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16PACIFICSTARS AND STRIPES * 3 **fli imb «rMusicSUNDAY, APRIL 9, 1989By Dennis HuntLos Angeles TimesLOS ANGELES — Dan Kuramoto, leader of the Japanese-American band Hiroshima, interrupts his discussion of the group’s latest project, the play “Sansei,” to have a panic attack.“We’re oti| offlpr territory,” says Kuramoto, 41; “We’re musicians. ... And we’re about to opi|ij«i5.:.;a play? Sometimes I wonder we’re doing.”Hiroshima's domain is jazz. Formed in 1975, therecords for Epic Records, jiMilithe few Asian-American... ......•£•.'*.lt;*:•; :v -.frix* ••saw•Vfcv?::*:group. The fou r members were g ri I led by director Robert Egan, 38, who distilled that information and, with their help, fashMned jlay.“We spilted| our gdts^’l Kuramoto Therils stuff in ti that could family iod friends. I don’t have to gp intohiding.... We ^|i|iSi|ith th^iliulturli' cfels thatfa^|i|e-AmerWihi|ji| through. LikeI was in coMigef Ranted tothinkinq I shouldI fathe li personal feelAmerican music indushif*^andotherwise prominent So why stray front “This project,:?|iH different,” Ku|g®|ipiys,is opportun Ination Japanese-Alives of the fourma, which also includes koto player June Kuramoto (Dan's ex-wife), percussionist John Mori and drummer Danny Yamamoto. Newest member, ||nger Machun, isn't part of the main ibdy of the piece.^Jmlipay ©mlBins where we are or wltf we ^ot lfii'e,'' Kuramoto sa “I It it's Ml just ;*ouflil It deals w issupi that hau||f allSan much sf our culture do wii|few do piiple** anosiier culture? a |t of Ctilturgiif liiifThe sea df the dilr is I fi^fciidke^- - - piGftmo theotllfe msrhbers ofHiroshima, reactionstotraumas such --.„.lfcthe Kuramotos' divorce ift the early^.l^BUps and the suicide ot||ind meihber r^liiBiiiliichard Matthews, whd lilngvtiimseif1983.HHI hope we did the right thing,” Kuramoto says.last two years, Hiroshimarnmmk «nal|y as a mai°r f°rce 'nl|ISt|fe:Jezz and New Age markets. Itswhich topped the Bill-ine jazz charts for eight ear ago, sold a respect-pies. The band's new promises to be an ev§nlt;!•In the late '70s, Hiroshima started playing fusion music — blending jaz^and rock with Eastern |h^siif„llJS^|ig traditional Japanese^ffetrii^ iiiiiSailts. But after fusion died in the earlyup began to ffi£M*Jwfcja«L ly when it sigi£p| With Epic 1983. It eked by on pult Ii8llpew Age — mellow, few^became popular d few. nv.*/; y*r.- ^ * .v»a .vhwxw»ss»?v.;. f •Hi roahIma show. WhTt - the ban#fl§i^yeyfrtg, aut^|p#liihical||i|itcheslifc|iilPrt^|J|ias complaints about the feven^in and out? of musiciiPipisj§;i^^^y. For instance, some of pditorm tnces. Spmiii the songs aiiiiftlpgplpp record company experi-frbrti their albums #nd some weralf||p», Kuraipil® says, haypjiri Hgly. written spiditficatfy for IW production.ISQie ofvaspectsf pf^Phi of racism Ini^lip^lipiharges that sorne corn^pehleiH particularly those with fewWHiLE rm *BND membersRfey, otlipr pifermerf dp the acting —mainly jfenolbgues^ Hlfiey are Marc Hgyfehi (Kuramoto), Nelson Mashita (Yamamoto), Lane Nishikawa (John) and Ntsukd Champ (June). The piece, Kuranfeto says, is about one-quarter straightmusiclike a concert.“The Wdy the play is structured, each member's thoughts are amplified during the performance,” Kura mold says. “Actors act out what’s going through our minds while we’re playing, We’re alt thinking about our lives as we’re playing. Once those thoughts go by, the band member goes back to playing. Then the focus shifts to another member. ’ ’The script was developed out of two years of taped interviews with theafppMo not waihpictures on tfepevar It e artist isiWpiite. “This dfesoh, MHai:: me, fiiiays, stressing that nbiidf these acdgsations ware aimedat m§ ••sroup1s jabel, Epic.of the reasonsHirc^il^liliiite^vsl0niiRm fur the Chapid;:::td miie statements about ^Pferris like record-industry racism, which might benefit Asian-Americans and other minorities.“I’m not a crusader,” he says, “But there’s a lot of things about Sansei and racism and racial identity that need to be said. We do a good job of saying that stuff, too.”he Stray Cats would like you to believe they have re-formed because they want to put the rock back in rock ’n’ roll.Yeah, they wanna rock, but who are they kidding? These guys aren’t playing for Tender Vittles. This is big business and big money, and everyone wants their share of the kitty.After a raucous debut album (1982’s “Built for Speed”) and some mediocre followups, the trio faded from the airwaves as quickly as you can say “Men At Work.” Lead singer-guitarist Brian Setzer had a moderately successful solo stint, but there’s more money to be made as a Stray Cat.Last fall, the Long Island rockabilly threesome of Setzer, string bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom returned to the studio and brought back producer Dave Edmunds for their fourth album. The result? Despite the commercial overtones, it’s a surprisingly authentic rocker titled “Blast Off” (on Capitol-EMI), featured here in the Compact Disc Review Corner.The Cats don’t waste any time, openingwith the fast and furious title cut, lifting off with a countdown chorus and jettisoning into an intergalactic rockout. There’s a booming ode to '50s rock heroes Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran on “Gene and Eddie,” the trio’s biggest influences. The first single, “Bring It Back Again,” is a roarous appeal to remember the good ol’ days, and the cliches run supreme on “Everybody Needs Rock ’n’ Roll.”They finally take a breather on the 10th and final track, “Nine Lives,” where they serve up an interesting bluesy twist to their usual rantin’ and ravin’.From the start, you can tell the Cats are as tight as ever and sincere in revitalizing the lost art of rock, but producer-savior Edmunds may be equally responsible for that. Hey, the money isn’t too bad either.“KILLIN’ TIME,” Clint Black (RCA) — Hard to believe this 27-year-old Houston native is a country newcomer. He has all the singing and writing confidence of a Nashville veteran. Avoiding the country-by-numbersroutine, he blends his flawless debut album with all sorts of styles: ballads, honky-tonks, Cajun waltzes. Look out, Randy Travis, there isn’t a bad track on this album, which is set to be releasedH is it really an album by Tbs Jacksons if Mtcfasof Jackson isn't heavily involved? The record-buying public can decide it later this month when “2300 Jackson Street”— featuring Jermaine, Jackie, Randy end Tito Jackson ^ hits the stores.Michael can be heard on the title song, a referenceto the family home back in Gary, Ind., along witt! other Jackson siblings Janet, Robbie, La Toy a end Marlon, as welt ss their IS nieces and nephews.“Basically, it's about our career,” Jackie says of the song. “It's about growing up in that house and working hard with our mom and dad sacrificing all their wants and needs so they could buy instruments for us.”The album marks the Jacksons* 25th anniversary of their Bret performance in Gary.■ The video for Tom Potty's new single, “I Won’t Back Down,” features half of the Booties. Petty was In a London studio lost week filming with a couple of his friends fromthe Traveling Wllburys, George Harrisonand Jeff Lynne, plus Mike Campbell, who plays with Petty in the Haartbreakere, but they didn't have a drummer for the video. Thensomeone thought of Ringo Starr, who will beseen drumming in the video ~ even though he doesn t really play on the song. The single is off “Full Moon Fever,” Petty's first solo album.R Bruce Willis, the wisecracking TV detective on ABC’s “Moonlighting,” has solved the case of the missing blues harps. Thirty-si* harmonicas owned by the actor were in Hawaii with Smokey Robinson.Willis, who had been recording a follow-up Motown album to his successful “The Return of Bruno” LP at the SIR Studios in Hollywood,commercially May 2. Top cuts: “A Better Man,” ‘Winding Down,” “Straight From the Factory,” “Nobody’s Home.” The CD contains an extra track, “I’ll Be Gone.”“ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD,” Charles Brown (Alligator) — Alligator has reissued this 1986 album by the gifted and overlooked blues singer-pianist which originally appeared on Blue Side Records. Brown offers a sophisticated brand of blues that recalls his early days when he was considered serious competition for Nat “ King” Cole.(Brown s biggest hit to date has been “Merry Christmas Baby.”) Alligator has made this an even more attractive package by deleting a few inferior tracks and replacing them with “I Stepped in Quicksand” and “You Changed My Life.”“ALL FOUR ONE,” The Motels (Capitol) — About time this showed up on CD! This 1982 album was the big breakthrough for the long-suffering Los Angeles bar band fronted by singer-songwriter Martha Davis. Their third LP found them turning into a power-pop group capable of heartfelt ballads like “Only the Lonely” and “Take the L” and rockers like “Apocalypso,” “Mission of Mercy” and the somewhat humorous ‘ ‘Tragic Surf, ” where Davis melodramatically sings about Johnny riding “that demon wave straight from hell.”“FUN, FAITH AND FAIRPLAY,” Big Bam Boo (Uni-MCA) — If you’re desperate for some mighty-fineharmonies, thoughtful lyrics, loads of guitars and something different in your life, this debut by the new British duo of Shark and Simon Tedd will more than suffice. The title speaks for itself.See CATS, Page 17decided early last week to lock up hisharmonicas in a studio lock*. “He oaked atechnician H they would be safe in a lockerthere and they said they would put thdm in Smokey Robinson's gear which had been there for three months,” says Wiitts' publicist, Paul Bloch.The next day, Robinson packed up hit gear, including die 38 harmonicas, for the start of a world tour and flew to Honoluhi; Alad ataahed in the locker were original lyrics for new Wifiis songs.“Producer Robert Kraft had to scramble to find 38 new harps so they could continue rehearsals while trying to track down Smokey's road manager who was enjoying the surf in Hawaii,” says Bloch. The harmonicas were flown back to Los Angeles and rushed to Willis in time for the first day of recording, he says.king for a new with MotownI The Pointer Slaters are lookl record label and are talking Records, says June Pointer. Their lOst two albums — “Hot Together” and “Serious Slammin’ ” — sold poorly because they (fidn’t get the proper attention from RCA, leading to the group’s split with the label, she says.B The Rite, one of New York’s leading rock clubs, has moved from E. 11th Street to 264 W. 54th Street, on the northern fringe of the theater district.Its new building, constructed in 1927, was originally an opera house. It later became a theater, a CBS-TV studio and, in the lata 1970s, housed the club Studio 54. The refurbished space wilt have three basic setups.The first is an open-door rock club, with a capacity of around 1,800. The second is a ballroom configuration, with a capacity of around 3,000. In its third mode, the club will be a 2,000-seat theater. The one major downtown feature to be moved uptown will be the club’s large-screen video projection system. The new Rite opened on Thursday.Compiled from wire reports
Newspaper Details
Pacific Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, Tôkyô, JP
Sun, Apr 09, 1989
Page 9
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