AIRMW Showcase Volume 5 on HotHouseGlobal

Asian Improv aRts Midwest Presents:
AIRMW Showcase Volume 5 – Tsukasa Taiko 3hr Special Feature

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Fifth installment of AIRMW programming on HotHouseGlobal will feature local, national, and international artists involved in the legacy of Tsukasa Taiko. A tell-all feature-length programming that will expand on Tsukasa Taiko's rich history, robust network, and artistic productions that marked milestones as a Chicago Japanese drumming ensemble. Stream on 8/22 7PM CDT at twitch.tv/hothouseglobal

Artist Line-Up:

Tatsu Aoki, Melody Takata (SF), Chizuru Kineya (Tokyo), Hyakkyou Fukuhara (Tokyo), Takane Umeya (Tokyo), Ed Wilkerson Jr. (Chicago), JoVia Armstrong (Chicago), Nicole Mitchell (PA), Tsukasa Taiko (Chicago) – More info coming soon!

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Melody Takata (SF)

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Chizuru Kineya (Tokyo)

is a nagauta shamisen artist, a master of the instrument accredited by the legendary Kineya Shamisen clan. Her studies began at the age of six, and she now performs with numerous contemporary and classical musicians in regular engagements in the mainstream music and performing arts scene. Since her US debut with the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival in 2011, she has been featured internationally. In addition, she leads educational workshops to share the 400-year history of the shamisen tradition. Chizuru has regularly collaborated with Tatsu Aoki and GenRyu Arts, Francis Wong’s projects in San Francisco since her first Taiko Legacy engagement in 2005. She is one of the main fixture of annual Taiko Legacy / Reduction concert by AIRMW.

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Hyakkyou Fukuhara (Tokyo)

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Takane Umeya (Tokyo)

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Edward Wilkerson Jr. (Chicago)
is an internationally recognized jazz musician, composer, arranger, and educator based in Chicago. As founder and director of the octet 8 Bold Souls and the twenty-five-member ensemble Shadow Vignettes, Wilkerson has toured festivals and concert halls throughout the US, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. In addition to his work with his own groups, he performs with the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble, Roscoe Mitchell, Douglas Ewart, The Temptations, Chico Freeman, Geri Allen, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Muhal Richard Abrams, Aretha Franklin, and George Lewis. He is a frequent collaborator in Chicago’s Asian American music scene, playing with Tatsu Aoki’s MIYUMI Project and he is a member of the Trio WAZ with Michael Zerang. A major presence in Chicago’s music scene Wilkerson continues to expand his amazing musical journey.

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JoVia Armstrong (Chicago)

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Nicole Mitchell (PA)

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Tsukasa Taiko, a program of Asian Improv aRts Midwest, one of the largest community taiko groups organized by professionals in the Midwest, offers taiko drum instruction, education, and performances. Its mission is to preserve, develop, and pass on the traditional concepts of genuine – Japanese art as a cultural legacy, and to utilize these authentic concepts in expanding and evolving the taiko art form. As a community group dedicated to understanding and strengthening New Japanese American, Asian American, and Japanese identity, it strives to respect tradition and develop artistic excellence and connoisseurship. Its director, teachers, and administrative staff are dedicated professionals, all recognized as world class, working artists. As an active performing group, Tsukasa presents over fifty shows a year, both locally and internationally. Tsukasa Taiko offers trainings, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations designed to teach how to play taiko, as well as to advance the understanding of how the cultural arts are a reflection of a community’s heritage and legacy.

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