Edo Bayashi: A Musical Evening… April 14

Edo Bayashi: A musical evening over 300 years in the making

April 14 @ 6:30 PM

Midwest Buddhist Temple

435 W. Menomonee, Chicago

Tickets are $15

Join us for a rare evening devoted to Edo Matsuri Bayashi, the 300-year-old traditional festival music of historic Tokyo. Master musician and performer, Kyosuke Suzuki of the acclaimed Wakayama performance troupe, is visiting from Japan and will lead a discussion and demonstration of this rich cultural heritage. Joining Suzuki-sensei are Eien Hunter-Ishikawa, a longtime student of Suzuki-sensei’s and a Portland-based musician, as well as Chicago’s own Ho Etsu Taiko. The 5-part suite of Edo Bayashi will be performed by Suzuki-sensei, accompanied by Hunter-Ishikawa and members of Ho Etsu. The evening will include Suzuki-sensei’s presentation of traditional Lion Dance (Shishi-mai) and collaborative presentations of Ho Etsu compositions.

ABOUT EDO BAYASHI

Edo Matsuri Bayashi, or Edo Bayashi for short, refers to the 300-year-old traditional festival music of historic Tokyo. “Edo” is the name for Tokyo under rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1868), “Matsuri” translates to festival and “Bayashi” refers to a musical ensemble. With its complex interlocking rhythms and festive quality, Edo Bayashi helps to inform much of the cultural and aesthetic foundation behind North American taiko.

ABOUT KYOSUKE SUZUKI

Kyosuke Suzuki is a master musician and dancer of the Wakayama Performance Troupe, touring internationally and performing regularly at the prestigious National Theater of Japan. He collaborates regularly with world-renowned taiko groups, including Oedo Sukeroku Taiko, Amanojaku and the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble. Since his participation as a workshop leader and performer at the 2011 North American Taiko Conference, his popularity has boomed. Suzuki-sensei is a premier performer and teacher of Edo Bayashi (Tokyo festival music), with a well-respected “Kyo-no-kai” school for private lessons. He also teaches at the Kunitachi College of Music, Kaijou Junior and Senior High Schools, and Sankei Gakuen Cultural Center. Suzuki studied under Wakayama Taneo of the Wakayama School, recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Culture to be an “Important Intangible Cultural Property of Fine Arts,” learning all aspects of the shi-shi mai ensemble, including flute, taiko, percussion and lion dance.

ABOUT EIEN HUNTER-ISHIKAWA

Eien Hunter-Ishikawa a musician and educator based in Portland, OR, specializing in drumset, taiko, percussion and shinobue. Born in Japan, his passion for drumming started at an early age through the involvement of a youth taiko ensemble directed by Saburo Mochizuki, a founding member of Tokyo’s pioneering taiko ensemble Sukeroku Daiko. Eien later performed and toured extensively as a member of the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble throughout the United States and Europe and taught classes at the Taiko Center of the Pacific, a school of traditional and contemporary taiko. He continues his studies of Edo Bayashi (festival music of old Tokyo) and Edo Kotobuki Jishi (lion dance of old Tokyo) through master musician and dancer Kyosuke Suzuki. Eien has performed at the North American Taiko Conference, Chico World Music Festival, Vancouver’s Powell Street Festival, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Dancing on the Edge Festival, Hawaii International Taiko Festival, Honolulu International Jazz Festival and the Detroit Montreux Jazz Festival.