About me
Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer have been performing taiko for 52 years, starting taiko training with Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1972.
Russel and Jeanne have been awarded numerous Artist in Residence grants to teach taiko from the California Arts Council and founded Shasta Taiko in 1984 in Mount Shasta, CA. They established the annual Shasta Taiko in Concert (1997 - 2004) and ShastaYama Taiko Festival, the largest outdoor taiko festival in the country (2005 - 2016) presenting leading American taiko artists - Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo, San Jose Taiko, Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble, Portland Taiko, Unit Souzou, TaikoProject, and On Ensemble as well as college group Stanford Taiko, youth ensemble Kitsune Taiko, and many individual taiko artists.
Masato Baba, Russel and Jeanne's son and Shoji Kameda, who both started taiko training as children with Shasta Taiko have emerged as leading American taiko artists. Shoji and Masato are members of On Ensemble. Shoji also heads taiko organization, Kadon, and Masato is Artistic Director of TaikoProject.
Russel and Jeanne led the first Summer Taiko Institute in 1999 and have led numerous workshops for North American Taiko Conferences, Regional Taiko Gatherings, and Intercollegiate Taiko Invitationals. They are also honored "vocationalists" for taiko organization, TaikoVentures which is helping to support taiko artists and taiko's future.
San Franciscan Russel Baba is also known for his innovative work on flutes and saxophones. His work has received critical acclaim in national publications - DownBeat, Musician's Magazine, CODA, and Jazz Times to name a few. He has toured and recorded with noted jazz artists pianist Andrew Hill, violinist Michael White, drummer Eddie Moore, and singer Nobuko Miyamoto. He also received training in Gagaku (Ancient Japanese Court Music) under Suenobu Togi. Russel is currently leading his own group, Tadaima, with Jeanne Mercer and bassist Gary Fitzgerald. Tadaima also invites guests artists not only from the taiko world, but from other disciplines as well.
Jeanne Mercer is one of the first American women to perform on taiko and her presence has inspired many women and men to play taiko. A Japanese American from Alaska, her original compositions are noted for their innovation, creativity, and challenging directions, and her artistic and technical skills are widely recognized. She has contributed to movie soundtracks Star Wars and Apocalypse Now. Jeanne continues to teach taiko to the community of Mount Shasta with Shasta Taiko and pursue new paths with Tadaima.
