Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW) and Tsukasa Taiko, with director, multi-instrumentalist and media artist Tatsu Aoki, celebrate a decade of “Reduction” concerts with “Reduction 10” at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave. at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14. That concert will be followed by AIRMW’s “Taiko Legacy 21” concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, also at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
For a decade, AIRMW’s “Reduction” series has been dedicated to presenting a rich convergence of classical and contemporary music and jazz traditions with traditional Japanese instrumentation with performative experimentation. In their review of the 2013 “Reduction” concert, the Chicago Tribune called it, “…a musically profound statement on where Aoki’s musical odyssey…How fortunate we are that he decided to pursue it.”
Photo from 2023's "Reduction 9" Photo by Ken Carl
Aoki, an internationally renowned musician, composer, and recording artist, who works in traditionally based Japanese music as well as experimental and jazz idioms says, “It is a thrill for me to share the stage with some of Chicago’s best jazz musicians for these concerts. I always look forward to the annual “Reduction” concert and I’m especially grateful to have the opportunity to mark 10 years of “Reduction” performances this year.”
This year, for “Reduction 10,” Tsukasa Taiko, a program of AIRMW, will be joined by special guests including Hyakkyou Fukuhara (flute) from Tokyo. He will also be joined by internationally acclaimed and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Nicole Mitchell (jazz flutist/composer), creative music legends Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang (percussionists) - three musicians who were showcased in the first “Reduction” concert in 2013 and who have participated in many of the subsequent iterations as well. Also featured in “Reduction 10:” interdisciplinary artists and dancemaker Grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima, a recipient of the 2023 3Arts Award for Dance, and Ikunojo Fujima, both of Shubukai. Shubukai presents cultural arts and educational presentations throughout Chicago and the Midwest and is committed to maintaining and sustaining the core aesthetics of Japanese classical dance in Chicago and the Asian American community.
Tickets for Dec. 14, 7 p.m. “Reduction 10” concert are $20. To order tickets, visit airmw.org/taikolegacy.com
On Dec. 15, following the Dec. 14 “Reduction 10” concert, AIRMW and Tsukasa Taiko will present with 21st edition of “Taiko Legacy” at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 15. The annual “Taiko Legacy” concert rooted is in the traditions of ozashiki (geisha chamber music), ohayashi (classical/folk/theater music), and matsuri taiko (festival taiko music).
Photo from 2023's "Taiko Legacy 20" Photo by Ken Carl
In the “Taiko Legacy” concerts, performative arrangements of original compositions from Tsukasa Taiko recontextualize the cultural traditions within contemporary ecologies of art, music and theater. Led by professional taiko artists and the longstanding Gintenkai community performance ensemble from Tsukasa Taiko, “Taiko Legacy 21” also features the next generation youth members who form a vital part of this ongoing legacy.
Special guests for this concert include flutist Hyakkyou Fukuhara (Tokyo), and performing taiko and dance artist Melody Takata with GenRyu Arts (San Francisco), founded and directed by Takata.
Says Aoki, “I grew up playing taiko and shamisen since age 4 and was part of a theatrical performing crew during my adolescence. It was then I developed a life goal to help maintain the traditional aesthetic of the Japanese theatrical Arts and it is with that goal in mind we present the annual Taiko Legacy concerts.”
Literally meaning “drum,” taiko is known for its thunderous sound and stunning, stylized choreography. The 2,000-year-old taiko has its roots in Japanese court, theater, religious/ceremonial and festival music performance, where the taiko was just one instrument of many that comprised the music ensembles. It has become a celebrated symbol of heritage and culture for the Japanese American community.
Tickets for Dec. 15, 2 p.m. concert are $20. To order tickets, visit .m. “Taiko Legacy 21”airmw.org/taikolegacy.com
“Reduction 10” and “Taiko Legacy 21” are programs of Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW) and are supported in part by The Illinois Arts Council Agency, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, JCCC Foundation, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), The Field Foundation and The Joyce Foundation.
For updates and more information on either performance or AIRMW, visit airmw.org.
Asian Improv aRts Midwest’s (AIRMW) mission is to build a vital, self-empowered Asian American Community in the Chicago area by advancing the understanding and profile of Asian American cultures through the traditional and contemporary cultural arts. Through in-house programs and collaborative projects, AIRMW is dedicated to creating productive relationships with artists, communities and institutions. It continuously strives to maintain the responsibility of professionalism as part of cultural preservation by producing high quality arts programs that accurately reflect the multicultural, multi-ethnic reality of Chicago and the nation.
In 1984 Chicago artist and community leader Tatsu Aoki founded Innocent Eyes and Lenses (IEL) in response to the need for an organization dedicated to presenting Asian American artists and programs that were relevant to the community. In 2004 IEL was renamed Asian Improv aRts Midwest to reflect the community the organization was serving and recognize the 20-year partnership with the West Coast-based Asian Improv aRts. In 2022, thanks in part to community supporters, members and the Chicago Cultural Treasures Grant by IFF, AIRMW was able to purchase a permanent home at 4875 N. Elston. The space officially opened in February 2023 and houses the company’s administration offices and rehearsal space and is the site for classes and select special events. For more information visit airmw.org.
Tsukasa Taiko, a program of AIRMW, also presents programs, lectures, and demonstrations designed to advance the understanding of taiko and its role in Asian and Asian American culture. Tsukasa Taiko works closely with the public schools and community centers of the Chicago area, presenting demonstrations, classes, performances, and special workshops held throughout the year.
Tatsu Aoki is a prolific composer and performer of traditional and experimental music forms, a filmmaker, and an educator. In May 2018, Aoki was honored as the first recipient of the “George Award,” for his years of support, recording, and performance with renowned American Jazz and soul guitarist George Freeman. As Executive Director of AIRMW, an Asian American cultural arts presenter organization, Aoki has initiated and managed several programs to advance the understanding of traditional arts and community through the arts, including the annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival, the Tsukasa Taiko Legacy, and the Toyoaki Shamisen arts residency projects. Aoki was selected by the Asian American Advisory Council of Illinois in 2017 for the Community Service Award from the Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White. He also received the prestigious Commendation for the Promotion of Japanese Culture from the Foreign Ministry in Japan, which is given to individuals with outstanding achievements in international fields and acknowledges the recipient’s contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries.
Asian Improv aRts Midwest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is supported in part by general operating support from the Illinois Arts Counsel, a State Agency and the MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; as well as support from the Alphawood Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Walder Foundation, Joyce Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.