two of our favorite musicians and collaborators. They are both featured on our live CD “Ukiyo” and on our new upcoming studio album “Ume in the Middle”. “Ume in the Middle” will be released 3/3/09 but we’ll have pre-release copies at both of our East Coast performances.