Our friends and mentors, Shoji Kameda and Mas Baba (On Ensemble of Los Angeles) joined us for our 20th anniversary concert on Nov 5, 2017 at THE HIDEOUT. Local percussionist and Taiko player Ken Yasui also sat in on a portion of the evening’s set. We performed new versions of our existing catalogue and premiered a few original works, including a vocal round arranged by new member Anabel Hirano and a new composition by Donny Ha that combines trombone, fue, vocals and chappa. Jason and Emily from Ho Etsu also joined Shoji and Mas on a few On Ensemble numbers, representing the continued sharing and strong collaboration between the two ensembles. With different approaches and influences, each ensemble showcased the flexibility and evolution of taiko music.
We chose THE HIDEOUT as the venue for this special performance because of its legendary place in the history of Chicago’s music scene. This venue has been the iconic music room for Chicago’s jazz and blues artists for decades. The intimate setting allowed us to relax and interact with the audience resulting in a richer musical experience – we could think of no better way to celebrate our journey of 20 years.
Oh, we also hired an amazing production team to capture the evening! With first-time Ho Etsu collaborator Joe Lim at the helm of the video production team, we will be releasing videos of full songs in the coming months. Ben Standage, Ho Etsu’s long time collaborator on sound engineering, was present to help us capture clean audio tracks (15-member band on a stage made for 4…not an easy task). And thanks to Christine Humbach, we have all these beautiful photos to share!
Earlier this year, Ho Etsu celebrated our 20th anniversary with an intimate show at The Hideout, a legendary Chicago music venue. Our long-time music mentors Shoji Kameda and Mas Baba of On Ensemble joined us onstage, along with guest artist Ken Yasui.
The incredible support of our crowd and our collaborators made for a ton of memorable moments. Luckily, we caught one of them on camera. Watch our live performance of Lion Chant, composed by Shoji Kameda. Many thanks to our video team, led by Joseph Lim, and our favorite sound engineer Ben Standage for making everything look and sound so good.
Composer’s note: Poston is an incarceration camp in Arizona that held over 17,000 Japanese American citizens rounded up and displaced by the US government during World War II.
Only what you can carry, they said
An unknown future, moving forward
Separation, nulled identities
Stories hidden, some may never know
Divided by war (Unified to forge ahead)
What lies ahead from here? (We’re staring into present day)
No time for the past (Unified in face of hate)
What lies ahead from here? (Won’t let it repeat again)
All life
All life is
All the love you give
Tell me Where does your heart
Your heart live?
In the nightwood, dark and deep
The tiny songbird cries in sleep
Sleep my love, though the wind do wail
And snow clouds pile, and storm and hail
Black bough trees, cold earth beneath
The breath of night bares icy teeth
Water moves, though the moving’s slow
And the deepest root guards life below
Fire flicker, warm and bright
Bind us in your ring of light
Shadows tall on the cold ground cast
Draw dancing shapes of those who passed
Gather now in the circle round
While the hoarfrost kiss the ground
Heart and hand and drum and song
We speak of them, we speak of them, our voices strong
Mountains high and oceans wide
The dead stand with us, side by side
Greeting’s sweet and parting’s sore
And still time’s tide wears on our shore, wears on our shore
And still time’s tide wears on our shore
Come by me and share your light
Walk hand in hand into the night
Glowing hearts and our faces cold
Life catches us in a web of gold
In the nightwood, dark and deep
A tiny songbird sighs in sleep
Sleep my child though the wind do cry
My love will keep you by and by
All life
All life is
All the love you give
Tell me Where does your heart
Your heart live?
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.