Kenny Endo
Encyclopedia
Kenny Endo is an American
musician and taiko
master. He is the leader of several taiko ensembles and regularly tours, performing traditional and contemporary taiko music. Endo is also the first non-Japanese national to receive a natori in the field of hogaku hayashi, Japanese classical drumming. Today Endo composes his own music and plays taiko professionally as a solo artist, with his ensembles, and in collaboration with other artists.
(first generation) father and Nisei
(second generation) mother Japanese American
parents. Endo was raised in Los Angeles
with his brother and three sisters, and while he was exposed to some Japanese culture as a child, he grew up as an American. From an early age, he loved drums and taiko, and started playing drums at nine years of age. Endo played in the school orchestra and band, and on his own drum set throughout middle and high school.
Endo began college at the University of California, Santa Cruz
; he would eventually major in Political Science
and minor in Ethnomusicology
at UCLA. In 1973, while still in college, he had the opportunity to do a six-month field study on a Native American reservation in Arizona, which had served as Poston War Relocation Center
, the largest Japanese-American internment camp during WWII. The experience was a big turning point in his life that made him want to learn more about his own culture. Around the same time, in 1973, Kenny had his first experience with kumidaiko (ensemble drumming) when he saw San Francisco Taiko Dojo perform in San Jose. The performance made him realize that taiko
was something he wanted to do in life. After finishing his time on the Native American reservation, Endo returned to Los Angeles and in 1975 was accepted into Kinnara Taiko, the seminal taiko group in Los Angeles, which is based in the Senshin Buddhist temple.
festival season, and Endo wanted more practice. He consequently spent a summer studying with Seiichi Tanaka
and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo (SFTD), and, after finishing school at the University of California, Los Angeles
in 1976, he moved to San Francisco to continue working with SFTD. While there, he studied taiko by day and worked as a jazz musician by night. Up until this point in his life, Endo had been heavily influenced by his love of all music, especially rock and jazz. In 1979, he had to make the choice of whether to continue studying taiko and move to Japan, or to pursue jazz seriously and move to New York City. He chose taiko, which combined his interest in drums and music and his desire to get back to his cultural roots, and, in 1980, Endo moved to Japan
to study the roots of the art form. The trip, which was originally supposed to last one year, took a total of ten.
While in Japan Endo studied and mastered three types of Japanese drumming: kumidaiko (group drumming), hogaku hayashi (classical drumming), and matsuri bayashi (festival music). He started by playing in a group called O Suwa Daiko for six months before moving to Tokyo
at the end of 1980. While in Tokyo, he studied with Sukeroku Taiko, and when Sukeroku Taiko split into two groups in 1982, Endo joined Oedo Sukeroku Taiko, with whom he stayed until 1987. Endo also began to do freelance work and duets in 1983, and by 1987 he had gone solo, continuing his studies and composing his own taiko music. Also while in Japan, Endo received a natori (stage name) in hogaku hayashi, Japanese classical drumming. Natori literally means “to take on a name,” and it functions as both a name to perform under and a license to teach. Endo was the first ever foreigner to receive the high honor of a natori in the field of hogaku hayashi. His stage name is Mochizuki Tajiro.
After spending ten years in Japan, Endo applied for and was granted a scholarship through the East-West Center
at the University of Hawaii
(UH). In 1990, he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii
with his wife, Chizuko Endo, and two sons, to pursue graduate studies in Ethnomusicology
at UH. While there, the university asked him to teach, and Endo began teaching taiko classes through the non-credit program at UH. The program quickly grew, and soon was too large of a capacity for UH to handle. In 1994, Kenny and Chizuko moved the classes to the chapel on the site of Kapiolani Community College and started the Taiko Center of the Pacific (TCP), which offers classes to people of all ages and abilities.
Today Endo would like to continue the musical and cultural innovation he has started. His time is split between performing, composing, and teaching, and his goal is to pass on his learnings to the future generations through his school. In the future, Endo plans to expand his performances and collaborations with other artists.
His works include, but are not limited to, opening for The Who
, performing a duet with singer Bobby McFerrin
, performing for Michael Jackson
and Prince
, as well as Princess Diana and Prince Charles. He has performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
, the Honolulu Symphony
, and the Tokyo Symphony. Endo has recorded music for 3 films: Kayo Hatta
’s “Picture Bride,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now
,” and James Cameron’s “Avatar.” He was also featured in the PBS special, “The Spirit of Taiko” (2006).
Endo has received commissions to compose and tour new music from the American Composers Forum
, the McKnight Foundation
, The Children's Theatre Company
, the Rockefeller Foundation
(MAPP), the Japan Foundation
, Continental Harmony, the Freeman Foundation, Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Stanford Lively Arts, and the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician and taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
master. He is the leader of several taiko ensembles and regularly tours, performing traditional and contemporary taiko music. Endo is also the first non-Japanese national to receive a natori in the field of hogaku hayashi, Japanese classical drumming. Today Endo composes his own music and plays taiko professionally as a solo artist, with his ensembles, and in collaboration with other artists.
Early life
Kenny Endo was born on April 2, 1953 in Los Angeles, California to an IsseiIssei
Issei is a Japanese language term used in countries in North America, South America and Australia to specify the Japanese people first to immigrate. Their children born in the new country are referred to as Nisei , and their grandchildren are Sansei...
(first generation) father and Nisei
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
(second generation) mother Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
parents. Endo was raised in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with his brother and three sisters, and while he was exposed to some Japanese culture as a child, he grew up as an American. From an early age, he loved drums and taiko, and started playing drums at nine years of age. Endo played in the school orchestra and band, and on his own drum set throughout middle and high school.
Endo began college at the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
; he would eventually major in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and minor in Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
at UCLA. In 1973, while still in college, he had the opportunity to do a six-month field study on a Native American reservation in Arizona, which had served as Poston War Relocation Center
Poston War Relocation Center
The Poston War Relocation Center, located in Yuma County of southwestern Arizona, was the largest of the ten American internment camps operated by the War Relocation Authority during World War II....
, the largest Japanese-American internment camp during WWII. The experience was a big turning point in his life that made him want to learn more about his own culture. Around the same time, in 1973, Kenny had his first experience with kumidaiko (ensemble drumming) when he saw San Francisco Taiko Dojo perform in San Jose. The performance made him realize that taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
was something he wanted to do in life. After finishing his time on the Native American reservation, Endo returned to Los Angeles and in 1975 was accepted into Kinnara Taiko, the seminal taiko group in Los Angeles, which is based in the Senshin Buddhist temple.
Career
However, at the time Kinnara Taiko was only playing during the ObonObón
Obón is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 75 inhabitants....
festival season, and Endo wanted more practice. He consequently spent a summer studying with Seiichi Tanaka
Seiichi Tanaka
Seiichi Tanaka is the first Japan-trained teacher of kumidaiko, or taiko, in the United States and largely regarded as the father of the art form in North America...
and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo (SFTD), and, after finishing school at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in 1976, he moved to San Francisco to continue working with SFTD. While there, he studied taiko by day and worked as a jazz musician by night. Up until this point in his life, Endo had been heavily influenced by his love of all music, especially rock and jazz. In 1979, he had to make the choice of whether to continue studying taiko and move to Japan, or to pursue jazz seriously and move to New York City. He chose taiko, which combined his interest in drums and music and his desire to get back to his cultural roots, and, in 1980, Endo moved to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to study the roots of the art form. The trip, which was originally supposed to last one year, took a total of ten.
While in Japan Endo studied and mastered three types of Japanese drumming: kumidaiko (group drumming), hogaku hayashi (classical drumming), and matsuri bayashi (festival music). He started by playing in a group called O Suwa Daiko for six months before moving to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
at the end of 1980. While in Tokyo, he studied with Sukeroku Taiko, and when Sukeroku Taiko split into two groups in 1982, Endo joined Oedo Sukeroku Taiko, with whom he stayed until 1987. Endo also began to do freelance work and duets in 1983, and by 1987 he had gone solo, continuing his studies and composing his own taiko music. Also while in Japan, Endo received a natori (stage name) in hogaku hayashi, Japanese classical drumming. Natori literally means “to take on a name,” and it functions as both a name to perform under and a license to teach. Endo was the first ever foreigner to receive the high honor of a natori in the field of hogaku hayashi. His stage name is Mochizuki Tajiro.
After spending ten years in Japan, Endo applied for and was granted a scholarship through the East-West Center
East-West Center
The East–West Center , headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific and the United States....
at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
(UH). In 1990, he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
with his wife, Chizuko Endo, and two sons, to pursue graduate studies in Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
at UH. While there, the university asked him to teach, and Endo began teaching taiko classes through the non-credit program at UH. The program quickly grew, and soon was too large of a capacity for UH to handle. In 1994, Kenny and Chizuko moved the classes to the chapel on the site of Kapiolani Community College and started the Taiko Center of the Pacific (TCP), which offers classes to people of all ages and abilities.
Music
Currently Endo has two main performing groups: The Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble (KETE) and the Kenny Endo Contemporary Ensemble. The Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble was started around 1991, and today has 3 groups: one based in Japan, one in Hawaii, and one on the mainland US. KETE plays mainly kumidaiko, and splits its time between performing pieces by other composers, pieces composed by Endo, and pieces composed by group members. The Contemporary Ensemble “performs original works combining taiko with melodic and other instruments such as koto,” and serves as Endo’s experimental group. Beyond just being a taiko artist, Kenny Endo is influenced by music from around the world, and these influences come out in his compositions. Kenny Endo has also done a lot of work as a soloist, and is known around the world for his taiko drumming.Today Endo would like to continue the musical and cultural innovation he has started. His time is split between performing, composing, and teaching, and his goal is to pass on his learnings to the future generations through his school. In the future, Endo plans to expand his performances and collaborations with other artists.
Collaborations and Awards
Kenny Endo has worked with numerous artists on many distinguished projects.His works include, but are not limited to, opening for The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, performing a duet with singer Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, performing for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, as well as Princess Diana and Prince Charles. He has performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra , is the largest symphony orchestra in Hong Kong. First established in 1895 as an amateur orchestra, under the name Sino-British Orchestra, it was renamed the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957, and became a professional orchestra in 1974 under the funding...
, the Honolulu Symphony
Honolulu Symphony
The Honolulu Symphony, also known as the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. The Honolulu Symphony is the oldest symphony orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. Originally housed in a clubhouse on the slopes of Punchbowl, the Honolulu Symphony now plays from the Neal S...
, and the Tokyo Symphony. Endo has recorded music for 3 films: Kayo Hatta
Kayo Hatta
Kayo Hatta was an Asian American filmmaker, writer, and community activist. She directed and co-wrote the independent dramatic feature-length film Picture Bride, which won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award in 1995 for Best Dramatic Film.-Early Life:Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Hatta grew up...
’s “Picture Bride,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
,” and James Cameron’s “Avatar.” He was also featured in the PBS special, “The Spirit of Taiko” (2006).
Endo has received commissions to compose and tour new music from the American Composers Forum
American Composers Forum
The American Composers Forum is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the promotion and assistance of American composers and their music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States...
, the McKnight Foundation
McKnight Foundation
The McKnight Foundation is a philanthropic organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The foundation's interests lie in the environment, the arts, community development, and other areas....
, The Children's Theatre Company
Children's Theatre Company
The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theatre established in 1961 in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in plays for families and young audiences and the recipient of a 2003 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre...
, the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
(MAPP), the Japan Foundation
Japan Foundation
The was established in 1972 by an Act of the Japanese Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an independent administrative institution under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry of Japan on 1 October 2003 under the "Independent...
, Continental Harmony, the Freeman Foundation, Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Stanford Lively Arts, and the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts.
Discography
Endo has recorded seven CDs of original taiko compositions:- Eternal Energy (1994): Featuring the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble of Tokyo
- Hibiki (1998): Featuring the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble of Tokyo
- Jugoya (2000): Featuring the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensembles of Tokyo and Honolulu
- Essence (2001): Featuring Kenny Endo, Masayuki Koga, Michiyo Koga
- On The Way [Michi Yuki] (2007): Featuring Joji Hirota, John Kaizan Neptune, and Kenny Endo
- Rhythm Summit: featuring Noel Okimoto, Dean Taba, and Kenny Endo
- Honua (earth): featuring Derek Nakamoto and Kenny Endo
External links
- http://www.taikoarts.com/about.html http://www.taikoarts.com/about.html
- http://www.kennyendo.com/programs/kece http://www.kennyendo.com/programs/kece