Taiko Legacy is a concert series that recontextualizes the cultural traditions of shamisen, dance, and taiko as contemporary interpretation of music and performance. As one of the largest taiko concerts in the Midwest, Taiko Legacy is anchored by seasoned group Tsukasa Taiko and celebrates the 19th iteration this year. The perennial presentation features arrangements of original compositions which emphasize the melodic capacity of the taiko. The ensemble performance explores these concepts of musicality rooted in a range of musical styles including: ozashiki (geisha chamber music), ohayashi (classical/folk/theater music), and matsuri taiko (festival taiko music). Featured international guests are grandmasters Chizuru Kineya, Hyakkyo Fukuhara, Takane Umeya and Kimiei Fujima from Japan, who will be joined by local grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima. The program will feature a pre-show performance by Kiku Taura for the Ethnic and Folk  Arts Master/Apprentice Program by the Illinois Arts Council final public showcase.

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Reduction is a theatrical response that brings back the foundational aesthetics of Japanese music with a pared down concert of music and dance. It is a performative statement that articulates the stoicism of musical and theatrical elements that are lost in the non-traditional rhythmic and sonic embellishments that appear in mainstream renditions of Japanese drumming. Minimal arrangements of original compositions and improvisation merge contemporary and classical philosophies of a fluid and complex musicality. The evening is a confluence of the combined stylization of Tsukasa Taikos’ premiere performance ensemble Gintenkai with musicians Hamid Drake, Michael Zerang, Edward Wilkerson Jr., Mwata Bowden and Nicole Mitchell, international grandmasters Chizuru Kineya, Hyakkyo Fukuhara, Takane Umeya and Kimiei Fujima, as well as local grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima.

The program will feature a pre-show presentation by Helen Nagata for the Ethnic and Folk  Arts Master/Apprentice Program by the Illinois Arts Council final public showcase.

Location:

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611)

More Info (External Link)
Posted 
January 10, 2023
 in 
Arts/Entertainment

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