Kenny Endo was born on April 2, 1953 in Los Angeles, California. He’s a leading percussionist who has developed new techniques in the taiko style of drumming. He is one of the most versatile musicians in the taiko genre and crosses easily between the classical Japanese style and his own neo-classical globally-inspired style.
Originally trained as a jazz musician in the Asian American cultural renaissance of 1970s California he began his taiko career first with Los Angeles’ groundbreaking Kinnara Taiko and then with the renowned San Francisco Taiko Dojo the first kumi daiko group outside of Japan.
In 1980 he embarked on a decade-long odyssey in his ancestral Japan studying and performing with the masters of ancient classical drumming traditional Tokyo festival music and ensemble drumming. He has the honor of being the first non-Japanese national to have received a natori (stage name and masters degree) in hogaku hayashi (classical drumming); in the hogaku world he is known as Mochizuki Tajiro.
Endo has recorded several CDs of original taiko compositions and was a featured artist on the PBS special Spirit of Taiko. He opened for The Who performed a duet with singer Bobby McFerrin and was featured on the soundtracks for Kayo Hatta’s Picture Bride and Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.
He has appeared at the Smithsonian the Kennedy Center the Theatre de Champs-Elysee in Paris the Kabukiza and National Theater in Japan and traveled around the world with the Hong Kong Philharmonic the Honolulu Symphony and the Tokyo Symphony.
He has received commissions to create and tour new work from the American Composers Forum the Rockefeller Foundation (MAPP) and the Japan Foundation among others. Endo received an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Discography
Eternal Energy (Bindu, 1994)
Hibiki (Bindu, 1998)
Jugoya (Bindu, 2000)
Essence (2001)
On The Way – Michi Yuki (2007)
Rhythm Summit
Honua (Earth)
Convergence, with Kaoru Watanabe (2016)
Uncommon Time: Taiko, Tabla, and Timbales (2016)
Videos:
The Spirit of Taiko (2006) DVD
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
