November 4, 2005: Volume 65, Number 9

Drum roll, please: Acclaimed taiko ensemble comes to Nott

The acclaimed Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble's "East Meets West" tour will come to campus Monday, Nov. 7, with a 7 p.m. performance in the Nott Memorial. The event is free and open to the public.

Endo, one of the foremost taiko (Japanese drum) artists today, also will lead a workshop with students on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Celebrating 30 years of taiko drumming, Endo combines members of his Tokyo, Honolulu and continental U.S. ensembles for this tour, which features Japanese and Western instruments in traditional and world rhythms and modern compositions. 

Instruments include large taiko drums, tsuzumi (Japanese hour-glass hand drum), bamboo flutes, 17-string bass koto, vibraphones, congas and Latin, Japanese and world percussion.

A performer and composer, Endo trained in western drums and percussion from an early age before embarking on his worldwide journey of taiko training and performing. He holds the distinction of being the first non-Japanese national to be designated with a natori (stage name) in classical Japanese drumming. He is also a master of taiko folk forms, an educator with a master's degree in music and an innovator in contemporary percussion collaborations.

The tour is presented by TRADEX, a National Organization for Traditional Artists Exchange, with support from the Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN program, the Freeman Foundation and Inspiration Interiors.

For more, visit www.kennyendo.com/eastwest2005.htm or www.kennyendo.com/multimedia.htm.

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