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"The Asian American Jazz Orchestra--or percussionist Anthony Brown's Asian American Orchestra; take your pick-- is arguably the flagship ensemble of a surging, politically charged Asian American jazz community. Under Brown's direction, the orchestra brings together such standard bearers of the movement as pianist Jon Jang, saxophonist Francis Wong, and bassist Mark Izu. Their agenda, and subsequently their music, is both celebratory and solemn, as evidenced by Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire. Featuring works by Brown, Jang, and Izu, Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire taps the nostalgic tug of swing-era jazz, the deep-running currents of traditional music (several orchestra members double on instruments such as sheng and bamboo flute, and members of San Jose Taiko appear on three tracks), and the exclamatory vigor of idioms ranging from blues to free music, to make an often compelling statement about the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans. The sequencing of the program is integral to its success. An excerpt of Brown's "E.O. 9066-a pentatonic annunciation featuring Qi Chao Liu's suona (reed trumpet)-sets up Izu's "Last Dance," a twenty minute-plus construction of chestnuts like "Tuxedo Junction" and "In a Sentimental Mood," charts by George Yoshida (who played in a camp big band), and texts by Japanese American poets. Despite its many elements, the piece has a welcomed understated power. The remainder of the program is comprised of four additional sections of "E.O. 9066" and a portion of Jang's "reparations Now!" Both pieces feature forceful ensemble writing, which occasionally evokes the spirit of Mingus and '60s Max Roach, and gives additional space to Liu and a contigent of very able horn players (trumpeter John Worley, trombone Wayne Wallace, and saxophonists Wong and Hafez Modirzadeh). Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire is an uplifting reality check." --JAZZTIMES "More important, though, are the ingenious ways Brown has merged the work of two ensembles and two cultures. The swing rhythms of American jazz blend seamlessly with the rapid-fire rhythms of traditional Japanese drums, just as Brown's blues-tinged melody lines function congenially alongside the sweetly diatonic phrases of Japanese melody." -CHICAGO TRIBUNE "The evocative range of Anthony Brown's compositions comes through, as Western and Eastern forms and traditions draw inspiration from one another as the suites unfold." - JAZZ TIMES "And Mr. Brown, swinging away on drums, made the piece levitate." - NEW YORK TIMES "And when Brown's own drumming drops hints of Japanese taiko or mimics the light tintinnabulations of Chinese court music, you know for sure you're not in Kansas..."-JAZZIZ Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire In 1997, the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund (CLPEF) awarded federal grants to individuals, organizations, and projects to promote public education about the Japanese American internment experience. "Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire" is a national multimedia multidisciplinary consortium project funded by the CLPEF to create dialogue and increase public awareness about the internment experience through the vehicle of jazz. Concert programs of the Asian American Jazz Orchestra with members of San Jose Taiko and guest artists performing original works inspired by the internment experience; symposia involving former internees, musicians, and members of local communities; a traveling photo exhibit, "Reminiscing in Swingtime," of how jazz was a part of life in internment camps; and a website about the project and its historical context are the major components of the project. The Music presented on this CD consists of excerpts from extended compositions performed in concert as "Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire." On the Tuesday following a weekend of concerts at the San Jose Repertory Theater in August, the full program was recorded in its entirety. The selections here are first or second takes with no overdubs; this is virtually how we sound in performance. E.O. 9066 is a collaborative commissioned work by Anthony Brown with San Jose Taiko, commemorating the courageous spirit of those unjustly imprisoned during World War II. The introductory Executive Order 9066 is an adaptation of a Chinese melody entitled, "The General's Order," co-arranged by Anthony Brown and Qi Chao Liu. The music heralds the abrupt upheaval and forced incarceration of over 120,000 people precipitated by Executive Order (E.O.) 9066. Qi is featured on suona, the Chinese reed trumpet, even playing two together! LAST DANCE is the collaborative multimedia work by Mark Izu and George Yoshida commissioned by the "Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire" project. George played alto saxophone in the Music Makers of Poston Camp, Arizona in 1943 (front, center in the cover photograph), although he later chose drums as his instrument. He tells the story of the camps from his heart and soul; you can hear his seasoned timing in his adroit phrasing and delivery. George's musicality prompted recording him as another instrument rather than how a singer typically would be. Adaptations of the original big band arrangements of Tuxedo Junction, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, and In a Sentimental Mood are by Wayne Wallace. Consummate performance artist Brenda Wong Aoki contributes haunting reminders in song and poetry of the nightmare World War II was for Japanese Americans. As Mark said, "Kiryoku represents the vital, ever-changing Japanese American community, the spirit of 'keeping on,' moving forward, creating, and celebrating." E.O. 9066 continues with Ichikotsu-cho, an arrangement of an 11th-century Gagaku composition (ceremonial court music), dedicated to the Issei, the first generation of Japanese in America. It features Qi and then Mark Izu on shengs, Chinese mouth organs, before other winds join in a free round. The Prelude (Truth be Told) creates an ambiance of timelessness, transporting the listener through the musical themes of the suite. Rhymes (For Children) commemorates the injustices suffered by Japanese Latin Americans, and celebrates hope for a future that will not see the imprisonment of children. REPARATIONS NOW! A Concerto for Ensemble and Taiko Jon Jang composed REPARATIONS NOW! inspired by the historic Day of Remembrance celebration in San Jose in February 1987 and his experiences in the Asian communities. In his liner notes for Never Give Up! (Asian Improv Records, 1989), Jon wrote, "In this music, we are trying to express the pride and sentiments of Asian peoples' struggles in America for equality and justice." The excerpts include Redress/Blues (for Akira "Jackson" Kato), Reparations Now! (for the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations, Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, Black Congressional Caucus, and 40 acres and a mule for African Americans), and Ikiru (inspired by Akira Kurasawa's 1952 film). Taiko composed and arranged by Jose Alarcon and PJ and Roy Hirabayashi. The Asian American Jazz Orchestra The evolution of jazz over the course of this century can be traced through the sounds of its instrumental combinations--from the archetypal New Orleans ensembles led by Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, through the resplendence of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, to the explorations of Afro-Cuban fusion by Dizzy Gillespie's bop big bands. In the global community of the 21st century, the Asian American Jazz Orchestra presents original music composed by several leaders of the jazz and world musical communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. Steeped in the jazz tradition, as well as the folk and classical musics of Asia, Africa, and Europe, the Asian American Jazz Orchestra bridges Eastern and Western, old and new to create music representative of a new era dawning on the Pacific Rim. Check out the artist's website: http://www.anthonybrown.org Track List: 1. E.O. 9066 2. Camp Life 3. Jerome Camp 4. The Photograph 5. The Last Dance 6. Kiryoku 7. Ichikotsu-cho 8. Prelude (Truth be Told) 9. Intro to Rhymes 10. Rhymes (For Children) 11. Redress/BLues 12. Reparations Now! 13. Ikiru Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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