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| Photo By Cincinnati-Dayton Taiko Group |
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That pounding isn't a headache -- it's the Cincinnati-
Dayton.
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Drumming offers a powerful and exotic musical sound. This primitive instrument, used for communication and music in various ancient cultures, still thrills today.
The Cincinnati-Dayton Taiko Group trains people in the art of the Japanese taiko drum and performs throughout the Tristate. In conjunction with the exhibition Hanten and Happi: Traditional Japanese Work Coats from the Sumi Collection at the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM), the group will offer a workshop and performance for children Thursday and return for a public performance at CAM Sunday, 1-1:30 p.m. On Saturday at 2:30 p.m. they'll perform at the Ikasucon Anime Convention at the Clarion Hotel and Suites Cincinnati in Blue Ash.
Taiko, the Japanese word for drum and the name of the art form, has been played for more than 1,400 years, used in Court, Classical and Folk music. The modern era of taiko began in 1951, largely thanks to Daihachi Oguchi, a Japanese Jazz drummer, the first musician to arrange taiko drums in an ensemble -- and he jazzed up the beat of the music. This new genre of taiko was named kumi-daiko style.
Modern taiko quickly spread throughout Japan, arriving in the United States in 1968, when Seiichi Tanaka formed the San Francisco Taiko Dojo, the nation's first taiko group. Since then, taiko has become popular throughout North America.
The Cincinnati-Dayton Taiko Group was founded in 1999 with the financial backing of the Japanese-Americans Citizens League (JACL) of Cincinnati and Dayton to teach and perform taiko drumming. Its first instructor was Joe Kimura of the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko Group, a one-time pupil of Oguchi. Currently most of the Cincinnati-Dayton members are female; about half are Japanese. The group offers approximately 15 concerts annually throughout the area.
The local taiko group's leaders are James and Peggy Shimko, two of its founders. Other performing members are Alisa Kawahara, Melissa Kawahara, Helen Rindsberg, Sachi Mishima and Tokie Wade. Music Director James Shimko is of Slovakian and Ukrainian descent; he teaches accounting at Dayton's Sinclair Community College. But he also earned a degree in music with a specialty in percussion, which he has taught for 20 years. His expertise extends to Classical music, African, Latin and other ethnic percussion types.
Managing Director Peggy Shimko is a Japanese American, inspired to study taiko by her heritage. She studied matsuri, a Folk style of taiko drumming that's danced at festivals. She participated in Japanese festivals through the JACL. She and James were inspired to start a local taiko group after watching the renowned Koto ensemble and San Jose Taiko. Surprising, the couple has never visited Japan.
"Taiko drumming is about community spirit and having fun," says Peggy Shimko. "We drum together in the spirit of the Japanese matsuri or festival, where everyone is welcome and everyone joins in the festivities."
This nonprofit group made their own drums, stands and costumes. Without the resources to purchase real, hand-carved drums from Japan (costing as much $5,000 or more), the Cincinnati-Dayton Taiko Group, like many other American groups, made their own drums from wine and whiskey barrels.
CINCINNATI-DAYTON TAIKO GROUP practices twice monthly and is currently seeking members. Information: cindaytaiko@yahoo.com.
