Minyo Station "Cultural Twist" st 1st CD Album
CD Release PaRtY
Saturday, May 26, at 3:00 pm at
Alvas Showroom, 1417 West Eighth Street, San Pedro, CA 90732.
Performers:
* Yu Ooka (guitars, music arranger)
* Dane Matsumura (bass)
* Miles Senzaki (drums)
* Dave Iwataki (keyboards)
* Natsu Summer (vocals & kane 'Japanese bell')
* Loryce Hashimoto (shamisen 'Japanese 3-string lute')
* Nana Kaneko (taiko 'Japanese drums)
* Marisa Kosugi (vocals)
Matsutoyo Kai was established in Northern California by Matsutoyo Sato in 1966 shortly after she arrived from Japan. For ten years Matsutoyo Kai was based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1976 Matsutoyo Sato moved to the Los Angeles area extending the reach of Matsutoyo Kai to the Southern California area, where it is now based.
In 2006 Matsutoyo Kai became a nonprofit organization. The primary objective and purpose of Matsutoyo Kai shall be to pass on the Traditional Music of Japan and to create and leave a Japanese music Legacy. Part of that purpose is to provide instruction in singing, shamisen, taiko, and ka-ne and to give public performances in Japanese Folk and Classical Music. With Matsutoyo Sato as Artistic Director we will continue to expand Matsutoyo Kai, keeping this rare "Art" of Japanese History alive.
Minyo Station “The Direction of the Wind” is an indication of the New Sound of Minyo—Japanese Folk Music, as envisioned by Minyo Station’s Music Director and lead guitarist, Yu Ooka.
Minyo Station is in the forefront of a movement to infuse a New Sound into traditional Japanese Folk Music, as interpreted by a new generation of artists.
Like the wind, the sound of Minyo blows freely from the East to West. Minyo Station’s sound is both unique yet familiar, a multi-cultural “twist” that melds Western elements of genres such as rock, R&B, and Jazz with the melodies and structure of Minyo compositions that have been passed down for generations through the many villages of Japan.
Minyo Station was established in 2008, they have performed extensively throughout Southern California and in San Francisco, to multi-cultural, enthusiastic audiences of all ages, playing both the Traditional & Fusion Style.
With the guidance of matsutoyo Sato, founder of Matsutoyo Kai est. 1966, Minyo Station's mission is to simply 'Preserve Music from the Past', respecting and understanding that the music played may convey 'an Emotion, a Memory, a Special Moment Shared with Loved ones.'
BellTheCat Music by Yu Ooka
The bland, heartless pop compositions once associated with mixing the sounds of East and West, have dropped away from modern bi-cultural musicians who hear both forms of music natively.
The key is understanding both types of music, joining them at their convergence and proudly accentuating their divergence.
BellTheCat Music knows this, not only on an intellectual level, but on a spiritual level as well. The music carries the spirit of both East and West into the hearts of the listeners, regardless of their own backgrounds.
BellTheCat Music believes in simply to ‘preserve music from the past’, respecting and understanding that the music we play may convey an emotion, a memory, a special moment shared with loved ones. Music played ~ Jazz, Enka, Japanese & American Classic Pop, and Minyo.
Thank You for believing in our mission and for sharing so much love & support towards us.
Doomo Arigatoo Gozaimasu!
