Menu
close
Anonymous.
Rob_Hugo@PortNWOn Thursday March 23 at 8pm there will be a Japanese Shamisen Extravaganza at McCabe's Guitar Shop. The address is 3101 Pico Blvd, just west of the 10 overpass at Centinela exit. McCabe's is a fantastic place to see good musicians perform because it is small and personal.
What is Shamisen music? Does anyone know?
AnonymousI did some research today on SouthEast Asian music and found lots of wonderful websites with information on specific groups and types of music. There are 2 in particular that I think would be wonderful for teaching in schools.
The first is http://www.taikoproject.com, the website of a group of young taiko drummers who have worked to spread their music and culture by performing in schools and at community events. There are videos of their performances to browse, as well as background information on the art form. They are involved in a performance at the Ford Ampitheater on July 10th this summer.
The second is http://www.chinesemusic.us This site, "Splendor of China" has information on their Chinese music, dance and acrobat education program. They visit schools, they have been featured in concerts and movie soundtracks (Jackie Chan, Disney) and they have performed at the LA Music Center. They look like a very dynamic and exciting group that would create a high level of interest and excitement for students. (It even turns out that the director was a friend of mine at UCLA, way back when!)
AnonymousThis Japanese comedy troupe is performing on Saturday, July 1st at the Kodak Theater. There is an article in today's LA Times talking about how comedy in Japan will translate to audiences in Los Angeles. Two examples of what the Japanese find very funny are described in the article. One is where two guys spend 10 minutes trying to put the word "egg" or "tamago" in Japanese, into their quick conversation as many times as possible. Another is a woman with a green Mohawk and long blond side locks complaining about her lack of romantic prosects.
It is interesting to consider how comedy translates between languages and between cultures. Does anyone have any experience with comedy in Asia?
AnonymousOn Saturday, June 24 I attended a benefit concert on the USC campus that was given in order to benefit the survivors and victims of the Indonesian earthquake which occured on May 27, 2006. The earthquake apparently letf 5.500 dead, many others injured and even more were left homeless and destitute. It was such a loving and heartwarming thing for the Indonesians to do to come to the aide of their countrymen in such a way. The concert was very well organized and was well suppported by several Indonesian dance troups, bands, and musical ensembles. There was even an Indonesian fashion show that showcased traditional Indonesian wedding attire and some storytelling of Indonesian legends. This concert provided a glance into the background and traditions of Indonesian culture, arts, melodious music and graceful dance movements. I especially enjoyed the dance of the love birds who ruffle their colorful feathers in order to draw attention from birds of the opposite sex during mating season. The dance that depicted a swordfight was very intriguing and well orchestated. The entire night was filled with highly memorable events that were put together for a very worthy cause. The event was fairly well attended and a geneerous amount was donated to assist with the coping of the devastating plight of the indonesian people.
AnonymousThere was an annual "Tofu Festival" at Little Tokyo last weekend. I wonder if anyone has been there. I went there last year to volunteer, but I neglected this one. The event was quite interesting. They set up many tents with different famous restaurant and service venders selling Tofu products to raise fund for low-income housing, childcare and so on. The admission was $8.00 and you have to pay for some fabulous, gourmet, and expensive food and recipes. There were games, raffle drawings and tofu eating contest. They raise fund and at the same time promote healthy eating habit. They hire some incredible musicians and entertainers such as Taiko drumers, UCLA music band and some from Japan. If anyone is interested, here is a website for the future info.
http://www.tofufestival.com[Edit by="spadilla on Aug 16, 10:15:07 PM"][/Edit]