Pattern is Movement

Cali-based TAIKOPROJECT is drumming up a Philly following.

by Jakob Dorof

Jessica Claire QUANTUM LEAP: With a portfolio as unique as their act, TAIKOPROJECT's scored gigs with Kanye West, Nike, Justin Timberlake and the Oscars.

Whether or not the name rings a bell, you've probably heard TAIKOPROJECT before. Since forming under lead man Bryan Yamami in 2000, the California-based group has been making lots of noise the world over with its unique take on taiko. Combining ancient Japanese drums and rhythms with an omnivorous, multicultural set of influences and instruments, their songs and performances have managed to perk ears in some pretty lofty places.

For starters, that was them banging away on the larger drums during the "Best Original Song" ceremony at the Oscars last Sunday. Other feathers in their cap include recording for Kanye West and performing live with DJ Tiësto, soundtracking sharp commercials for Nike and Mitsubishi, and playing sold-out gigs, sporting events and corporate galas just about everywhere.

But despite a prolific nine years and too many tours to count, "everywhere" on their map has not yet included Philly.

"We actually swung by once in 2004, but that was only three of us, and we only played two songs on borrowed drums," Yamami explains. Next Friday's appearance at the Annenberg — a joint presentation from the Asian Arts Initiative and local percussion group Kyo Daiko — is what Yamami calls "our first big presentation in Philadelphia."

And he means big. Brandishing traditional bachi sticks, the 15 musicians circle and attack their wide drums with a violent, artful fluidity that harkens back to taiko's ancient roots in the martial arts. From there, the group draws from a broad palette of more western tones, including electronic instruments, hip-hop choreography, theatrical storytelling and video documentary. The blend allows for a much richer brand of songwriting than that of more purist taiko groups.

"We're looking to really impact the audience and create a roller coaster of emotions and experiences with our set, instead of just 90 minutes of drums," says Yamami. "We open our set with a tableau of historical footage, beginning in the '60s and '70s with these taiko players dressed like hippies, up to how the drums are made in America today."

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It makes sense that Yamami would be just as interested in documenting the history of American taiko as he is in shaping its future. Like most of the group's eight founding members, Yamami was raised by parents who were a part of the first wave of taiko in the U.S. After World War II ended and the Japanese-American internment camps dissolved, many Japanese-Americans just wanted to keep a low profile.

"You know, 'Let's play baseball, let's eat apple pie,'" Yamami says. "Meanwhile, some looked to modern taiko as a way to empower themselves, to say, 'Look, I'm American and Japanese at the same time, and I'm gonna be loud and play these drums.'"

TAIKOPROJECT assembled with that spirit in mind at the turn of this century, when stateside taiko had reached a critical mass. With more than 100 active groups on the continent, there was enough interest to sustain the biannual North American Taiko Conference, which began in 1997.

"That's where I [met] taiko musicians who were in the same boat as me," recalls Yamami — "in our early 20s, wondering how to make a profession out of it."

The gambit worked. In addition to past triumphs, their '09 calendar already boasts an appearance on Justin Timberlake's new MTV reality show The Phone. At the moment, Yamami and company are in the middle of a stateside victory lap — their longest and most ambitious tour to date.

TAIKOPROJECT's week in Philly is part of the Asian Arts Initiative's relaunch festivities: The performance collective finally found a place of permanent residence after being displaced from the Gilbert Building by the Pennsylvania Convention Center's $700 million-plus expansion.

"We've been on the move for a couple years," says executive director Gayle Isa. "So our collaboration is a great way to launch our new season and new home. And to celebrate," she smiles, "with a lot of noise."

(jakob.dorof@citypaper.net)

TAIKOPROJECT will perform Fri., March 6, 8 p.m., $20-$45, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900, asianartsinitiative.org.