In 2017, as part of Ho Etsu’s 20th Anniversary celebration, we performed a concert at the famed HIDEOUT INN along with our friends Shoji Kameda and Masato Baba of On Ensemble.
KAERU, or “to return” in Japanese, was written by Ho Etsu member Emily Harada. Inspired by her physical return to Chicago from school and taiko in Hawaii, Emily sought to create a piece that would capture the feeling of returning home. Joining us for this piece is percussionist, Ken Yasui.
In 2017, as part of Ho Etsu’s 20th Anniversary celebration, we performed a concert at the famed HIDEOUT INN along with our friends Shoji Kameda and Masato Baba of On Ensemble.
LOW COMMOTION was first envisioned by Ho Etsu artistic director Jason Matsumoto as a composition for Eugene Sun Park‘s “Self Deportation”, an experimental film exploring the often invisible nature of the Asian American experience. The composition was re-arranged for live performance and has become a signature Ho Etsu piece.
In 2017, as part of Ho Etsu’s 20th Anniversary celebration, we performed a concert at the famed HIDEOUT INN along with our friends Shoji Kameda and Masato Baba of On Ensemble.
PARALLAX was written by Jason Matsumoto and Shoji Kameda for the first collaborative presentation by Ho Etsu (Chicago) and On Ensemble (Los Angeles) in 2015 at Chicago’s Athenaeum Theatre. “Parallax”, or ‘the distance between two stars’, explores space and balance between melodic instrumentation and the strong identity of the taiko. Written originally for marimba, shinobue (bamboo flute) taiko and English-lyric vocals, this has become one of our favorite songs to perform with musicians from a diverse range of disciplines.
Title:PARALLAX
Composed by: Shoji Kameda & Jason Matsumoto
Lyrics by:Tiana Pyer-Pereira
Venue:The Hideout
Date:November 5, 2017
On Ensemble: Shoji Kameda & Masato Baba
Filmed by:Mike Chu & Joseph Lim
Sound Engineer:Ben Standage
Editor:Joseph Lim
Swimming in the space between starlit traces all the worlds we built in dreams frozen places
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falling fire grows cold and dense – drowsing ember did we speak in future tense? can’t remember
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Falling fire Falling higher
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Swimming in the space between starlit traces all the worlds we built in dreams frozen places
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Swimming in the space between starstruck oceans all it was and once it seemed sweet slow motion
April 2018. Ho Etsu held a 7-day residency with master Japanese musician and dancer Kyosuke Suzuki of the acclaimed Tokyo-based troupe Wakayama Shachu. Suzuki held group workshops as well as one-on-one lessons, sharing 300 year old traditional Tokyo festival music (Edo Matsuri Bayashi) as well as the music and movements of his troupe’s lion dance (Edo Kotobukijishi, or “Shishimai”). The rare opportunity to work with Suzuki-sensei was made possible by musician and long-time Suzuki-sensei student Eien Hunter-Ishikawa. Ho Etsu was honored to perform alongside Suzuki-sensei and Hunter-Ishikawa in a sold out culminating performance at Chicago’s Midwest Buddhist Temple.
Title:Master Japanese Artist Kyosuke Suzuki visits Ho Etsu Taiko
Filmed by:Joe Lim and Sean Shibata
Artists:Kyosuke Suzuki, Eien Hunter-Ishikawa, and Ho Etsu Taiko
In 2017, 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. This is the video of our live performance of Lion Chant, an original composition by Shoji Kameda.
Shoji Kameda of On Ensemble and Jason Matsumoto created the music and Tiana Pyer-Pereira provided the lyrics resulting in PARALLAX. This video captured our first performance of Parallax during our ROTATIONS concert in 2015.
Title:PARALLAX
Composed by: Shoji Kameda & Jason Matsumoto
Lyrics by:Tiana Pyer-Pereira
Venue:The Athenaeum Theater
Videography:Full Spectrum Features
Sound Engineer:Ben Standage
Editor:Tracy Pitts
Lighting Design:Sarah Ayako
Swimming in the space between starlit traces all the worlds we built in dreams frozen places
–
falling fire grows cold and dense – drowsing ember did we speak in future tense? can’t remember
–
Falling fire Falling higher
–
Swimming in the space between starlit traces all the worlds we built in dreams frozen places
–
Swimming in the space between starstruck oceans all it was and once it seemed sweet slow motion
In October 2015 Ho Etsu collaborated with On Ensemble to produce ROTATIONS – a Taiko concert featuring pieces composed by members of both groups. We performed Rotations at the historic Antheneaum Theater and this video captures excerpts from our two shows.
Title:ROTATIONS – A Cinematic Recap
Compositions by:members of Ho Etsu Taiko & On Ensemble
“Y-PORTRAITS: Awakening” is a collaboration of three unique art forms; classical harp, taiko and interpretive dance. The collaboration was made under the direction of MOZAWA – a Chicago-based incubator advancing collaborative art and artists.
Title: Y-PORTRAITS: Awakening
Director:Matthew Ozawa
Performed by:Chicago Harp Quartest, Mozawa, Ho Etsu Taiko
Venue: Midwest Buddhist Temple
Filmed by: Julia Fuller, Eugene Sun Park, Fred Frederiksen
In 2015 we collaborated with Irish musicians for a benefit performance. It was exciting to see how the lyrical music of Paddy Homan, Dennis Cahill and Teresa Shine would mesh with the rhythms of Taiko. This video captures several rehearsal sessions leading up to the performance.
In July 2012 Ho Etsu Taiko celebrated its 15th anniversary by self-producing a concert entitled HANABI. We were honored to have Nagata Shachu and Kristy Oshiro join us for this special performance. This video captures two original pieces from that performance.
Title: ATSUMARI & HO ETSU HA
Composed by:Jason Matsumoto (4 lines from Atsumari were shared with Ho Etsu by Taiko Project from Los Angeles)
For our 2012 concert, HANABI, we were joined on stage by Kristy Oshiro of Sacramento Taiko Dan. This is the video of Kristy’s original composition: EARTH & SKY.
Title: EARTH & SKY
Composed by:Kristy Oshiro
Performed by:Kristy Oshiro, Heidi Chan, Jason Matsumoto
Normally each August we perform and volunteer at MBT’s Ginza Holiday Festival. This year Ginza will be ‘virtual’ – learn more.
Poston
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)
Traveler
All life
All life is
All the love you give
Tell me Where does your heart
Your heart live?
Spirit Song
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
Vocal Theme
All life
All life is
All the love you give
Tell me Where does your heart
Your heart live?
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