Jazz fusion band Hiroshima's forthcoming release, Little Tokyo, celebrates cultural diversity by exploring the music of Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Though the band, founded by wind instrument player Dan Kuramoto and koto player June Kuramoto, has always embraced a variety of global sounds and merged it with contemporary music, Little Tokyo points to an all-inclusive world view.
The 11 tracks on the album, due in stores May 22nd via Heads Up International, explore this multi-cultural stance, adopting a Middle Eastern style on the album's opener "Midnight Sun," mixed with the Japanese taiko drum sound of Kuramoto's bandmate Shoji Kameda. Bassist Kimo Cornwell and bassist Dean Cortez trade licks on a variety of tracks, most notably "On The Fence." The album also features Pieces of a Dream keyboardist James Lloyd (on "Lanai") and guest percussionist Richie Gajate Garcia (on "Sir Charles").
Kuramoto says of the band's mission to break with trends, "So many musicians are so afraid to stretch themselves. There's so little that they're allowed to play if they want to survive commercially. But we as a band have always believed that there's more to it than that, and we will continue on our journey to explore those possibilities, regardless of the next fad on the horizon."
Little Tokyo, which is named after the neighborhood in Los Angeles, includes the following tracks:
"Midnight Sun"
"On The Fence"
"Lanai"
"Red Beans And Rice"
"Sir Charles"
"Hidden Times"
"Shades of Honor"
"Quan Yin"
"Drama"
"Hiro Chill"
"Little Tokyo Underground"
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