Kiyo-Kito
Taiko was the first (and for very long the only) taiko group in
Hungary (and, as we know, in the whole Central Eastern Europian
region, too), officially founded in 2000, March 21st (the equinoctial
day; although being „unofficially” a bit before). Since then,
we celebrate this day with a self-organized great concert in every
year (the Spring Drum Celebration in Budapest). Our first album
Caleidoscope, published in 2006, is a live set of a promotional
CD and DVD, also made by ourselves, of course. (There had been
some such promotions before, too, in 2002 and in 2003, but we
didn’t consider them good enough to release and spread.) Originally,
the group was founded by Tamas Paulinyi (a Hungarian writer, poet,
journalist and scientific parapsychological researcher), but since
then, a series of serious musicians and other creative artists
have taken a part in and/or left their initials on it. For example
Bela Farago (composer), Pal Bodnar (taiko drummer), Julia Laszlo
(designer), Tamas Varga (jazz drummer) etc. At present, the leadership
is in the hands of David Laar (who is a studied jazz drummer)
and Keijiro Takaku (a well-educated musician and universal talent
– for example playing Hungarian folk songs on hurdy-gurdy). The
latter is the only Japanese member; everyone else are Hungarian.
The whole project is made by ourselves, including to make and
prepare all the instruments and sound records, or managing our
shows for us.
The
taiko genre itself shows the same strange duality that is also
typical of several other activities practised or actually started
by us: it is both modern and old; can be both arbitrary and rigorously
ceremonial; equally takes on a global and a local character. The
taiko drums have got a very long and historical past: they are
already mentioned in records a thousand years ago. The taiko (or
wadaiko, or daiko) simply means: Japanese drum (and odaiko means:
big drum). Historically, the roots of the drum-making traditions
grown in the Japanese environment are even traced back further
to former China and India, Central Asia. However, these instruments
weren’t originally applied so: nor in group, neither without another
instrumental accompaniment; but rather embedded into a wider,
traditional music environment: for ceremonial (celebrational),
religious, courtly and folk music purposes. In these situations,
the wadaiko mostly appears as an accompanying or solo instrument.
In
the middle of the last century, hardly awakening from the Second
World War shock, meanwhile on the other side of the world (in
Europe and in America) with some other modern musical styles coming
to life, too, a Japanese jazz drummer called Daihachi Oguchi invented
to use the traditional instruments in an entirely novel and irregular
– or, as we could say, radical – way. The trick of the trade had
sounded like: let there be just one kind of instrument, but many
of the same… Since the concomitant of the conception is its relatively
simple practicableness, and its „do-it-yourself” home-made type
(or at least its ability for an easy translation to it), and so
is its openness (there is no severe stylistical obligation or
limitation, that’s why it can be connected or mixed with any other
musical or cultural environment), it is not surprising that became
popular rapidly,
and gained ground everywhere. Thousands of drum groups formed
in Japan in the next decades, then the movement even crossed the
frontiers: there appeared its first followers in the US and the
more advanced European countries (in the first place UK, Germany
and Netherlands, though in many other places since then, too).
In Central Eastern Europe, however, there was another kind of
life then yet, so we still had to wait for a long time for this
to wind in… The Hungarian Kiyo-Kito Taiko was the first one; and
also for very long (a few years) the only one.
The
first time, of course, the smaller – and, in the making, even
more simple and general – shaman drums had gained ground. For
example, at the end of 1999, the shaman drum circle of the Synthesis
Free University (the direct and organic forerunner of the taiko
group) had been actively working for two years, and conceived
their intentions further to extend the round of their activities.
We had heard of the taiko style first from a globe-trotting television
show (in the interpretation of ex-Monty Python-member Michael
Palin), which we liked so much that we immediately started to
search for all available information about it. We were just about
to do something like (to make some wine-barrels with animals skins),
and it was very inspiring to see that it had already got an established
technique. (Beside Tamas Paulinyi, the second other main man of
ideas was Tibor Szekely about it.)
Since
the „project” – being a civil, household initiative coming from
below, and not some managed and designed thing – couldn’t rely
on any kind of supporting or aid from anyone, and moreover, it
consisted of everyday people (none of us had learnt or practised
music or anything else before), we literally had to begin everything
from zero. We had to find out a style, to learn to drum, to write
songs, to make the instruments for ourselves, the clothes, and
everything else needed for the working (organising performances,
finding place for rehearsal, the means and material resources
etc.); all in one. (The Synthesis itself – that meant a few people
– practically corresponded to the Kiyo-Kito from this point of
view, and was also forming and building, so the same process weltered
in another level.) The choosing of the name had just composed
this starting position: originally this only was a pun: a Hungarian
word-composition just sounding as if been in Japanese: „kiokito”
– which means: „self-teaching”, or self-educating, self-training…
A little later, it turned out (or rather, a member of ours, a
Japanese-line university student college-girl, Vera Kuttner found
it out) that the word had got a sensible Japanese meaning: „return
to innocence” or „return to clearness” (or maybe „to the clean
sound” – besides, it could have some other further senses, too,
as consisting of archaic and obsolete, rarely-used syllables).
Therefore,
at first, a small enthusiastic grouping of some twenty members
gathered, who only knew that they were preparing for a „great
thing”… For that purpose, we clubbed our own money together for
the most important starting: we ordered five acacia barrels of
big size from a cooper. Two relatively smaller (they became the
two nagado-daikos), two medium-larger (the two chu-daikos), and
one definitely megalomaniac piece (the odaiko). Yet that was still
nothing in itself: barrels are generally made for an entirely
different use, as we know, that’s why they also required some
considerable surplus labour to make suitable for us. They needed
to be strengthen from outside (to let the staves not to fall apart,
we surrounded them with a deeply carved-in iron hoop at each mouth
– by the expertness of our member Gabor Szakacs); and so from
the inside (fibreglass and synthetic rosin lining keeps together
each one on the whole inner surface). After this, we thoroughly
and extensively smoothed them outside, then stained and lacquered…
Tamas – as an ex-ceramist craftsman – set about planning bronze
handles; that became a long-distance occupation, too. (It was
ready after several years…)
Still,
only after all, the crown came to top off everything: the skinning.
We had to invent and develop some technique for this at all; what
method, with what sort of skin, what upholsterer’s nails, and
how to do it etc. We refined the solution in several approaches
and attempts, through a long and assiduous experimenting. (For
example it needed to make some special tensile scaffoldings.)
In the meantime we also made same smaller drums for ourselves
(shime-daikos and okedo-daikos), and tried to purchase or find
a series of other tools (for example cymbals). This practically
took our first one or two years; practising the basic beats and
rhythms, too. (This permanent building also continued the next
years after… It can be said to never end.)
By
forming a severe judgement, of course, one can say it is not too
authentic way. Those „very real” and anciently-traditional taiko
drums in Japan are born as results of a several centuries old
handicraft trade and industry, requiring a seriously engrossed,
full life-work. They are made of special kinds of timber from
particular species of tree, like the so-called keyaki
(the Japanese Zelkova, or zelkova serrata): this species,
living for more hundred (perhaps more thousand) years, reaches
a trunk-thickness of several metres in diameter; which requires
ten or twelve years drying and after-treatment to be suitable
after cutting down… And the drum body consists of this as one
piece (!); not of staves. (The mouth of the largest known odaiko
is near 2.7 metres, and by another technique 3.7 metres…) However,
it is not only time-demanding, but also very expensive: one such
ready drum – even still a smaller one – is worth several ten (or
hundred) thousand dollars. Since not everybody could pay this
even over there, and in such quantities these can’t either be
produced any more in the traditidonal way, so thus the most drums
are made with a simplified and staved structure nowadays. (Except
for the rare pieces of especially high demand.) Therefore we really
need not feel ashamed: as compared to an average, genuine and
trustworthy „original” taiko drum, our instruments are definitely
nice, worked-out, complete, good. (And, moreover, individual.)
Our
first clothes-plannings are linked with the name of fellow-member
Julia Laszlo, and – as a talented draughtsman, designer – so are
later illustrations, too; moreover one of our best songs (Asa
No Arashi). But of course we had even got no songs at the
beginning… We collected some traditional themes used by other
groups first together from any kinds of training videos and other
available material, which we tried to embed in some own compositions,
then to gradually add our own ideas to them. (More songs like
Ren-shu and Matsuri were born this way.) Among
the first own songs were Sky Stud and Kiai signed
by Tamas Paulinyi. Shortly, Bela Farago (a known tabla-player
and composer, founding member of the Barka Theatre) joined the
group for a while, who helped much in song-writing. Also we owe
many thanks to Pal Bodnar, who – grown up and graduated in the
US at the Stanford University, then returning home – familiarized
us with the style and beating techniques applied in his own university
taiko group; we appointed him to our artistic director for a few
years. He wrote two of the first songs of the first years: the
Dragon Dance and the End Moment. (The former
was co-produced with his younger brother Zack, then we put some
solo-insertions to it altogether; the latter was born upon Istvan
Somogyi’s request for the dramatic culminating point of his dance-performance
written after Janos Arany’s tragical ballad Red Rebek,
for the hero’s execution scene.)
The
first „official” performance of Kiyo-Kito happened at its first
birthday: 21st March 2001, the first Spring Drum Celebration,
which became a yearly returning tradition of ours from that time,
for at least a whole decade. (Another such programme was the DOB-ban
a szív – that means approximately „The Heart Drums” – exotic
rhythm festival in the Petofi Hall, that lived to see its three
times from 2003 to 2005.) All these grand-concerts were the own
organizations of the Synthesis, and – though being protagonist
and the „person feted” – were not only about the taiko group,
but also their other participant circles, as well as a few invited
guest artists sometimes. (It already reached a ten-year jubilee
in 2010.) We have regularly performanced at the common Christmas
event of the Synthesis and the Termeszetgyogyasz Magazin (a major
Hungarian esoteric journal) since the first year. Besides, of
course, there were several hundred other performances in the course
of the years, too; some must be mentioned in these early times:
the Valley of Arts in Kapolcs-Vigantpetend, the Horseback Archery
Competitions of Lajos Kassai in Kaposmero, the Sziget Festival
in Obuda, the EFOTT in Kismaros, the International Drummers’ Gala
in Cegled, the International Percussion Festival in Gyor… etc.
(Later several events of martial arts and bonsai, and of other
Japanese culture-elements.)
Near
2003-2004, after that both of our above-mentioned names had left
the group (although occasionally coming back… we receive them
with open arms even nowadays, too), and we needed a new artistic
director, Tamas Varga, an accomplished and experienced jazz-drummer,
joined to enrich us with another kind of style again. (He also
composed one or two songs, for example Seven Wheels or
Great River.) Then later he set off to other ways: he
quit at the end of 2004, then tried to found some own projects.
These were declared partially or fully of taiko character, by
various names: Kawatta; Migrating Birds; Pawaa Mitaiko etc. They
similarly made some own instruments, and made attempts with an
own repertoire (as well as with guest performance, for example
with the Shannon.hu Celtic band), but none of them was successful
or longeval.
The
real and final unfolding even came only after that for us. Having
a considerable majority of the founding membership dropped out
shortly (although those few who stayed already proved lasting
and pillar), we constantly retrieved their loss by admitting new
members. Therefore a more and more united staff was born through
many years. In parallel with this, the arduous
development work of instruments and other requisites had gradually
came into port. (Entirely up till then hardly every income of
ours rolled back into it, being very much costly always on working
and maintaining.) Between 2005-2007 was the relatively most successful
period: the most performances, and the concerts and the camps
of highest mood – the fruits and outcome of many years’ long-lasting
labours. We can tell of ourselves we rose unaided and fully under
our own steam.
The
new artistic director is Keijiro Takaku since then. The many-sided,
versatile, educated and talented musician, living in our country
for decades, graduated at the Musical Academy of Budapest (playing
hurdy-gurdy among others), wrote better and better new songs for
us (for example Sekigahara and Kiyo-Kito Bahashi).
Likewise another member David Laar, a learned and experienced
jazz-drummer (who already resigned once before, then returned),
similarly the author of several songs (for example Spring
Wind, The Heart’s Dance, and Quarter 7),
had become more active by that time, and took a big part in the
renewal and renovation of the drums.
The
year 2006 was the „peak” roughly: the only one such year in which
three great-concerts was played: the (sixth) Spring, as well as
the Summer and the Autumn Drum Celebrations. (All of them in the
Istvan Pataky Cultural Centre, that became our solid „haunt” in
Kobanya meanwhile.) All three great-concerts were recorded by
hired, professional cameramen in more stands, then we made a live
selection and video-cut from the collected raw materials at the
end of the year on DVD and CD called Caleidoscope: this
was the Kiyo-Kito album first released. (Previously there were
a few promotional stuffs in 2002 and 2003, too, but we didn’t
consider them good enough in quality for publicity.)
Sound
recordings were also done at the same time. I began to invest
in buying professional sound-equipments at that time, as well
as building a modest home-studio (partly using the Synthesis’
sound-proof laboratory as studio-room). I usually dragged along
some of this equipment to the Pataky concerts, too. My original
– although by no means „secret” – dream was from the beginning
to make a (semi-)professional quality studio-record of every song
(beside the riff-raff live recordings we had got), of which a
qualitative studio album could have been produced; however, the
means didn’t allow this during the preceding years. Then I spent
some months with it alone, as a result of which a few (not too
very well-performanced) demo recordings were born. (Unfortunately,
the required co-operation still didn’t succeed to be done, thus
we hadn’t got any more recordings of the other songs, and maybe
never will…)
In
the course of the next years, several members of the band departed
because of their personal problems and the internal disagreements
among them, and we failed to replace them with new ones, so the
number of people decreased more and more. Under the influence
of the general global economic crisis starting from 2008, however,
less and less possibilities of performance arose, and the very
expensive rehearsal places’ upkeep increasingly encountered difficulties…
We also lived through this situation as a crisis. In parallel
– more precisely, also slightly earlier – Tamas was becoming increasingly
distracted and committed his other tasks, that’s why he solemnly
gave the dum-circle-management positions to David; then soon after
he withdrew to a background-reserve membership. (Before and after
him, some more had also done so.) Our situation was ripe for the
consideration and the accounting of the past, and the closing
of it… And then for the renewal that follows. After all, in the
year 2010, a dividing line formed.
In
2010, the group consisted of the following eight (or ten, in real)
persons (in alphabetical order of the family names): Beatrix Czicze,
Katalin Benke Furjes, Vera Kuttner, David Laar, Robert Olessak,
Keijiro Takaku, Zsuzsanna Urr, Gabor Vastag (and also Tamas Paulinyi,
Zsoka Szucs – in reserve). The 10th jubilee Spring Drum Celebration
of 2010, or in another name, the Big Bang concert, was
the dignified closing of the first decade in the life of the band
(and the event, too, which also includes other circles, see there).
From now on, a new episode begins; a small changing of the name
signs that: the omission of the hyphen; thus the new name is Kiyo
Kito Taiko. Another milestone is the release of the new album
called StimmTt! on CD, and probably some further changes,
too. For example, a new website (as soon as possible), a new look,
a new repertoire… Some changing of the membership. If you are
curious to know or see some more of us, please visit the official
homepage. (Please click on the triple vortex symbol left above.)
Or the official Facebook page. (Please click on the letter
„F” symbol right above.)
Robert
Olessak (2010)
Stonehenge
07/07/2011
Stonehenge
Ancient Rhythm Formation
Synthesis
Shaman Drum Circle
07/07/2011
Synthesis
Shaman Drum Circle
Our
Bands brochure (2010)
07/07/2011
Our
Bands brochure (Kiyo-Kito, Synthesis and Stonehenge) (0.3
MB)
