Artist Reflections
PJ
pj“I was always restrained, and so when I heard the taiko for the first time, it's like something in my body just went BAM—it went like this burst of energy.
I relate to this vibration. I relate to this expression. There's something visceral happening in this body, and once that went inside, it's like, ‘I have to do that, I want to do that.’”
“I didn’t have to use my voice to be loud… Taiko empowered me.”
“This is what creates connection.
It’s vibration. I think it’s really important to have intention about that vibration because that intention goes out and it hits the heart of people.”
Ei Ja Nai Ka RIPPLES, PJ Hirabayashi
“My song, Ei Ja Nai Ka, brought together everything I love about taiko… community, people getting up and dancing together with uncontainable joy, the energy of the drum, a story that crosses across all cultures.”
Roy
“I’m always thinking about how the fue is lending another voice to what’s going on, but not getting in the way of what’s happening.”
“The sound of the fue could be a very sweet, melodic voice, it could be festive, it can be very sad, it could be very mysterious sounding, sort of haunting…”
Fue = Japanese word for bamboo flute
“The fue is an instrument that I feel really brings out my emotions in a different voice. I have the opportunity to speak in a different way using the fue.”
PJ“The spirit of taiko comes from an authentic, unadulterated place. It’s a feeling of interconnection to all.”
Roy“When I discovered taiko, I realized it could be our voice.”
Rituals
“As artists, we put the same care and attention in preparing to play as we do in playing taiko.
Our rituals define who we are as artists. Doing things the same way and by doing so, paying respect to our Japanese heritage and putting what we’ve learned into practice.”
