TTTaiko

There’s a flurry of activity around me right now.  I am at the Asano’s place and everyone is home to help celebrate Senmu’s Kanreki.  They are so warm and open-hearted.  It really feels like coming home.  It’s good timing, too, because I get to see everyone.  It’s been awhile since I’ve seen everyone at home.

Last night Kuri and I (and Eileen) were paying a visit to the Iwami no Kaze folks at their facility in Shimane (way out in the countryside, no less).  Imafuku-san, like many serious taiko folks in Japan, has a practice facility in a formerly abandoned schoolhouse out in the country.  Way, way out in the country.  1.5 hours by car from Shin Iwakuni station (which is sort of the closest) 30 minutes by car to the closest small store and about 45 minutes to the closest supermarket.

We stopped and ate at a Sanzoku (described as “like the mountain pirates of the caribbean” meaning it’s sort of modeled after brigand’s headquarters and the food is like what they would eat) on the way in from the station on the first night.  The food was tasty.  Fresh and well-seasoned.  The following day they took us sightseeing in Tsuwano, which is a cool little former castle town.  They also took us to Taikodani-Jinja, one of the few large shrines dedicated to luck in business.  Imafuku-san arranged for us all to have a special blessing. 

I don’t have the head or the energy to keep up on and post about most of what’s going on.  Since hearing about my grandfather passing away I have reverted to a numb state of being and I am mostly just getting by.  It’s kind of a shame because we’ve been seeing and doing some pretty cool things.

Kuri (Kristy Oshiro) is getting lots of great pictures and vids, and you are likely to find some of those videos up on youtube once she gets a stable connection.

Time for me to get some sleep.

Masakazu Yoshizawa passed away not so very long ago and my grandfather passed away about 2 nights ago.

I’m not exactly sure about the timing of either and I really don’t have much I want to say.

Funeral for my grandfather is December 1.  More details to follow as I have them.

Everyone is sleeping but me ‘n Kuri.  Hanamatsuri was a blast, at least the parts I saw were very awesome.  I slept through about 1/3 of it, and that was the right decision, because my cold is not as bad as I think it would have been otherwisie.

I didn’t get to see Kuri do the Oni-mai, and I didn’t see Megan & Eileen dancing, either.  Maybe next year?

I dunno, though.  The 11-hour flight over was intense.  I was so cramped up, every little bump sent a surge through my legs and woke me up.  I felt cramped and kind of cranky, but then I had to leave with the understanding I might not make it back in time to see my grandfather again, and the extra added kicker that if I had stayed home he might have been able to go home and die at home in peace, me being one of the few people who could be there consistently to help take care of him if he were to go home.

I dunno about all this traveling.  I miss it when I haven’t had a chance to be on the road for a while, I’m so used to just being on the road, but I want to rest for a while.  Just…take it easy.

Still…what I am getting out of being here is invaluable.  I am more hungry than ever to work on pieces that reflect the feeling I have inside when I am able to participate in a Matsuri.

Oh…and I was supposed to dance, too, but I was content with playing fue for the dancing for a bit.  Also the right choice for me.

I am not sleeping because if I sleep now I won’t be able to sleep tonight (jisaboke de), but I am not quite coherent to go on much longer, especially snce I am using a Japanese keyboard.

I will say that Ri, the cat here, is old enough to be getting what I might equate to being senile…and it’s especially hard on me giving the other goings-on in my life.

One of the reaqsons I am taking the time to post is because I wanted to spend some time with her, and keep her from screaming in the hallway.  She is asleep on my legs.  It makes me happy to be able to be close to this cat.  She is a great cat.

Lots to do.  More when I can get to it.

It was a bummer saying good-bye to Hop and the rest of the Moab gang.  The workshops went well, though.  We accomplished a lot.

Now I am headed to Japan and Hanamatsuri with Shidara, a visit to Shimane and then a visit to Asano Taiko to help celebrate Senmu’s  60th.

I have been fighting off a cold for the past few days and I am more sick than not, but managing to not totally succumb.

The sad news is in the midst of all of this, my Grandfather is dying.  He hasn’t eaten for a few days, he’s off his maintenance meds and on morphine to keep him comfortable.  If he stays on his blood thinners he’s gonna bleed out from some internal hemorrhage they can’t quite pinpoint.  If he goes off the blood thinners his heart isn’t strong enough to pump his own blood and he’s liable to have a stroke or a heart attack.

He’s drinking water and a little bit of milk and I think he had a little bit of jello yesterday, but his meal sat untouched.  They aren’t going to do any intravenous feeding.

If he dies before the end of my trip, and he probably will, I have to do my best to get back home to help out.

First my dad, now this.  I’m doing ok.  It’s my bachan that’s up against the wall.  She already buried her first husband.  ‘ssa big bummer.

Right now I’m madly trying to take care of the stuff that is in my Dad’s storage unit becuase we have to be out of it by the end of the month, meanwhile I am doing work and research necessary for probate stuff and trying to keep my head above water with concert production, collaborations and group administration while still doing enough gigs to pay the bills.

On the home front I am in the middle of catching approximately 12 feral cats in the colony in my back yard and having them neutered/spayed, and it’s all going fairly well except my hands are mangled from a cat debacle with one of the moms and I’ve had an additional 2 bites from 2 of the kittens, the feral mom and the kitten are in animal shelter quarantine and the other kitten will be living with me for 10 more days, at which point I will take him to my vet and say, “Does this cat look like he has rabies?”

Arden Animal Hospital is the veterinary hospital I have been going to for the most part since Dr. Sahara and Dr. Ku retired from their practice over in Greenhaven.  They have been really great about accommodating all the ferals I have been bringing in to them.  So far it’s been 3 moms (one of which I had to release again to be caught later because she’s actively nurshing) and 6 kittens.  I’ll need to spay/neuter the one quarantined kitten at some point and I think there are 2 more kittens out there that I haven’t managed to catch yet.  One is a fluffy grey one that actually was trapped briefly but managed to get away.  Not sure if I will be able to get that one or not…and then there’s the Tomcat with the big, funny head that seems to be fathering all of these cute little ones, and I haven’t ever even seen him.  I’ve only heard about him from the neighbors.

The city program is out of vouchers and there are other free/discounted feral spay/neuter programs, but I just don’t have the time to wait because I hit the road again soon and the weather is such that I’m betting these guys could get another litter or few in before winter if left unchecked.  It’s put me back a chunk of change, but I don’t have the time to wait
A couple of years ago there were 28+ cats in the colony behind the house that were all trapped and adopted out and so on.  I don’t want another 28 cats back there.  12 is more than plenty.

The kittens are actually somewhat tame because the neighbors have been feeding them and handling them a bit.  I suppose I ought to try getting them adopted out, but most of them are shying away from me as it is and re-trapping them could be a problem.

Plus they say if I adopt cats from the colony out,  what is most likely is that new cats will move int to take their place.
I am overjoyed whenever I get a male for sure, because neutering is $10 less than spaying.  The rabies vaccines for the cats who are old enough are free, it seems, and the only other cost is the flea/parasite drops I’m putting on them which is $14 a pop.

I guess the total sum should also include the trap rentals and my 2 doctor’s visits and the antibiotic Rx.  By the time I’m done I’ll have about $1k invested in the colony.  I should register it but I can’t think of a name.

We brought in Iwami no Kaze to perform at the Sac Taiko anniversary concert and dragged them along with to perform at SFTD’s 39th annual ITF at the Yerba Buena center the following day.

That was a bit of crazy fun.

We also took them to see Muir Woods and we had a picnic lunch on Muir Beach on our way to a workshop for Sonoma County Taiko.

After the workshop we ended up at a brewpub so they could have the *Burger & Fries* experience, and then we got them back to SFO the following morning so they could all go back and on to their next gigs.

It was a real treat having them perform Ebisu-Mai, and it was also quite magnificent to have Kimura Shunsuke here playing Shinobue and Tsugaru shamisen.

Sac’s 18th was a rockin’ good show. One of our best in a good long while. Sadly we didn’t quite break even, despite a reasonable amount of coverage in the local press (we were up against two huge local Asian American-centric fundraisers), but even still, not sure how we could have gotten more folks to see this particular show without a huge PR outlay, which we can ill afford.

The saddest part was, even though in some ways it was a big audience for the performers (Iwami no Kaze is often used to performing for much smaller audiences and even once had a show with only one audience member), more people didn’t see them perform. It was magnificent. Stunning, even.

Granted the economy isn’t in the greatest shape, but our advance sale ticket price was equivalent to a movie, popcorn and a soda. This is great on the one hand because it’s *affordable* but it also means we don’t attract the type of audience that is more used to paying $40-60 or even $80+ (which is the level of artistry Iwami no Kaze certainly brought to the stage…and honestly, Sac Taiko was in rare form that evening, too…it was a great show).

Part of the equation is how consistent we are as an organization and ensemble in what we are actively doing in the community. Another part is an overall glut of Taiko groups, especially in California, but this is especially true in Japan.

The great thing was the overall attitude of the guest artists. To them the important thing was coming together and creating a heartfelt and powerful expression of spirit, music, rhythm, culture, and creativity (that’s summed up from an uchiage conversation). The important thing to them was we had gotten together as artists and created something wonderful and magnificent. They live quite simply and frugally and they travel all over in pursuit of doing great performances. They often make huge sacrifices in their personal lives to follow this artistic path.
Isn’t that more important than financial success…even though we all have to eat and we all have bills to pay…or is it that we all just need better management!?

Thing is, Imafuku-san is satisfied with his life as it is. The artists who perform with him don’t have a rigid and formal group structure. They are with him because they want to perform with him because they believe in who he is and what he’s doing and they want to be a part of what he is creating.

The very cool thing for me is that he believes in me enough to commit himself and them to coming here.

I’m feeling pretty good about that.

Up and coming…a possible gig for JODAIKO at the Fright Night events at the PNE.  I was having a hard time thinking what would be good for us thematically to wear, because the costuming is supposed to be in keeping with the event, and a good friend suggested to me that Oni might be a good idea.

Duh.  That one never crossed my mind…and maybe because it’s part of the sacred for me and it just doesn’t go with my halloween brain.

That beats having to come up with a skeleton or mummy type of thing, though.

In and around Boston this week and went to Zocalo Cocina Mexicano.  I asked if the pozole had tripe in it, because it wasn’t listed in the ingredients, and the server said, “A little.”

I like hominy, but I don’t like tripe, so I ordered a salad instead.

When our orders came it out it there was also a cup of soup.  I eyed the server quizzically and he said, with a bit of a gleam in his eye, that it was on the house.

I  tried the broth which was richly textured and spicy in a good way.  I went for 2 pieces of hominy, but ended up with a piece of hominy and a piece of tripe.

If not for the little bit of tripe I would have thoroughly enjoyed the soup.  As it was, we split it between 4 of us, so it didn’t go to waste, but I moved on to my salad.

The highlight for the evening for me was the flan.  Made on site, it had a rich and smokey caramel sauce that was a perfect match for for the custard; bubbly on the outside but smooth through the center, neither cloyingly sweet nor too smooth.

Makes the top 10 list, for sure.

As for the other dishes, the salsa served with the chips was extremely mild, the guacamole was heavy on the cilantro and the cilantro-lime vinaigrette was well-balanced.  The grilled chicken was toothsome and I hear the mole was quite good.
It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed any food online, thought I’d get this up and out.

While I’m here I should mention the burgers at Christopher’s; Coleman beef, tender, juicy and perfectly grilled.

Wish I made it out this way more often.

It took me slightly longer than I’d anticipated to get to the cemetery, so I ended up getting there at 5 minutes past the hour.  Thus, according to the predictions of many, my father was in fact late for his own funeral.

I cried a little bit when I finally took a place beside my sister, facing the grave and the minister.  Then it hit me that my Dad had always wanted to retire in the Penryn-Newcastle area, and there was a nice granite outcropping nearby which he would have greatly appreciated, and I’d done my part to insure that some family traditions go on even after death.

Life was beyond absurd at that moment, so my brain was happily following absurd tangents to mask the sorrow…or maybe it’s that I am still to numb to dwell on how much things hurt right now.
When considering my Dad, his easygoing demeanor and sense of humor, it’s easier to settle into a state of acceptance about it all.
The weather wasn’t unbearably hot.  The service was simple and its ritual aspects were both practical and meaningful.
When the minister mentioned someone needed to come forward and place my Father’s ashes in the ground, I hesitated.

When it seemed like no one else felt a strong calling to do it, I stepped forward, picked up the urn and placed it in the hole that had been dug.

I cursed myself a bit because I should have had the hole dug on the left side.  My Dad was left-handed.  He would always sit to the left so he’d have room to use his hand freely, but I wasn’t as mindful as I ought to have been, and the hole had already been dug.

I placed the urn in the hole and settled it a bit because it was tilted upon some loose dirt at first.  Everyone in the family took turns placing a shovelful of dirt in the hole.  I was grateful to think I might be buried there one day, in much the same fashion.

Yep.  Most likely the very same plot.  They allow up to 6 urns in a casket-sized plot, even though, by our estimation, we could fit in at least twice that many.

I thought of the Tamaribuchi grave that’s in Kumamoto, and wondered if whether I ought to take some of my Dad’s ashes there.  It’s on private property, no limits to how many are interred.

Would that be a meaningful thing?  For whom?  To me?  To my Dad?  Would it really be worth the time,  effort and expense?  I am not entirely sure.  He always had wanted to go, and some of his Father’s remains are buried there…but he is not from there…not tied to that place in any real way.  It frames like one of those epic journeys…but it’s not him.  It’s not him actually getting to see and experience the land of his forebears.

I feel selfish in a way.  How many times have I traveled to Japan?  How was it I couldn’t manage to help him get there at least once?  It’s hitting me that I won’t be able to dance in the Ondekomatsuri next Spring.  I can still go to practice and help out, but since I’ve had a death in my family I wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the festival.

Meanwhile, my hair is significantly more grey this week.  I must be stressed out.  There’s a concert at Fairytale Town on Wednesday, and I think it will be hard being there…but it’s still good to drum…and I am grateful for the opportunity.  The State Fair will be much harder, all things considered.

Here’s hoping for a good summer season and lots of happy folks.

So I am in Seattle taking a couple of extra days before regrouping and heading back home to the regularly scheduled mania of the summer performing schedule and 18th Anniversary Concert pre-production AND dealing with more logistics around the death of my Dad and what it all means, including preparing for the burial of his ashes on Sunday.

Definitely not my best week, and perhaps this wouldn’t rank high on my list of best years, either, although it’s definitely had its better moments.

It just so happens that the timeshare property I am at is fairly well kitty-corner to the Paramount Theatre and the World Premiere of Mel Brooks’ new musical adaptation of Young Frankenstein is currently in production there. It struck me that it might be a good idea to try to go see it, but I was very apprehensive about the prospect.

At this point I have to explain that Young Frankenstein is the first movie I can remember going to see with my parents. Surely there had been others, but this is the one that stands out in my mind. In 1974 I would have been 7 years old and this would have been right before my parents split up. It was the first of many Mel Brooks movies that I would eventually get to see, with either and sometimes both (respectively, not together with) my parents.

I think in some ways it was perhaps a cornerstone of the foundation of the formation of my…sense of humor…or sense of comedic timing, at the very least. Looking up at the marquee, I would shake my head with a fair bit of consternation, incapable of imagining a better cast than Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars and Gene Hackman (to name only a few). Not wanting to eventually walk away from the theatre muttering with the same amount of disappointment I felt about the surprise Elven army at Helm’s Deep, I mostly did my best to talk myself out of going.

But it was a splendid opportunity, like seeing The Producers in Chicago. I wouldn’t have gotten to see that if it hadn’t been for Marco, actually, and I knew Marco had gotten tickets and come to see this show…so…on a whim I got in line and I called him and was lucky enough to catch him and ask him what he thought (you’ll have to ask him yourself ifyou’re that interested). Then I was determined to get a ticket but, overhearing the transaction ahead of me, it seemed the seating options were limited. What to do!? It turned out I was able to get a ticket from someone who had an extra ticket. I ended up paying a dollar less than it would have cost me than if I’d bought the ticket online since neither of us had the right amount of change. I also ended up sitting Balcony, First Row, Center! I could have paid more to sit much further back, but didn’t have to. That was a true blessing, especially given the amount of the ticket in fact represents a fair percentage of my monthly discretionary income (read as grocery $).

It’s beyond justifiable, however, in my mind. In fact, it’s critical to be able to see a production like this, especially given that I occasionally perform, produce and direct shows in theatres just like this — not that I want my shows to end up anything like a Mel Brooks musical. It’s just good to know how one plays out on stage, and it’s way cheaper and easier to see a show in a venue like this than trying to get a ticket once it becomes a smash hit on Broadway. What would really be great would be being able to see it on opening night and then a few more times as things are worked out, and then see it in New York. That sort of thing would be invaluable on so many levels. It’s way outta my budget range, though.

Oh, and given the audience’s response, it IS going to be a smash hit on Broadway. Get up to Seattle if you can.

Still and all, I did get a great ticket and I did see a great show.

The plot is basically the same, but it was hard for me to let go of the original storyline, and some of the greatest and most iconic lines seemed rushed to me. I wished the actors had taken more time with them. I don’t think that I wanted an imitation of them, and please understand I and some of my closest friends quote them frequently to add color and humor to random events in our lives, or we simply to break the tedium, knowing that they will usually garner a laugh or a smile.

The timing of the lines in the film was so…impeccable…in the original performances of them. I want these stage actors to make them as potent as they feel when I am saying them in casual conversation, but it’s almost like these actors don’t quite own the words just yet. Maybe as the run progresses they will feel and bring out more of the magic, raw energy and humor in them a bit more.

I don’t envy them, though. There’s definitely a challenge in performing something so well-known, and to carry forward the most beloved characteristics of the characters/parts while bringing in one’s own interpretation and unique style into the role based on the demands of the changing context and the contemporary audience…where the performance also has to stand on its own considering a lot of people who never saw the movie will be seeing this show.

There are a few other jarring things for me.

The melody has gone missing — the one played on violin and french horn, that I coincidentally whistle to call my cat when she’s wandered off. I am left to wonder if there was there a copyright issue there or if no one else cares quite as much as I do about the tune.

The special effects are great but a few of the strobe flashes were paced in such a way I was having visions of folks going into convulsions. The way the second half played out felt, loose, somehow…where the plot elements are switched around a bit and the contexts change a little and things are wrapped up well enough but also not as cleanly as they had been before (to my way of thinking). It was more evident in the second half than the first, and it could just be because the plot of the movie is implanted in my head and deviations from it are slightly confusing, or it could be something that could be tightened up, somehow, but I’d have to see the production a few more times to try and pinpoint it.

Then there’s the fact that it’s a musical. Don’t get me wrong. I like musicals. I generally like Mel Brooks’ lyrics, too. I am more recently spoiled by Sondheim, though. There’s a number called Please Don’t Touch Me and I can’t help but think the grammar is wonky, where the chorus should be negating a proactive action referenced in the verse, but in some cases is redundant to what has just been sung in a double-negative sort of way. I don’t want there to be any spoilers, so that’s about as specific as that’s going to get. I had to make a concerted effort to say to myself, “This is a musical. Judge it on its merits as a musical. Think of what sort of numbers make musicals great.” And so on…

Andrea Martin is brilliant as Frau Blucher. I wish the Inspector Kemp role had been meatier. Join The Family Business wasn’t my favorite piece, and Transylvania Mania is where the deviation from the original storyline is messiest (I’m talking about the plot and not necessarily the number itself). The scene where The Monster is being introduced on stage is smartly executed and fun, and the Puttin On The Ritz number is just great. I don’t think Megan Mullally really gets to shine until Scene 6, but then that’s likely because the number in Scene 3 is so dissonant for me.

Between trying to ignore how the show was different from the screen version, and focusing on how things were lit or choreographed or being performed, I actually did get swept up in the show a few times. I was absolutely delighted in parts. It might have been easier to get lost in it all if I had been sitting in the orchestra, because the actors weren’t playing so much to the balcony. It was definitely easier getting lost in this than the Taiko Jam Concert at Benaroya Hall…

I will say that I was thrilled by SJT’s performance in a way I hadn’t been for a long time. Actually…I need to say that about the screening of Amaterasu, too. That was outstanding and brilliant and I wish I had gotten to see that live. There’s another story that’s been told in a lot of ways, coupled with trying to present the best elements of the group in concert. I had the sense that I could really appreciate what the artists had created and I was so grateful.

Where I get scared is also where I was largely disapponted by a lot of the performances I saw last weekend…and that is a lot of what my group plays is somewhat repetitive and one-dimensional in that structurally a lot of our pieces are fundamentally the same. It’s the same kind of drumming, or the same other instruments interspersed in between. We draw on our strengths.

The other thought that comes to mind, however, is that a lot of the time audience members want to see something consistent. They want the same core pieces (but also get tired of them after a time) and they want more of the same but different enough to hold their interest over time). When you play the core pieces, people are sated. They are satisfied they got to experience the image they hold of you in your head, but then that’s never enough, especially after a few years, when it’s boring to come see the same group play the same songs. So they want new, innovative pieces. If you get too innovative, though, you’re just not who you were and what everyone enjoyed about you to begin with.

There’s a double edged blade. San Jose had the most discernable variety from piece to piece.

Overall I didn’t see much that took my breath away, not the way it was taken away the first time I saw Zampa Ufujishi or Shidara (to draw on more recent examples). San Jose really moved me this last performance, though.

Not that I think I am doing much better, folks. The pieces I compose and the way I arrange things for the stage is often not so very innovative. The structure of my pieces is fairly consistent and I don’t use the space on stage or even lighting as well as I’d like to be able to in any given production.

Maybe what I learned tonight will be just in time to make a positive difference for Sac Taiko’s 18th. I can at least hope, anyway. Meanwhile, got other stuff to do…and I am currently sleep-typing. Will try to clean this up next time I get a spare minute or few.

OH…and before I forget. I had a corn on the cob that was pretty ang tender and sweet from the place that sells Thai food at Pike’s Place Market, and then I had a crab cocktail at Lowell’s. It seemed pricey before I got it, but it was bowl chock full o’ dungeness crab mat and I was a happy camper.

Yesterday We ate at OHANA, which has great Lava Flows and some tasty (ono?) food.

I debated buying a salmon to bring home…but figure it’s better if I don’t …and I ended up buying some peaches, instead.

*****THIS JUST IN*****

I got an email from a purveyor of fine entertainment tickets in New York. Incidentally, Young Frankenstein is now playing in New York. Funny thing, that. In any case, if you are looking for