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Tessaku

Larry Nobori - Part 2

Read Part 1 >> What does the band play specifically? Mainly swing, Glen Miller type stuff. Then I was asked to direct this youth band in ...

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Tessaku

Larry Nobori - Part 1

If you ever wanted to get a sense of what life actually felt like in camp, look no further than this contraband film from the ...

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Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest III

“MERRY CHRISTMAS, MARIO-SAN”

Little Tokyo, 1989 One night, Mario Martinez, a struggling musician from Boyle Heights, was sitting in a booth at the Atomic Café in Little Tokyo ...

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Drummer Immersed the World of Jazz – Bernie Arai Is Steadfast in His Pursuit

Is Japanese Canadian Bernie Arai a pioneering jazz drummer? Answering this question during a recent interview, he was quick to say: “I don’t think ...

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The Nisei Hepcats

“The day the music died,” from the song “American Pie” by Don McLean, referred to February 3, 1959, the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and ...

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The Evolution of FandangObon

FandangObon is a project that brings together the Japanese, Mexican, and African-American communities into one circle to share participatory music and dance traditions in order ...

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Experiencing Seattle Opera’s An American Dream

The lights flicker once, and people begin to move from the lobby into a long line. “Why all this drama?” the White woman behind me ...

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Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest II

Masao and the Bronze Nightingale

Boyle Heights, 1940 “Hey Masao, where did you score those fine drapes, ese?” “Over on Brooklyn and Soto. Manny Garcia’s uncle has a tailor ...

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TAIKOPROJECT in Collaboration with Mexican Folk/Rockers

TAIKOPROJECT is at it again. The fast-paced, world-class LA taiko group has recently finished a nationwide tour. And now, fresh off the April release of ...

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Random Awesomeness Brought to You by Random Ninjas!

Ninjas? Check! Fetching tunes? Check! Insanely talented musicians? Check! Taiko drums? Why not? So goes the story of Random Ninjas, an LA-based band that plays ...