It is rare that a band achieves a high
level of success and still remains humble and accessible to their
audience and fan base.
The weekend of May 3-4 marked the
return of the Asian-American jazz/funk/fusion band Hiroshima,
consisting of core members June Kuramoto (koto), Dan Kuramoto (wind
instruments, keyboards), Kimo Cornwell (keyboards), Dean Cortez (bass
guitar) and Danny Yamamoto (drums).
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Hiroshima performed tracks from their
latest release “J-Town Beat,” including “Da Kitchen,” “Meiji
Mambo,” “State of Mind” and “Cruisin' J-Town.” Formed in
1974, Hiroshima is known for their Far East melodies fused with
KBLX/quiet storm/smooth jazz rhythms. Hiroshima closed their
ebullient set with the funky “One Wish,” the 1985 composition
that established them on the Adult Contemporary charts. I remember
seeing Hiroshima perform this track at the pristine Waikiki Shell,
the venue where I first saw Anita Baker, Ziggy Marley, Steel Pulse
and Miles Davis live, in Honolulu, HI,
June Kuramoto’s koto virtuosity is
indeed one of the highlights of Hiroshima’s performances. The koto
is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument imported from China.
Wikipedia cites June Kuramoto as one of the first performers to
popularize the koto in a non-traditional fusion style. Born in Japan,
Kuramoto became heavily influenced by the Motown sound and has
recorded with the likes of Angela Bofill and George Duke to name a
few. Kuramoto has released three solo albums and added her koto
radiance to A Taste of Honey’s 1981 pop/soul ballad “Sukiyaki.”
After the show, Hiroshima hosted a
meet and greet backstage for media and fans. Dan Kuramoto (June’s
ex-husband) was heavily influenced by Ornette Coleman and James Moody
(no relation to this writer). In fact, Moody would give Kuramoto
private saxophone lessons.
“I have a way
of playing over D-minor, and I got this 20 minute saxophone lesson
from (Moody) on a long distance phone call from New Zealand,”
Kuramoto reminisced. “He was my mentor, my visionary; he taught me
everything. He always told me to be true to myself and not to listen
to anybody about what you do—words of wisdom.”
In 1990, a year before his passing,
Hiroshima opened for Miles Davis on his world tour.
“Miles was the coolest,” said
Kuramoto. “He was terrifying at first, but we realized that it was
because he was about what he was about. Once you got that Miles was
the coolest cat, the nicest guy. He loved to see how you reacted to
him. He loved June as a world class musician. He was always blown
away.”
Check out the band on
www.hiroshimamusic.com.
