Japanese Taiko

Taiko drumming in a live setting is a visceral and hypnotic experience: the physicality of the drums and volume of the insistent beats transports you to a more ancient and rural Japan. Joji Hirota is one of the great ambassadors of this tradition, leading his London Taiko Drummers in performances around the world. This collection is a studio set featuring his ensemble in various group settings.

‘Kokiriko’, with vocals and flute accompaniment, is an old folk song honouring the harvest gods, and is the type of evocative tune you hear at summer festivals all across Japan, while ‘Esashi, Solan Bushi’ is a traditional fisherman's song from the northern island of Hokkaido. These tracks and the powerful ‘Honen Matsuri’ work better than some of the instrumental drum pieces, which can be somewhat hard to focus on at length. Another album highlight is Hirota's solo performance of his original ‘Ryu Hisho’ (The Dragon's Soaring Flight), an intense but masterful display of percussion.

This is a good introduction to the world of taiko, one of Japan's great musical forms. But for the real experience, be sure to attend a live performance when the London Taiko Drummers are in town, or even better, a summer festival in rural Japan.