4.24.02 Drum shipment is confirmed and will ship within the week from the Asano Taiko Company in Matto, Japan, to Higashi Hongwanji, Los Angeles, California! 4.6.02 Performing as a guest artist for alt-rock band Visiting Violette's debut cd concert, Bryan composes a new arrangement for taiko in the song "Breezeby," written by Lee Takasugi and Glenn Suravech. Their new cd is entitled "a hero's day." 3.29.02 Qris Yamashita, one of L.A.'s most respected Japanese American graphic artists, and Bryan meet to discuss the development of logo design and typeface for the TAIKOPROJECT. 3.23.02 Bryan meets with arts administrator/producer Lindsey Nelson, who advises him on the development of the production, budgeting, plans and promotion. 3.21.02 California Arts Council Next Generation application is submitted with JACCC and TAIKOPROJECT partnering together. 3.7.02 Initial discussion begins with Celesta Billeci of UCSB Arts & Lectures about bringing TAIKOPROJECT to Santa Barbara. Preparation begins for plans to discuss the TAIKOPROJECT at the forthcoming June meeting of the California Presenters. 3-4.02 Bryan composes the music for the Laguna Playhouse's Southern California premiere of A.R. Gurney's "Far East." LA Weekly reviewed the play and gave it a RECOMMENDED PICK, noting "... the reader's narrative - along with composer Bryan Yamami's striking percussion - holds the subplots together." Charles Kellogg and Eric Chang perform in the 4-week run in Laguna Beach, California. 3.3.02 First creative meeting with Dorinne Kondo, Director of Asian American Studies at USC, author of "About Face," and dramaturge for Anna Deveare Smith's "Twilight: Los Angeles 1992." Concept and structure for the overall production are discussed as well as the development of individual pieces in the production. 2.20.02 Administrative staff of the TAIKOPROJECT is currently working on application to the California Arts Council's Next Generation program, which the JACCC has agreed to partner with the TAIKOPROJECT on. The JACCC's leading role in the taiko community and the Asian Pacific American arts community make it in many ways a perfect match for collaboration on the TAIKOPROJECT. Final logistics are being discussed for the shipment of taiko drums from Asano Taiko in Japan. 2.15.02 Received word that the prestigious World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles is considering the participation of members from the TAIKOPROJECT in the 2002 program. Rehearsal space and storage for drums is confirmed for Higashi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in downtown Los Angeles, Little Tokyo, just southeast of the JACCC. Our thanks to Rinban Noriaki Ito for his warmness and hospitality. 2.7.02 Bryan's interview with Hiromi Sakaguchi of TAIKOLOGY magazine comes out.    > View articles online  ( English | Japanese)    > Download PDF pages:       Youth & Taiko - The future of the Taiko Community  ( English | Japanese )       Hip Hop Taiko  ( English | Japanese )       Bryan Yamami Interview  ( English | Japanese ) 2.1.02 Welcome to TAIKOPROJECT.com, the website home for the forthcoming production, "TAIKOPROJECT: (re)generation." The site will be updated bi-monthly to document the on-going progress of the production as it moves from concept to development to production, to the U.S. tour, scheduled for fall, 2003. For more on the TAIKOPROJECT, check out the sections above or see below. 1.24.02 Met with executive administration of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center to discuss TAIKOPROJECT, and JACCC offered to serve as fiscal receiver of the TAIKOPROJECT and overall support. 1.20.02 Bryan finished shooting for American Yume, a short film about a young taiko player who moves from Japan to the U.S., only to face the dilemma of carrying on the family's taiko drumming tradition or try to assimilate in the American culture. American Yume is due to screen in May, 2002. 1.15.02 Received word that the drums we are going to use for the development, production, and tour of the TAIKOPROJECT are ready to be shipped from Japan from Asano Taiko. Asano Taiko is one of Japan's oldest and most renowned taiko-makers. The TAIKOPROJECT is the first American production to be sponsored by Asano Taiko, Co. We are honored to have that distinction and are excited to work with them together to further evolve the art of taiko worldwide.   printable version