September 16, 2003
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu

Yamato, The Drummers of Japan
bring their powerful and playful taiko drumming
to UCSB Campbell Hall

Summary Facts:

• Yamato, The Drummers of Japan
• One of the hottest taiko groups
• Known for its percussive force and amazing spectacle
• An unorthodox mix of both men and women drummers
• Tuesday, October 21 / 8 pm
• UCSB Campbell Hall
• General: $35/$30, UCSB students: $19/$16
• Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Yamato, The Drummers of Japan on Tuesday, October 21 at 8 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. Yamato features Japan’s new generation of Taiko drummers—sexy, energetic and contemplative—in a show that is a feel-good blend of gorgeous spectacle and rigorous technique. This ten-member troupe fills the stage with drums, creating a percussive rush that invigorates the entire theater. The inclusion of women in the group is a clear break with Japanese tradition. Currently on the Tamashy Tour (“tamashy” means soul), Yamato has awed audiences around the globe with its sheer force, subtle feeling and unabashed fun. The Daily Telegraph (London) claims the group creates “a breathtaking big bang.”

Founded by Masaki Ogawa in 1993 in Nara, Yamato combines traditional Japanese musical formats with modern rhythms and themes. The name “Yamato” has special significance for this group, for Japan was known as Yamato in the eighth century and Nara was the city where Japanese culture is believed to have started. The drums used in ceremonies and on special occasions can vary in size from six inches to six feet across. In performance, the members of Yamato augment the percussion with cymbals, gongs, flutes, koto (Japanese zither) and shamisen (Japanese lute). The rhythms the drummers use are sometimes intense, sometimes funny and warm, expressing different moods, times and places. The metaphysical aim of the musicians is to link their hearts and souls with the beatings of the drums. Founder Ogawa explains, “We are a group of people who create the beat of life by using a simple and interesting instrument and instilling our souls into it.”

Since its formation 10 years ago, Yamato has played to more than a million people, giving over 900 performances in about a dozen different countries. The group first came to international attention at the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe Festival at which it won the Spirit of Fringe Award.

Taiko drumming has been part of Japanese culture for hundreds of years. Its roots lie in the countless temples and shrines scattered throughout Japan where the drums were played in religious festivals and ceremonies. It is said that the furthest point at which the village taiko could be heard marked the edge of the village. In later Japanese music, the taiko evolved into an important solo instrument in its own right and taiko ensemble music became one of the most spectacular performances in Japanese tradition. Today, groups like Ondekoza, Kodo and Yamato regularly bring taiko to a global audience, while in Japan over four thousand amateur and professional taiko drumming groups perform a vast range of styles and sounds. Taiko performance is based on the modulation between the “female” (left hand) and “male” (right hand) strokes of the drumsticks—the female stroke is always soft and the male is always a strong stroke. This shifting between soft and strong is the primary component of taiko performance.

Yamato, The Drummers of Japan are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by the Goleta Valley Voice. Tickets are $35 and $30 for the general public and $19 and $16 for UCSB students.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.