by Peter | Sep 30, 2014 | Cultural Exchange, Jazz & Popular, News, United States of AmericaRA
Shannon Powell and the band onstage “Let’s fly down or drive down to New Orleans / That city has pretty historic scenes / And I’ll take you, and parade you down Bourbon Street.” A concert of the Shannon Powell Traditional All-Star Jazz Band began with the...
by Peter | May 24, 2014 | Cultural Exchange, Folk Music & Dance, KoreaRA, News
Min Young-Chi is one of Korea’s most vibrant young traditional musicians. As a master percussionist playing the janggu (Korean hourglass drum) and a skillful player of the daegum (Korean bamboo flute), he has performed in Korea and Japan as well as at venues...
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Japanese Arts, News
Japanese people who were born and raised in outlying areas of Japan outside of the major metropolitan areas typically have a particular song that is familiar to everyone from that area, and on hearing it usually gives rise to nostalgic feelings for their hometown....
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Japanese Arts, News
The koto is considered a national musical instrument of Japan. It has 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the width of the wooden body, which is some six feet long. Its origins can be traced back to the Chinese zheng, which was first introduced to...
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Jazz & Popular, News, United States of AmericaRA
Jacob Koller performing on stage Listening to the soundtrack album of a memorable movie enables those who saw the movie to recall and implicitly re-experience scenes from the film. As Time Goes By from the romantic scene in the movie Casablanca released in 1942, and...
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Jazz & Popular, KoreaRA, News, TaiwanRA
Cheuni (left) and Ouyand Feifei (right) The legendary diva of Asia, Ouyand Feifei, began her career in Taipei in 1967; she came to Japan in 1971 and in the same year scored a number one hit with her debut single entitled Ame no Midousuji (Rainy Avenue of Midosuji),...
