Rich Huang, the “Drum King” of Taiwan, whom I featured in my book Echoes of Swing: Translocal Journeys Across the Jazz Scenes of Aomori, Japan, and Taiwan, visited Tokyo, and I had the opportunity to help him reconnect with his longtime friend, Japan’s “Drum King” Tsuda ☆ Hiro, for the first time in about 20 years.
They spoke fondly of their past collaborations at events like the Summer Drum School.
I’d like to introduce Rich and Tsunoda in a series of posts.
For Americans and people worldwide interested in AI, the surname Huang brings to mind Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA, the company with the world’s highest market capitalization. While Jensen is almost too famous, Rich is also world-class.
It goes without saying for many readers, but drums (percussion) are often mistakenly viewed as “non-musical” instruments that aren’t essential to music. Of course, this is completely wrong; an outstanding drummer (percussionist) understands music even better than players of instruments with a musical scale, uses their instruments with boundless freedom, and can depict the myriad phenomena of the world.
Now, let me introduce three of Rich Huang’s recent works.
The opening track of Xiang (Homeland, 2017), which is sprinkled with Taiwanese pop tunes, begins with the upbeat bossa nova track “Si Mu De Ren” (Adore You). Track 6, “Gang Dou Ye Yu” (“Night Rain”), is another timeless classic of Taiwanese pop music that captures the night, the rain, and the nostalgia of travel in the Taiwanese port city of Keelung. Because the original songs are all superb classics, people around the world love this work.
His 2022 album Chao (Tide) features Baby Chung (Baby C., Chung Hsing-min) as co-producer, composer, and arranger. Baby Chung has won 10 Golden Melody Awards, the equivalent of the Grammy Awards for the entire Chinese-speaking world, and could be described as one of the most influential figures in Taiwan’s popular music. This album unfolds with grand music, including collaborations with a string ensemble. It recalls the past experiences that lie at the source of Rich Huang’s musical creativity—as he confided to me during our interview. He explained that even though he felt swallowed up by the ocean’s waves and lost his sense of direction, that very place was where wonderful inspiration was born.
The 2025 album Dual Legendary Rhythms: A New Worldview is an ambitious, innovative collaboration between Rich and his student, Alex Wu, who has earned praise as a legendary percussionist, following in his mentor’s footsteps. Just three months ago, the album won the “Best Album Producer” award at the 37th Golden Melody Awards in June 2026.
Because the liner notes help the listener understand the album, I will quote them here.
Inspired by the essence of traditional eight-tone music, this
album weaves playful rhythmic dialogues, forging a sound that
is both wild and refined, traditional yet avant-garde.
It expands the boundaries of percussion, opening a new realm
of musical possibilities.
Beyond a masterful rhythmic exchange, it is a profound
exploration and reimagination of the musical world.
The concept of Bayin (eight sounds) originates from the eight categories of instrument materials Metal (Jin), Stone (Shi), Silk (Si), Bamboo (Zhu), Gourd (Pao), Clay (Tu), Leather (Ge), Wood (Mu) listed in the *Rites of Zhou* from the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–771 BCE). The eight tracks on this amazing album correspond to these eight categories. Listen to Track 4, “Silk,” and you’ll experience firsthand the vibrant exchange between the East and West along the Silk Road—a world far removed from today’s divisions.
Rich Huang has more than 60 years of drumming experience. At the age of 14, this self-taught, die-hard fan of Art Blakey joined a local big band and then the U.S. Air Force band in Taichung, eventually becoming Taiwan’s “Drum King,” a multiple time winner of the Golden Melody Awards, with a staggering output of more than 100,000 recorded works of various music. There are a few famous people named Alex Wu, but this Taiwanese crossover percussionist is well known for his mastery of various world music styles, jazz, Latin, and, of course, Chinese music. You can fully appreciate Alex’s highly melodic and nuanced percussion in “Double Strike,” a collaboration with the “Drum King” Rich Huang.