Art in the Family
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"Art in the Family: Find out how Tatsu Aoki's early life shaped his career in music."
from WTTW(Channel 11): Tatsu Aoki, Made in Japan
Biography
Tatsu Aoki is a prolific artist, composer, musician, educator and a
consummate bassist and Shamisen Lute player. Based in Chicago, Aoki works in
a wide range of musical genres, ranging from traditional Japanese music,
jazz, experimental and creaive music.
Aoki was born in 1957 in Tokyo, Japan into an artisan family called TOYOAKI
MOTO, traditionally categorized as OKIYA, meaning a booking and training
agent for Geisha ladies in downtown Tokyo's designated area. While the
economy and social environment forced many of those traditional artisan
family business to close down in the 60's , Aoki was luckily able to receive
some of the important essence of traditional Tokyo Geisha cultural training
and studies at age 4, and became a part of the performing crew in early
childhood. After his grand mother passed away, he had kept the Tokyo music
training until early teen, and shifted his musical focus to American pop
music and experimental music. Since his biological father was a movie
producer at Shin Toho Studio, he had also began working in small gage films
and started to produce experimental films.
Aoki was active performer during the early 70's in the mist of Tokyo
Underground Arts movement. Became a member of Japanese Experimental Music
ensemble, GINTENKAI presenting mixture of traditional music and new western
music.
After coming to U.S. in 1977, Aoki studied experimental filmmaking at the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently an adjunct Associate
Professor at the Film, Video and New Media Department, and teaches film
production and history courses. During the late 80's, Aoki has become a
leading advocate for Chicago's Asian American community and one of Chicago's
most in-demand musicians on both contrabass, taiko (Japanese drums) and
shamisen (Japanese lute). Working in film and music.
Under those environments of his childhood, Aoki has inherited historical and
traditional essence of Tokyo Entertainment district's musical concepts,
basics and value of flexible creations and applications. With the fall of
these special districts in the late 60's and early 70's, the Tokyo's
regional Entertainment musical concepts also disappears and as many other
art form did, Tokyo Geisha music had institutionalized.
For Aoki, one of the most important goal is to preserve the original essence
of fluidity and flexibility and perform rawness of REAL sound. He has
adopted this idea to newer works as well.
To this date, Aoki has produced more than 60 recording projects and over 30
experimental films and working internationally. He is one of the most
recorded artists in Chicago music scene. Among many of recordings, he has
worked with musical masters and legends and produced remarkable duets works
with bassist, Malachi Favors, multi instrumentalists such as Roscoe
Mitchell, Don Moye and world renowned Pipa virtuoso, Wu Man and another
Chicago legend, Fred Anderson.
Using Taiko drumming as a signature, Aoki's solo bass performances project
BASSE LIVE and recordings are known for one of the most innovative
approaches to the instrument internationally.
Aoki's most important ensemble work, ROOTED: Origins of Now, a 50 minute 4
movement suite, was performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival in September
2001. Because of this work, the Chicago Tribute recognized Tatsu Aoki
as “Chicagoans of the Year.”, one of the group of Chicagoans who has
contributed to the vitality and culture of Chicago by the Chicago Tribune or
the City. The Chicago Tribune stated that Rooted had “come into its own as
an eloquent, often dramatic merger of ancient Japanese music and
experimental American jazz.” JAZZIZ, magazine, recognized Aoki one of one of
many artists who has changed jazz since 1980." For his contribution to
Chicago area arts, Asian American Institute has given Mile Stone Award in
2007.
As an Executive Director of AIRMW, Aoki has initiated and managed several
programs to advance the understanding of Asian American culture and
community through the arts, including the Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz
Festival and the JASC Tsukasa Taiko Legacy arts residency project. His work
as an artist and educator in the cultural arts and as a leader in the Asian
American community address as well as define the issues facing the
community, including the need for quality artistic programs that reflect the
Asian American experience.
Gate (16mm/Digital 2009)
