Taku Hirano

About me:

Versatility is a word that comes to mind when speaking of the career of Taku Hirano. Born in Osaka, Japan, and raised in California and Hong Kong, Taku started playing at the age of 9 on classical percussion and drumset, and spent years studying with the principal timpanist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

He later turned his studies onto Brazilian and Afro-Cuban percussion in his teens and attended Berklee College of Music, studying for four years under the tutelage of conga master Giovanni Hidalgo, with South Indian percussion and Middle Eastern frame drum specialist Jamey Haddad, and jazz drumming legend Alan Dawson. Other studies ranged from West African percussion (including Ewe ensemble drumming and Dagbamba talking drum) to North Indian tabla to Japanese taiko drumming, graduate studies in world music at California Institute of the Arts, as well as a pilgrimage to Cuba to study with percussion masters Roberto Vizcaino and Jose Luis “Changuito” Quintana.

Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles after college, Taku quickly began amassing a body of work performing and recording with artists in just about every genre of music. He has toured the world with Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Isaac Hayes, and Lindsey Buckingham.

He has also performed with Stevie Wonder, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Mary J. Blige, Patti Labelle, Barry Manilow, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Loggins, Chaka Khan, The Backstreet Boys, Brandy, Wyclef Jean, Don Henley, The Neville Brothers, Sheila E., Travis Tritt, Teena Marie, Lisa Loeb, Angie Stone, Faith Evans, The Boys Choir of Harlem, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; with notable jazz, jazz-fusion, and contemporary-jazz artists such as Gary Burton, Joe Zawinul, Jonathan Butler, Tom Scott, and Bennie Maupin; with gospel artists, Yolanda Adams, Bebe Winans, and Cece Winans; and with international artists such as two-time Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Italian vocal icon Giorgia, Japanese pop superstar Utada Hikaru, Sudanese rapper Emmanuel Jal, Swedish theatrical drum troupe ConRytmo, and classical music darlings The Ahn Trio from Korea.

Taku has recorded with artists as diverse as Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, The Temptations, Nelly Furtado, Jay-Z, Stevie Nicks, and Lionel Richie, in addition to working on numerous major motion picture and television scores and soundtracks. Several of these recordings have won Grammy, Emmy, and American Music awards.

Currently, Taku is working with Bette Midler on her live show, The Showgirl Must Go On, in Las Vegas, doing recording sessions in Los Angeles, producing tracks and remixes for various record labels and creating sample / loop libraries for P5 Audio with his production team,Tao Of Sound (including remixes for Kanye West, Kitaro, and The Ahn Trio). He also is a contributing writer to DRUM! Magazine, conducts percussion clinics and workshops around the United States, and is working on instrument designs for MEINL Percussion and stick designs for Regal Tip Drumsticks. Taku was recently a consultant to Trent Reznor for the Nine Inch Nails 2008-2009 Lights In The Sky world tour.

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Taku is the runner-up for DRUM! Magazine's 2008 DRUMMIE AWARDS as Best Percussionist Of The Year and Best Worldbeat Percussionist, and was the winner of the 2007 DRUMMIE AWARDS for Percussion Rising Star and runner-up for Best Rock/Pop Percussionist.

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Taku is now a monthly contributor to DRUM! Magazine in the HAND DRUM! Lessons section, giving tips, lessons, and techniques on various percussion instruments.



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Taku endorses: MEINL Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, Regal Tip Drumsticks, REMO Drumheads, DW Hardware, Roland Electronics, Mike Balter Mallets, Factory Metal Percussion, Rhythm Tech Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion, Hansenfutz Practice Pedals, Hammerax Percussion, M-AUDIO, and Monster Cable (including the critically acclaimed Beats By Dr. Dre headphones and Turbine In-Ear Speakers).



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UPCOMING DRUM CLINICS / WORKSHOPS :

5/17/08: Guitar Center (Murrieta, CA.)
6/3/08: The Sonny Emory Drumset Camp (Atlanta, GA.)
9/6/08: Naples Percussion Summit (Naples, FL.)
11/7/08: Percussive Arts Society International Convention (Austin, TX.)
3/7/09: Central California Day of Percussion (Fresno, CA.)



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Check out Taku's signature drumstick,
the TAKU PERCUSSION STICK from Regal Tip !!!



CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE TAKU PERCUSSION STICK!!!

* Finalist for the 2002 M.I.P.A. Musikmesse International Press Award for drumstick design!!!

STICK FEATURES:

1.) 1/2" Timbale stick for rock and pop applications- able to take tons of abuse!

2.) A barrel tip for added rebound off of drumheads and electronic pads.

3.) A rubber grip that prevents slippage, giving ultimate control for heavy-hitting.

4.) A nylon-capped butt end for multi-percussion applications (woodblocks, tambourines, cowbells, etc.)

5.) A steel rivet for multi-percussion applications (cymbal scrapes, bell tree glisses)

6.) When inverted, the rubber grip is soft enough to be used for suspended cymbal rolls and swells, alleviating the need to switch to mallets.

7.) For use by not only by rock / pop / multi-percussionists, but also heavy-hitting drummers who want a well-balanced, beefy (yet medium-weight) stick with an enhanced grip integrated into the handle.

* * This stick has been seriously road-tested!!! With prototypes used on the Whitney Houston world tour and the Lionel Richie / Tina Turner world tour, and the final version taking the abuses of the 18-month Fleetwood Mac world tour, this stick has been used in everything from small nightclubs to concert theaters to 80,000-seat venues such as Wembley Stadium.

* * * See the Taku Percussion Stick every night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, being used by percussionist-extraordinaire, Vicki Randle.

* * * * Keep an eye out for the Taku World Percussion Stick. Where the current Taku Percussion Stick is perfect for rock and pop multi-percussion applicatons, the Taku World Percussion Stick will be perfect for a multitude of drums in traditional applications (Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, African, Japanese, and more!). Currently in the prototype stage!


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Check out TAO OF SOUND, my production team!

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