At Cedar Creek Inn Restaurant in Brea, Southern California, you can enjoy drinks and meals while listening to live jazz music at the bar in the restaurant from Friday night to weekends. This restaurant is one of the popular spots for locals because attractive jazz musicians based in Southern California take turns performing at the restaurant.
One day, I was invited by my teacher, Mr. Ihara, who has always been very kind to me, to come to Cedar Creek Inn.
"Hey Taka, do you want to go to the Cedar Creek Inn tonight? My brother Richard is playing live."
I knew that his younger brother, Richard, was a jazz pianist, but I had never met him, so I decided to accept his invitation.
Richard was born as the third son of the Ihara family a few years after the war ended. The Ihara family left the internment camp in Lower Arkansas and moved around to Chicago, Cincinnati, and Cleveland before finally settling in Gardena, Southern California, where they had become accustomed to their home.
Gifted with musical talent, Richard began to study music seriously when he went to California State University, Northridge, focusing on jazz. After graduating, he worked at the post office while performing in restaurants and bars in Southern California. He was also asked to perform live on cruise ships.
Richard has also appeared on television dramas as an actor. He played the role of a judge in the courtroom scene at the beginning of the ninth episode of the first season of the sci-fi drama series "Sliders." In this role, Richard was dressed in a way that reminded us of Judge Lance Allan Ito, a third-generation Japanese American who was known for presiding over the Simpson case.
When I arrived at the bar at the appointed time, Professor Ihara and a friend were already there, listening to Richard's live jazz performance. Professor Ihara kindly welcomed me to his table.
The melody of jazz was pleasant, and it was a spice that further enhanced the taste of the drinks and food. People started to dance ballroom to the light rhythm of jazz, becoming the "flower" of the bar and attracting the attention of the people. The teacher and his friend started to dance ballroom to the rhythm of the music.
As for me, I headed towards Richard, who was playing the piano with great energy, and decided to watch him play.
Fun times can pass in the blink of an eye, and before we knew it, the live performance had come to an end, while we were still enthralled by the music.
"Thank you everyone for joining us until late into the night today. Let's close with this song. Have a great weekend everyone."
After saying that, Richard performed the last song, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."
I see green trees and red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world...
I was blown away by Richard's charming voice. I have heard many different people perform "What a Wonderful World," but I have never heard such a charming performance.
When he finished, the crowd at the bar gave Richard a huge, thunderous round of applause, and many of them left tips in a fishbowl-sized glass jar on top of the piano as they left.
And then, Professor Ihara introduced me to Richard.
"Taka, this is my younger brother, Richard. Do you think my brother looks Japanese?"
Looking closely at Richard, who wears a black top hat, black jacket and has a beard, one can sense a Japanese atmosphere, but at first glance he does not look like a Japanese person. However, to me, Richard was more than anything an attractive musician.
I have studied classical music for many years, so it was a great honor for me to meet such a fascinating musician and experience such wonderful music in such a familiar place. I am very grateful to Professor Ihara for introducing me to his younger brother.
Richard will continue to perform live at restaurants and bars in Southern California, including the Cedar Creek Inn in Brea. If you have the opportunity, I recommend you go see Richard's live performance.
Useful links:
Cedar Creek Inn Restaurant: http://www.cedarcreekinn.com
© 2015 Takamichi Go
