Hiroshima (band)
Encyclopedia
Hiroshima is an American
jazz fusion
/smooth jazz
band formed in 1974 by Sansei Japanese American Dan Kuramoto (wind instruments and band leader), Peter Hata (guitar), June Kuramoto (koto
), Johnny Mori
(percussion and taiko
), Dave Iwataki (keyboards) and Danny Yamamoto (drums). Named for the Japanese city of Hiroshima
, the band is best-known for the fusing of Japanese music and other forms of world music
into its playing. Its early jazz-pop R&B sound gave the group a huge following among the African American
community and they are regarded as musical pioneers among the Asian American
and Japanese American
community.
Hiroshima's debut album in 1979, the self-titled Hiroshima, contained the single "Roomful of Mirrors," which caught the ear of the "easy-listening" community.
Hiroshima became popular in the New Adult Contemporary
community upon the release of its 1985 album Another Place, which spawned the crossover hit "One Wish."
The highlight of Hiroshima's career was being the opening act for the Miles Davis
1990 world tour. Since then, despite moving towards new age music
, the group continues to gain a wider audience for its music.
June Kuramoto is the only founding member who is not American-born. She was born in Saitama Prefecture
, a part of the Greater Tokyo Area
in Japan and moved to Los Angeles
at a young age.
The band was featured in a 1976 documentary titled Cruisin' J-Town, directed by Duane Kubo. The group wrote an original song titled "The Moon is a Window to Heaven" for the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
. One of their songs from their 1987 album "Go," "Hawaiian Electric," was used for a TV ad campaign in Hawaii for The Hawaiian Electric Company
, which featured June in the commercial. Hiroshima also composed the theme music for television cooking show Simply Ming
hosted by chef Ming Tsai
.
Hiroshima is still active after 30 years of creating music. Its album, Little Tõkyõ, continues the group's style of Jazz fused with Asian instruments and synthesizer, which sounds like no one else. In its personal statement the group said, "For us, its always about being different. Its vital to not be the same. We embrace our sound."
The latest album is Legacy, a celebration of their 30th year in the recording industry. It is the first installment of what is expected to be a series. This initial album in the series is primarily a re-visitation of songs from the band's first decade. Essentially recorded live at studio Tofuville, it features the six band members along with guest artists.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
/smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
band formed in 1974 by Sansei Japanese American Dan Kuramoto (wind instruments and band leader), Peter Hata (guitar), June Kuramoto (koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
), Johnny Mori
Johnny Mori
Johnny Mori is a third-generation Japanese American musician and arts educator/administrator from Los Angeles. He was one of the seminal members of the taiko group Kinnara Taiko and the original taiko drummer for the Grammy nominated jazz-fusion band Hiroshima .-Personal life:Mori was born in...
(percussion and taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
), Dave Iwataki (keyboards) and Danny Yamamoto (drums). Named for the Japanese city of Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, the band is best-known for the fusing of Japanese music and other forms of world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
into its playing. Its early jazz-pop R&B sound gave the group a huge following among the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community and they are regarded as musical pioneers among the Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
and Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
community.
Hiroshima's debut album in 1979, the self-titled Hiroshima, contained the single "Roomful of Mirrors," which caught the ear of the "easy-listening" community.
Hiroshima became popular in the New Adult Contemporary
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
community upon the release of its 1985 album Another Place, which spawned the crossover hit "One Wish."
The highlight of Hiroshima's career was being the opening act for the Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
1990 world tour. Since then, despite moving towards new age music
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
, the group continues to gain a wider audience for its music.
June Kuramoto is the only founding member who is not American-born. She was born in Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
, a part of the Greater Tokyo Area
Greater Tokyo Area
The Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....
in Japan and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at a young age.
The band was featured in a 1976 documentary titled Cruisin' J-Town, directed by Duane Kubo. The group wrote an original song titled "The Moon is a Window to Heaven" for the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series...
. One of their songs from their 1987 album "Go," "Hawaiian Electric," was used for a TV ad campaign in Hawaii for The Hawaiian Electric Company
Hawaiian Electric Industries
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.. is the largest supplier of electricity in the state of Hawaii, suppling power to 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities: Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc. and Maui Electric Company, Limited. In addition, HEI...
, which featured June in the commercial. Hiroshima also composed the theme music for television cooking show Simply Ming
Simply Ming
Simply Ming is a television cooking show hosted by chef Ming Tsai, and is produced by WGBH, Boston and Ming East-West, LLC. Simply Ming is presented by American Public Television.-Overview:...
hosted by chef Ming Tsai
Ming Tsai
Ming Tsai is a Chinese-American fusion cuisine chef, restaurateur, and Emmy Award-winning television personality.Tsai currently hosts Ming's Quest, a cooking show featured on the Fine Living Network, and Simply Ming on American Public Television...
.
Hiroshima is still active after 30 years of creating music. Its album, Little Tõkyõ, continues the group's style of Jazz fused with Asian instruments and synthesizer, which sounds like no one else. In its personal statement the group said, "For us, its always about being different. Its vital to not be the same. We embrace our sound."
The latest album is Legacy, a celebration of their 30th year in the recording industry. It is the first installment of what is expected to be a series. This initial album in the series is primarily a re-visitation of songs from the band's first decade. Essentially recorded live at studio Tofuville, it features the six band members along with guest artists.
Members
- Dan Kuramoto (1974–present) (Flute)
- June Kuramoto (1974–present) (Koto - ancient Japanese instrument)
- Danny Yamamoto (1974–present) (many instruments, mainly drums)
- Kimo Cornwell (present) (Keyboard)
- Dean Cortez (present) (Bass Guitar)
- Shoji KamedaShoji KamedaShoji Kameda is a fourth-generation Japanese American musician and composer, and leading player of North American taiko.He is a founder and member of On Ensemble, a contemporary taiko quartet,and a member of the jazz fusion group Hiroshima.-Personal life:...
(present) (TaikoTaikomeans "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
, throat singer)
Past
- Johnny MoriJohnny MoriJohnny Mori is a third-generation Japanese American musician and arts educator/administrator from Los Angeles. He was one of the seminal members of the taiko group Kinnara Taiko and the original taiko drummer for the Grammy nominated jazz-fusion band Hiroshima .-Personal life:Mori was born in...
(1974–2003) - Peter Hata (guitar, 1974–1984)
- Dave Iwataki (keyboards, 1974–1979)
- Dane Matusmura (bass guitar, 1977–1980)
- Richard Matthews (1979-1980. Suicide in early 80s.) (Keyboard-Composer)
- Teri Kusumoto (vocalist, 1977–1982)
- Jess Acuna (vocalist, 1977–1982)
- Barbara Long (vocalist, 1985 album "Another Place", 1987 album "Go")
- Margaret Sasaki-Taylor "Machun" (vocalist, 1989 album "East")
- Jeanette Clinger (vocalist, 1992 album "Providence")
- Terry Steele (vocalist, 1999 album "Between Black & White")
- Teri Koide (vocalist, 1994 album "LA")
Discography
- Hiroshima (Arista/BMG) 1979
- Odori (Razor & Tie/BMG) 1980
- Third Generation (Epic/CBS) 1983
- Another Place (Epic/CBS) 1985
- Go (Epic/CBS) 1987
- East (Epic/CBS) 1989
- Providence (Epic/SME) 1992
- L.A. (Qwest/Reprise/Warner Bros.) 1994
- Urban World Music (Qwest/Warner Bros.) 1996
- Between Black and White (Windham Hill/BMG) 1999
- The Bridge (Heads Up) 2003
- Spirit of the Season (Heads Up) 2004
- Obon (Heads Up) 2005
- Little Tõkyõ (Heads Up) 2007
- Legacy (Heads Up) 2009
June's solos
- Spirit and Soul (Junku) 2002
- The Way of the Tea 2005
- Under the Stars 2009
Other music credits
- June - koto player SukiyakiSukiyaki (song)The cover version by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and Soul chart)....
, 1981 cover versionCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by A Taste of HoneyA Taste of Honey (band)A Taste of Honey was the name of an American recording act, formed in 1971 by associates Perry Kibble and Donald Ray Johnson. In 1978 they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie"...