WEST HAWAII TODAY | BIG ISLAND ENTERTAINMENT SCENE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | 3 An Evening with Hiroshima Grammy-nominated group comes to Big Island With a unique musical sound that defies classification, Grammy nominated Hiroshima brings their eclectic, original sound to the Big Island on Saturday at Honoka’a People’s Theatre and Sunday at The Palace Theatre in Hilo. A fusion of jazz, salsa and Japanese folk music, Hiroshima is a celebrated ensemble featuring the rich sounds of June Kuramoto’s koto. The koto is a Japanese stringed instrument and holds the honor of being the national instrument of Japan. Band leader, Dan Kumamoto defines the bands sound as distinctly unique and different from other contemporary sounds. “We’ve been together for a long time, since the ’70s,” said Kumamoto. “Our new album, ‘Departure,’ is about celebrating diversity. We’re a group that’s difficult to categorize, but it works.” It definitely does work. In 1971, Duke Ellington recorded his album, “The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse” and predicted “the whole world was going Asian,” and no one would be able to determine “who was in the shadow of whom.” Critics agree that Hiroshima fulfilled Ellington’s musical prophecy about the whole world going Asian, and over 30 years later with more than four million records sold, the Los Angeles-based band continues to create unique sounds within the contemporary world music movement. The talented ensemble consists of band leader Dan Kumamoto on keys and woodwinds, June Kumamoto on koto, Yvette Nii on vocals, Kimo Cornwell on piano and keys, Danny Yamamoto on drums and Dean Cortez on bass. The group blends rock, pop ans jazz with traditional Japanese folk sound. According to Stanley Clarke, the great American BY KAREN ROSE SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY AND CHELSEA JENSEN WEST HAWAII TODAY cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com The talented ensemble consists of band leader Dan Kumamoto on keys and woodwinds, June Kumamoto on koto, Yvette Nii on vocals, Kimo Cornwell on piano and keys, Danny Yamamoto on drums and Dean Cortez on bass. PHOTOS COURTESY KEN FONG/ SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY Continued on page 9 ➠ Yvette Nii sings. Dan Kumamoto performs.
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