Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW), directed by multi-instrumentalist and media artist Tatsu Aoki, presents its “Taiko Legacy 20th Anniversary” Concert at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave. at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17.
This performance celebrates two decades of Asian Improv aRts Midwest’s most anticipated event of the year, “Taiko Legacy.” This annual concert is one of the largest taiko presentations in the Midwest and is built on the efforts of community activism in Asian American and Japanese American performing arts across the country. It is a conceptually diverse and dynamic musical performance full of original arrangements that pay homage to ozashiki (geisha chamber music), ohayashi (classical/folk/theater music), and matsuri taiko (festival taiko music).
Joining the performers of Tsukasa Taiko, a program of AIRMW, will be guest artists including long-standing partner Grandmaster Chizuru Kineya and Chicago Grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima plus new guests: Japan and New York-based koto and shamisen performer Yoko “Reikano” Kimura and Japanese classical dancer Kanshichinao Fujima from Japan.
Tickets are $25 (plus fees). For tickets or more information visit https://www.taikolegacy.com/events/tl20.
As a precursor to the “Taiko Legacy 20th Anniversary” Concert, AIRMW presents “Reduction 9” also at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave. at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16.
“Reduction” is a theatrical presentation with a goal to construct a bridge between tradition and modernity in a single performance and define the contemporary Asian American and Japanese American musical experience. Accentuating the potential and artistry of refined subdued taiko performance, “Reduction 9” presents free fluid improvisational compositions amongst the steady melodies and rhythms of traditional Japanese instrumentation.
For this 9th iteration of “Reduction,” AIRMW’s performance group Tsukasa Taiko will team up with a returning lineup of Grandmaster Chizuru Kineya from Tokyo, local Grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima and Melody Takata and members of GenRyu Arts from San Francisco; alongside creative music legends percussionists Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang and jazz flutist/composer Nicole Mitchell. This year’s “Reduction” performance also features two new guests: New York-based koto player Yoko "Reikano" Kimura and classical dancer Kanshichinao Fujima from Japan.
Tickets are $25 (plus fees). To order tickets, visit https://reduction9.eventbrite.com
For updates and more information on either performance, visit airmw.org.
“Taiko Legacy” is a perennial celebration of heritage forms as experienced by leading contemporary performers. 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. In its most common incarnation Taiko (Japanese drum) was typically heard at seasonal festivals and temples all throughout Japan. In the mid-20th century, Japanese taiko ensemble drumming, known in Japan as kumi-daiko, evolved. Since then, kumi-daiko has enjoyed tremendous popularity and in the U.S., it has become a celebrated symbol of heritage and culture for the Japanese American community.
The “Taiko Legacy 20th Anniversary” Concert and “Reduction 9” performance are programs of Asian Improv aRts Midwest and supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; MacArthur Foundation; The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; Alphawood Foundation; JCCC Foundation; Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (DCASE); the Walder Foundation, Foundation.
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.
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.