Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW): “Reduction 10” & “Taiko Legacy 21” Concerts at MCA Chicago, December 14-15, 2024

Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW) and Tsukasa Taiko, with director, multi-instrumentalist and media artist Tatsu Aoki, celebrate a decade of “Reduction” concerts with “Reduction 10” at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave. at 7 p.m., Saturday, December 14, 2024. That concert will be followed by AIRMW’s “Taiko Legacy 21” concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, 2024, also at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

The “Reduction” series is dedicated to presenting a rich convergence of classical and contemporary music and jazz traditions with traditional Japanese instrumentation with performative experimentation. For “Reduction 10,” Tsukasa Taiko will be joined by special guests Hyakkyou Fukuhara (flute) from Tokyo, and from Chicago: internationally acclaimed and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Nicole Mitchell (jazz flutist/composer), creative music legends Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang (percussionist) and interdisciplinary artists and dancemaker Grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima and Ikunojo Fujima of Shubukai.

Aoki is an internationally renowned musician, composer, and recording artist, who works in traditionally based Japanese music as well as experimental and jazz idioms. “It is a thrill for me to share the stage with some of Chicago’s best jazz musicians for these concerts, says Aoki. “I always look forward to the annual “Reduction” concert and I’m especially grateful to have the opportunity to mark 10 years of “Reduction” performances this year.”

On December 15, 2024, AIRMW and Tsukasa Taiko will present with 21st edition of “Taiko Legacy.” The annual “Taiko Legacy” concert is rooted in the traditions of ozashiki (geisha chamber music), ohayashi (classical/folk/theater music), and matsuri taiko (festival taiko music). In the “Taiko Legacy” concerts, performative arrangements of original compositions from Tsukasa Taiko recontextualize the cultural traditions within contemporary ecologies of art, music and theater.

Led by professional taiko artists and the longstanding Gintenkai community performance ensemble from Tsukasa Taiko, “Taiko Legacy 21” will feature the next generation youth members who form a vital part of this ongoing legacy. Special guests for this concert include flutist Hyakkyou Fukuhara from Tokyo, and Melody Takata and GenRyu Arts from San Francisco.

Says Aoki, “I grew up playing taiko and shamisen since age 4 was part of a theatrical performing crew during my adolescence. It was then I developed a life goal to help maintain the traditional aesthetic of the Japanese theatrical Arts and it is with that goal in mind we present the annual Taiko Legacy concerts.”

“Taiko Legacy” is a perennial celebration of heritage forms as experienced by leading contemporary performers. Literally meaning “drum,” Taiko is known for its thunderous sound and stunning, stylized choreography. The 2,000-year-old taiko has its roots in Japanese court, theater, religious/ceremonial and festival music performance, where the taiko was just one instrument of many that comprised the music ensembles.

Tickets for the December 14, 2024,  “Reduction 10”  and the December 15, 2024, “Taiko Legacy 21” concerts can be ordered directly at airmw.org/taikolegacy.