Zendeko
Encyclopedia
Zendeko is a North American 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...

 group that performs the art of Japanese drumming.

Background

Based in Los Angeles, the group was formed in 1986 and was trained by a professional taiko group from Japan called Za Ondekoza. The group incorporates Zen, the Buddhist practice of meditation, as a part of their training regimen. Zendeko was one of the first all-youth taiko groups to be formed in the United States.

For the past two decades, Zendeko has performed for many prominent events, motion pictures, dignitaries and festivals across the country and internationally. They have performed for dignitaries such as the Emperor and Empress of Japan, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, and President George Bush Sr. Motion picture and television credits include The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

 with rock band, Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...

, MTV VMA's, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Ellen Degeneres shows with Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

, and an appearance in Sony Pictures motion picture Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...

. They have collaborated with accomplished composers and musicians which include professional drummer Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...

, composer/ musician Richard Gibbs
Richard Gibbs
Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr...

 and the late Masakazu Yoshizawa
Masakazu Yoshizawa
was a Japanese American flutist and musician, known for his mastery of the bamboo flute, specifically the shakuhachi. Yoshizawa also mastered several other traditional Japanese flutes, in addition to other Japanese and Western musical instruments. He was also considered a scholar of ancient and...

, who was also their mentor in Japanese wind instruments.

Zendeko has continued to train and practice the teaching of their mentors, passing on the tradition of the performing art to a new generation of youth and adults alike. The group strives to create original pieces with their own stories to form new traditions to be passed on for generations.
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