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THE ASIAN
AMERICAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA:
Anthony Brown: drumset w/timbales and pedal tom, shime daiko [7]; Mark
Izu: bass, sheng (mouth organ) [7]; Jon Jang:
piano; Qi Chao Liu: sheng [7], suona reed
trumpet [1, 10], dizi (bamboo flute) [4, 6, 8, 9, 10]; Hafez
Modirzadeh: soprano and tenor saxophones [2, 6], ney (end-blown flute)
[4, 8]; Wayne Wallace: trombone; Francis
Wong: tenor saxophone [2, 5], flute [1, 6-10]; clarinet
[5]; John Worley: trumpet.
SAN JOSE TAIKO:
PJ
Hirabayashi: taiko, percussion, waterphone [8]; Michelle Fujii:
taiko,
percussion, shekere [10]; Yumi Ishihara: taiko,
percussion, cowbell [6], clave and palito [10]; Crissy
Sato: taiko, percussion, triangle and cowbell [10].
and special guests BRENDA WONG AOKI and GEORGE YOSHIDA
Anthony
Brown's Liner Notes to "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" was 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
part of life in internment camps were major components of the
project.
This
recording consists of excerpts from extended compositions
performed in concert as "Big Bands Behind Barbed
Wire." Following a weekend of concerts at the San Jose
Repertory Theater, the full program was recorded in its
entirety. The selections included on the CD are first or
second takes with no overdubs and reflect essentially what the
Orchestra sounds like 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 (2:04-2:14)!
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.
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.
Day
of Remembrance
"In
the camps, we identified ourselves as Americans through our music."
— George Yoshida, jazz musician, former internee and author
of "Reminiscing
in Swingtime"
"Music
helped us keep our sanity, it gave us hope."
— "Sox" Kitashima, former internee, spokesperson,
National Coalition for Redress
and Reparations
On
February 19th, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and
incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry. Two-thirds were American citizens; the rest were aliens
ineligible for citizenship due to discriminatory naturalization laws. Under the guise of "military
necessity," persons of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast — including infants, the elderly and the frail — were
taken to internment camps located in the most desolate areas of the Western states.
They
were never charged with any crime; there was no due process; massive violations of Constitutional
rights occured; incalculable personal suffering and loss was sustained. In 1981 the Commission on Wartime Relocation and
Internment of Civilians, a federal commission, determined that the internment was not justified by "military
necessity" and the broad historical causes which gave rise to the internment were "race prejudice, war hysteria
and a failure of political leadership."
Since
1978, Japanese American communities across the nation have observed this historic date as a Day of Remembrance through
a variety of ceremonies, educational and cultural programs. This year (1998) marks the tenth anniversary of the
Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided an official governmental apology, individual redress to surviving
internees, and a public education fund.
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