Howdy,
It is now July, and the Taiko Conference is coming up soon. Registration has gone extremely well; roughly double the number of people have registered as was initially expected. The facilities limits have almost been reached, and the JACCC has informed me that registration may be "cut off any moment." They have already taken registration information off of their own Web site, so if you have been meaning to get your registration in, now is the time to do it.
Unfortunately, the Taiko Jam Concert (which takes place on Saturday evening of the conference) is already sold out. With the fantastic line-up the JACCC has arranged, it is no wonder why. Those fortunate to have tickets will see exciting performances by (in no special order) San Francisco Taiko Dojo; Seattle Kokon Taiko; Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble; Soh Daiko; Hinode Taiko; Zenshuji Zendeko Taiko. If you don't have tickets, all is not lost: The JACCC is looking into the possibility of having monitors set up outside the concert hall to allow all registrants to view the concert.
The schedule for the Taiko Conference has been finalized, and people who have registered should receive a copy in their registration confirmation packets, which are being mailed out now. With a wide variety of workshops offered in both sessions each day -from taiko making workshops to the master class with Tanaka sensei- there is sure to be something to grab your interest.
An added bonus for those folks arriving on Thursday will be an informal reception for out of town participants hosted by Kinnara Taiko at the Senshin Buddhist Temple.
Also watch for Rolling Thunder's booth in the Taiko Marketplace during the Taiko Conference. Located in the South Gallery, Rolling Thunder will be making available a wide variety of Taiko related material. Videos, CDs, books, bachi, Rolling Thunder Taiko drums and lots of other Taiko goodies will be available for purchase. There will be daily show specials, a drawing or two, and great deals on hard to find Taiko merchandise. Come by to say "hi" and to bang on the drums!
On the Heels of the Taiko Conference will be the L.A. Taiko Festival VII which will feature L.A. Matsuri Taiko, San Fernando Valley Mugen Taiko, Venice Koshin Taiko, and a Junior Taiko group. There will be a special appearance by Hawaii Matsuri Taiko. It will be held in the Japan America Theater, 244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, August 9, 1997 at 3:00 P.M. General Admission is $20.00.
The last major Taiko event of the Summer is the first annual Wine Country Taiko Festival, hosted by Sonoma County Taiko. Registration packets have just gone out, so if you haven't received yours, request one by emailing Arn Shimizu (arntak@sonic.net).
The Festival will take place September 26th, 27th and 28th. Guests include Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka of The San Francisco Taiko Dojo, world reknown Shakuhachi performer Marco Lienhard, Tiffany Tamaribuchi and the Sacramento Taiko Dan and others. The Camp will take place at the Valley of the Moon Conference Center, Glen Ellen. The Concert will be held at the Luther Burbank Center for the Performing Arts, in Santa Rosa.
Since there are only 110 spaces available for overnight, and 40 day use only spaces, it is important to register early. The cost is $150 for overnight and $100 for day use.
If you are interested in the Concert only, tickets will be available through the Luther Burbank Center or BASS after July 4th. The phone numbers are: LBC (707)-546-3600. BASS (Sonoma County number) (707)546-2277.
In Rolling Thunder news, I would like to welcome Jason Jong to the Rolling Thunder staff. Jason plays with Zanshin Taiko of San Francisco State University (although the group is currently inactive during the summer). He also was a long time member of the award winning Mandarins Drum Corp. Jason was responsible for getting a set of wine-barrel taiko made for the Mandarins, and that experience has quickly made him invaluable in the shop. A skilled percussionist and Taiko player, Jason will be contributing tips on Taiko rhythm basics to the Rolling Thunder web site and catalog. Jason will be helping to run the Booth at the Taiko Conference, so be sure to stop by and say hello!
The Rolling Thunder Taiko Video series has gathered the attention of the Asahi Newspaper in Japan! After seeing a Japanese language article about the videos in the Nichi Bei Times, the Asahi Newspaper has requested more information about Rolling Thunder and the videos for a possible upcoming article. Asahi is the largest newspaper in Japan with a circulation of over 6 million papers per day!
Also check out the Rolling Thunder interview with George Abe. Mr. Abe is a founding member of Kinnara Taiko, an influential Taiko group in North America. He talks about the founding days of Kinnara, as well as his efforts to bring affordable instruments and learning tools to the fue and shakuhachi players in North America.
Upcoming projects for Rolling Thunder include: getting the catalog up on the Web site for online ordering; a separate catalog for Hanten/Happi coats; development of the Rolling Thunder line of shime and okedo taiko (a prototype shime is planned to be on display at the Taiko Conference); and the English language companion book to the Introduction to Taiko video.
To close out with an interesting rumor, Ondekoza is off on another cross country run. Instead of running around the perimeter of the United States, as they did in 1990-92, they will be running across China, from Shanghai to Beijing.
Best,
Dave