Taku Hirano


Takuya Hirano is a Japanese percussionist and recording artist. He has performed as a solo artist and with the group Tao Of Sound. He has toured with Fleetwood Mac as a percussionist.

Biography

Takuya "Taku" Hirano was born in Osaka, and grew up in Fresno, California and Hong Kong. He attended Hong Kong International School and graduated from Roosevelt School of the Arts at Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he studied orchestral percussion, jazz, afro-cuban jazz, and salsa music. He then attended Berklee College of Music, studying under Giovanni Hidalgo and Jamey Haddad, graduating in 1995. He has also studied drum set with Alan Dawson and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, as well as in Havana, Cuba with Changuito.
As a percussionist, Hirano has toured with Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Isaac Hayes, Dr. John, Lindsey Buckingham, John Mayer, A.R. Rahman, Hikaru Utada, and with Cirque du Soleil on.
Hirano has recorded with Dr. Dre on 2001, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, The Temptations, Hikaru Utada, Stevie Nicks, Josh Groban, Chromeo, Ziggy Marley, Emmanuel Jal, Nelly Furtado and Lionel Richie, in addition to working on major motion picture soundtracks.
As co-founder of the production duo Tao Of Sound, he has worked as a producer and programmer of commercial sound libraries, and remixer for artists such as Kanye West, Kitaro, and The Ahn Trio. Tao of Sound has released four albums under the record label Domo Records: Metro Ronin- Extended Play, Ronin, and These Times.
Hirano is a columnist for Drum! magazine, a contributor for Modern Drummer magazine a drum clinician, and has served as an artist-in-residence at Carnegie Mellon University, as a teacher at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and as a guest lecturer at New York University Steinhardt. He is currently an artist-in-residence at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music, and a guest lecturer at Loyola University New Orleans College of Music and Fine Arts.
Hirano was listed in Modern Drummer 's Reader’s Poll 2014, 2013, and 2012, and Drum!'s Drummies awards 2015 Percussionist of the Year, 2015 Rock/Pop/Hip-Hop Percussionist, 2013 Studio Percussionist, 2013 Rock/Pop/Hip-Hop Percussionist, 2012 Studio Percussionist, 2012 World Percussionist, 2011 Percussionist of the Year, 2011 Studio Percussionist, 2011 Jazz/Fusion Percussionist, 2011 Live Performer, 2011 Rock/Pop Percussionist of the Year, 2010 Rock/Pop Percussionist of the Year, 2009 Rock/Pop Percussionist of the Year, 2008 Percussionist of the Year, 2008 Best Worldbeat Percussionist, and 2007 Percussion Rising Star.
In 2018 and 2019, Hirano toured with Fleetwood Mac on their An Evening with Fleetwood Mac World Tour. He also served as the percussionist in the house bands for the Fox television shows Showtime at the Apollo and as well as the PBS television special GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends 2019. According to Hirano's website, he was slated to join A.R. Rahman once again on tour, this time for the Academy Award-winning composer's 2020 North American summer tour, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards

With Tao Of Sound

Taku has been a percussionist on many tours since the late 1990s.
ArtistTour NameDate
A.R. Rahman2020 North American TourMay - June 2020 * Postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic
Fleetwood MacAn Evening with Fleetwood Mac - North AmericaOctober 2019 - November 2019
Fleetwood MacAn Evening with Fleetwood Mac - Australia / New ZealandAugust 2019 - September 2019
Fleetwood MacAn Evening with Fleetwood Mac - Europe / UKJune 2019
Fleetwood MacAn Evening with Fleetwood Mac - North AmericaSeptember 2018 - April 2019
Les NubiansUp Close & Personal Tour - North AmericaJune 2017 - July 2017
Dr. JohnLive Dates - North America; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage FestivalApril 2017 - December 2017
Bette MidlerDivine Intervention Tour - UKJuly 2015
Bette MidlerDivine Intervention Tour - North AmericaMay 2015 - June 2015
Iggy AzaleaPromo Dates and AppearancesNovember 2014
Cirque du Soleil - JapanJune 2013
John MayerBorn and Raised Promo; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage FestivalApril 2013 - May 2013
Cirque du Soleil - UKOctober 2012 – May 2013
Cirque du Soleil - MexicoAugust 2012 – September 2012
Cirque du Soleil - North AmericaOctober 2011 – August 2012
A.R. Rahman - SingaporeMarch 2011
Josh GrobanIlluminations Promo Dates and AppearancesOctober 2010 – February 2011
A.R. Rahman - South AfricaNovember 2010
A.R. Rahman - North AmericaSeptember 2010
Stevie NicksNorth American TourAugust 2010
A.R. Rahman - UKJuly 2010
A.R. Rahman - North AmericaJune 2010
ShakiraPromo Dates and AppearancesApril 2010
Utada Hikaru U.S./U.K. TourJanuary 2010 – February 2010
Bette MidlerThe Showgirl Must Go On Las Vegas ResidencyJanuary 2008 – January 2010
Stevie NicksNorth American TourFebruary 2007 – March 2007
Lindsey BuckinghamUnder The Skin Tour; Live at the Bass Performance HallOctober 2006 – February 2007
Utada HikaruUtada United 2006 Japan TourJuly 2006 – August 2006
Stevie NicksGold Dust TourJune 2006 – August 2006
Stevie NicksTwo Voices Tour June 2006
GiorgiaUnplugged Session TourNovember 2005 – January 2006
Stevie NicksAustralia Tour; Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks February 2006 – March 2006
Bette MidlerFrom the Big Apple to the Big EasySeptember 2005
Bette MidlerKiss My Brass Australia TourApril 2005 – May 2005
Bette MidlerKiss My Brass North American TourSeptember 2004 – December 2004
Fleetwood MacSay You Will Tour - North AmericaMay 2004 – September 2004
Lionel RichieEuropean Promo Dates and AppearancesMarch 2004
Fleetwood MacSay You Will Tour - AustraliaFebruary 2004 – March 2004
Fleetwood MacSay You Will Tour - EuropeNovember 2003 – December 2003
Fleetwood MacSay You Will Tour - North America; May 2003 – October 2003
Fleetwood MacPromo Dates and AppearancesFebruary 2003 – April 2003
Lionel RichiePromo Dates and AppearancesDecember 2002 – February 2002
LeAnn RimesPromo Dates and AppearancesDecember 2002
Utada HikaruJapan Promo Appearances, MTV UnpluggedJuly 2001
Lionel RichieRenaissance European TourApril 2001 – May 2001
Lionel RichieEuropean Tour; Montreux Jazz FestivalJuly 2000
Lionel RichieTina Turner Twenty Four Seven Tour - EuropeJuly 2000
Lionel RichieTina Turner Twenty Four Seven Tour - North AmericaMarch 2000 – June 2000
Whitney HoustonMy Love Is Your Love World Tour - EuropeAugust 1999 – November 1999
Whitney HoustonMy Love Is Your Love World Tour - North AmericaJune 1999 – July 1999
Isaac HayesPromo Dates and AppearancesOctober 1998 – April 1999
Kenny LattimoreSouth Africa TourJuly 1998
Kenny LattimoreFrom The Soul Of Man TourJune 1998
Jonathan ButlerPromo Dates and AppearancesOctober 1997 – April 1998
Puff DaddyNo Way Out Promo Dates and AppearancesAugust 1997
Kenny LattimoreFor You TourMay 1997 – September 1997
Tevin CampbellJapan Tour; South Africa TourNovember – December 1996
Tevin CampbellBack to the World Promo Dates and AppearancesSeptember 1996