Tatsu Aoki

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 creative 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 60s, 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 grandmother died, he had kept the Tokyo music training until early teen, and shifted his musical focus to American pop music and experimental music. Basically, he started jazz music in Japan in reflection from traditional Japanese music. Since his biological father was a movie producer at Shin Toho Studio, he had also begun 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 a course related to Celluloid and Advanced image making projectss and has an experience of teaching film production and history courses. In addition to his teaching job at SAIC, Aoki teaches Asian Identity in Cinema at Northwestern as well. 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. In his music, he tries to bring in Asia because he believes the concept of the traditional Asian music or art is different from Western. 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.

Aoki is not only a musician but also working as a passionate filmmaker. Aoki first began making films in regular 8 gauge in early childhood. His biological father, Wahei Hoshino was a movie producer at Shin Toho Movie Studio in the 60's and was the reason for Tatsu to get into small gauge filmmaking. He has made many experimental short films. As much as his musical activities, Tatsu Aoki's films are shown internationally. His super 8 diary films and experimental films with optical printing has always been the main attraction of his screenings around the world. While working on his filmography, he presented himself to one of documentaries, "That Asian Thing," in 2008, and worked as a composer for a short film called, "Farewell, Mr. Griswell," in 2010. Also, as examples of Tatsu Aoki's works, there are sample versions of "Flux"(experimental film), "Gate", "PUZZLE III," "Ah Sou Desuka: Is that So!" (digital movie), and "Solution A" (super-8 diary film).

Aoki started a project called Miyumi Project, named after his daughter, at Museum of Contemporary Art. It brings together the distinct music of the East in the forms of Japanese drums – taiko and shime, Korean drums – Buk, and mixed them with his own jazz bass, and AACM musician Mwata Bowden. Aoki’s vision was to create sounds that borrow from the traditional drumming of Asia spiced by African, Latin and European sounds. The Taiko drumming beats (and I mean beats) a macho time in a very regular pattern. Over this very physical sound, Mwata Bowden (8 Bold Souls) improvises his large baritone saxophone. The effect is similar to fellow Chicago percussionist Kahil El Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, except the beat is from the East. Double reedist Robbie Hunsinger to add a call and response joins Bowden’s saxophone and clarinet. He even picks up a digeridoo on "Early Dance” pushing the recording to an entire world music. Most songs state a simple pattern for the reeds or Aoki’s bass to improvise over. This engaging approach comes directly from the heart and soul of a true innovator of jazz.