Taku Hirano on tour with LeAnn Rimes
Taku Hirano is one of the most in-demand percussionists of his generation â a musical chameleon onstage and in-studio, whether supporting iconic artists or fronting his own projects. He has worked with everyone from Stevie Nicks to Stevie Wonder, Dr. Dre to Dr. John, and referred to by Mick Fleetwood - founder and drummer of Fleetwood Mac - as his âSecret Weaponâ and ânot only a master percussionist, but an incredible musician." Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and music icon Stevie Nicks has proclaimed nightly on her solo tours that Taku is "the best percussion player, I think, in the world."
Born in Japan and raised in the United States, Taku was trained in European classical music, Black American Music, and Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, West African, Indian and Japanese percussion traditions. He attended Berklee College of Music for both undergraduate and graduate studies and was the institutionâs first graduating hand percussion principal, with four-years of tutelage under Afro-Cuban percussion master Giovanni Hidalgo.
Takuâs graduate studies in music business encompassed artist entrepreneurship, music licensing and publishing, music rights administration, copyright law, music metadata and data analytics, music policy and law, artist management, marketing, finance and a masterâs thesis on the history, musicology, science and market viability of functional music for wellness. He has also received certifications in music supervision, music rights management and conducted musicological research in Havana, Cuba through the U.S. Treasury Department. Taku is a Regular Guest Artist in Percussion at The University of Georgia, and has also been a Professional-In-Residence at The University of Texas at Austin and an Artist-in-Residence at Carnegie Mellon School of Music and at Berklee College of Music for their Professional Music, Music Business, Music Therapy and Music Education departments.
Takuâs client list has spanned the pinnacles of practically every commercial music genre. He has toured the world as the percussionist for Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, LeAnn Rimes, Isaac Hayes and Dr. John, as a soloist on Indian and Japanese percussion for Academy Award-winning Bollywood composer A.R. Rahmanâs Slumdog Millionaire - Jai Ho world tour, as a featured soloist on the eighth top-grossing music tour of all time, Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour by the Michael Jackson Estate and Cirque du Soleil, as a member of the UNESCO International Jazz Day All-Star Band under the direction of Herbie Hancock, and as a consultant to Trent Reznor for the Nine Inch Nails Lights In The Sky world tour. He has performed in major arenas and stadiums in 30 countries across five continents, twice in South Africa for President Nelson Mandela, and twice at the White House for President Barack Obama (including the Obama Administration's first State Dinner, honoring the Prime Minister of India).Â
Takuâs live performance credits also include Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, BeyoncĂ©, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Jonas Brothers, Pharrell Williams, Annie Lennox, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Patti LaBelle, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler, Chaka Khan, Jon Batiste, Melissa Etheridge, Queen Latifah, Barry Manilow, Andrea Bocelli and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. His recording credits include Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Ziggy Marley, Jennifer Hudson, LeAnn Rimes, Josh Groban and Lionel Richie, as well as numerous film scores, soundtracks, television shows and national commercials.
As a recording artist and producer, Taku was featured on the 63rd annual GRAMMY Awards (2021) âMusic Requires Listeningâ speech by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr., in national campaigns for Guitar Center, and included in ORIGIN. Magazine's list of Top 100 Creatives. His debut album for Ropeadope Records released in 2021, featuring guest artist, trumpet phenom Keyon Harrold. His compositions have been featured on The CW Network shows and promos, and signature sound libraries for Splice and Big Fish Audio.
Taku is currently on tour playing drums and percussion with country pop icon LeAnn Rimes for her "the story... so far" Â tour.Â
***Â See dates below!
Taku Hirano on tour with LeAnn Rimes
Taku Hirano performing on percussion with Tina Guo at Wacken Open Air festival in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Taku Hirano on tour with LeAnn Rimes
Taku Hirano performing with The Alphonso Johnson All-Stars
Taku Hirano performing with The Alphonso Johnson All-Stars