The Jazz Culture Feature
KUNI MIKAMI spreads joy at Piano Concert Series at NY Public Library
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KUNI MIKAMI by L. Hamanaka “You think solo piano is the easiest. It’s not—it’s the hardest,” laughed Chris Anderson.
Caught Kuni Mikami at a concert series sponsored by the New York Public Library’s main branch on 41th street, right in the middle of Bryant Park, behind the library building. It was intriguing to see a piano behind one of the most beautiful buildings in New York City, inside an important park, surrounded by crowds of lunch time workers and tourists, and it was a Kuni Mikami clever example of New York at its best. Strangely enough the first song this person heard was “Manhattan” (Richard Rodgers/Larry Hart), played as a walking ballad, which fit right into the sunny afternoon. Mr. Mikami next played a medley: “On A Clear Day,” (Burton Lane/Alan J. Lerner) starting rubato and raising the tempo to 175=quarter note, with a pedal point bass. Mr. Mikami played all over the world in front of millions in concert halls, festivals and on TV during his ten year tenure as Lionel Hampton’s pianist. He then segued into Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, improvising beautifully on the winsome theme, inventing new melodic variations. The lunchtime crowd was held in rapt attention. Bryant Park’s cultural program also includes film showings on the lawn and TV show concert series on temporary stages in the summer. The music seemed to harmonize and humanize the environment; otherwise the park seems to sprawl and the piano became a magnet for those who wanted to relax and 2
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enjoy the weather. The next song in the medley was “You Are My Sunshine,” the folk song, developed through some bluesy interpretation in the right hand, and reversing the melody and playing it in the Left Hand. Many pianists are excellent arrangers and Mr. Mikami is in this gifted group. He then segued back to “Clear Day,” echoing some upper motifs of the melody in the highest register of the piano. Kuni Mikami then played a ragtime medley, with “Maple Leaf Rag” and the “Entertainer” by Scott Joplin. The songs were heavily influenced by classical music in terms of orchestration, and runs flying up and cascading down with both hands, and doubling in the bassline, made this an exciting presentation. The improvisation was fresh, with excellent time, phrasing and articulation. Nothing was off limits as Mr. Mikami next played “Fur Elise” by Beethoven, inserting jazz runs after stating the theme, improvising and turning it into a minor Latin arrangement with dramatic intrigue flowing to a climax in minor chords, using the bass register. “Work Song” followed by Nat Adderly, though it has also been called “Chain Gang” in American folk song collections, at about 138=quarter note. The melody skipped between different registers, sometimes high, sometimes echoed low, using the thundering rhythms of a chain gang’s anguish work, with Mr. Mikami displaying intimate knowledge of the blues, playing like a drum, using pauses effectively on either side of the main motif, and doubling the melody in the Right Hand. A superior ballad player, Mr. Mikami next played “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” by Matt Dennis, rolling his voices in a steady stream of sound. Mr. Mikami is one of a number of pianists who studied extensively with Dr. Barry Harris who are playing on the international jazz circuit. It is apparent he knows the lyric as The Jazz Culture, V.II:5 3
well as the ins and outs of love. He has developed a distinct and romantic style with a balance of introverted and extroverted expression, echoing phrases in the middle and upper registers with lovely runs. “Willow Weep for Me” (Ann Ronell) was done in a bluesy style, at about 132=quarter note, swinging with arpeggiation of the counter melody on the bridge, over a boogie woogie bassline, bringing out the song’s epic qualities, mourning symbolized by the tree referred to in literature as the “tree of unrequited love.” As a request he played “Love Telepathy,” a beautiful original ballad that should qualify as a standard, with a chordal introduction on the pickup , using a full strong tone on the melody. As a walking ballad at about 106=quarter note, the subdivisions of the beat were very clearly felt, and Mr. Mikami knows how to use contrasting textures and dynamics to frame the song dramatically shaping important phrases or notes. “These Foolish Things” was requested, and Kuni Mikami responded with double handed runs throughout the length of the keyboard with exciting voices used in passing chords that ran down in sequence like twinkling clusters of sound. The song ended with poignant uplifting turns. Mr. Mikami rounded things out playing the theme of “Sesame Street” in a majestic and fun filled rendition, with double fisted blues, whereupon a toddler standing on the steps started jumping up and down, until he was hauled away by an irate father. Kuni Mikami rolled his fist back and forth on the keys, a la Monk , playing clusters while maintaining a steady bassline, throwing in a quote from “Duke’s Place.” It was unclear whether Mr. Mikami or the audience had more fun. In the past, he has worked with saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, and the Cab Calloway Orchestra (Cab Calloway’s grandson) and 4
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the Duke Ellington (with the Duke’s grandson Paul), as well as producing his own East West Big Band and a number of cds as a leader. He also loves to work with vocalists around New York, and leads his own trio. He was house pianist at Barry Harris’s Jazz Cultural Theatre when they had jam sessions, and started playing classical music in Japan before moving to the US because he fell in love with jazz. His latest cd is “Hamp’s Boogie” on CD Baby.com, and his website is KuniMikami.com.
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BARRY HARRIS JAZZ WORKSHOP IN ROME Mon 23 to Fri 27 Sept 2013 Felt Music Club & School via degli Ausoni 84, Rome BARRY HARRIS (www.barryharris.com) BARRY HARRIS IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST RESPECTED JAZZ PIANO PLAYERS AND TEACHERS, CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE FOREMOST INTERPRETER OF THE MUSIC OF BUD POWELL, TADD DAMERON AND THELONIOUS MONK. FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY, HARRIS HAS PLAYED WITH THE GIANTS OF JAZZ INCLUDING DIZZY GILLESPIE, MILES DAVIS, DEXTER GORDON, CANNONBAL ADDERLEY AND COLEMAN HAWKINS, TRAVELLING THE WORLD OVER AS AN AMBASSADOR OF JAZZ INFO AND REGISTRATION:ASS. CULT. ROMA JAZZ WORKSHOP annapantuso@hotmail.com +39 339 3383139 lucianofabris@hotmail.com +39 328 6748724 FIVE DAYS MASTERCLASS FOR ALL MUSICIANS/SINGERS Schedule: Piano and guitar 11:00 – 13:00 Singers 14:30 – 16:30 Horns & General Workshop 16:30 – 18:30 On Friday 27 classes last 1 hour and a half. Fees: 160 € for the entire week /40 € for daily seminar Accomodation: b and b and private apartments for rent BARRY HARRIS TRIO CONCERT FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 9:30 pm Felt club/Admission: 15 € Monday to Thursday every night JAM SESSION
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September Listings The Jazz Culture Newsletter Listings are according to artist,not venue. Ray Blue-White Plains Jazz Festival September 8,
Pro Am Ensemble Sept. 2 & 10 -with Ray Abrams Big Band at Swing 46 Sept.9-Cecilia Coleman Big Band at the Bahai Center Sept. 15-Peekskill Presbyterian Church, NY Sept.27- in Apex Jazz Festival, North Carolina Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, every Tuesday, Sunday and some Saturdays at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, (346 W. 46 Street bet. 8th/9th Ave.) Tuesdays; sm. Sat. 9:30-free dance lesson beforehand. Barry Harris- Sept. 18-MEASURE- at LANGHAM PLACE 400 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY Lafayette Harris-Sept.11 1:30 am. Fat Cat Sept. 23 Garage at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 22 Mt. Vernon Out of Doors w/Tex Allen Sept. 28-University of the Streets Joe Magnarelli Japan tour, September 20, Magnarelli Quintet feat. Jerry Weldon, Unitarian Church, Schenectedy; Sept 22, Smalls Jim Malloy, Swing 46, 9:30 p.m. September 5, 12, 19 and 26. John Mosca & Michael Weiss: Vanguard Orchestra Every Monday night at the Village Vanguard Valery Pomoronov Orchestra足 Zinc, September 3, 9:00 p.m. Rick Stone: September 4th, 8-11pm: Sol Yaged (clarinet), Rick Stone (guitar) at Grata Restaurant & Wine Bar, 1076 1st Ave New York, NY 10022, (212) 842-0007, http://www.gratanyc.com/ September 19th, 6-10pm: Rick Stone Trio, the Garage, 99 7th Avenue South (at Christopher Street) Michael Weiss Trio- September 25 & 26 with Mike Karn and Jimmy Wormworth/MEASURE at LANGHAM PLACE 400 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY
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ENGLAND: John Watson Trio at the Palm Court,
the Langham Hotel, London, 1c Portland, Regent Street 207-636-1000 every weekend John Watson/Joe Leader at The Haven, playing Stevie Wonder,George Benson and Bill Withers plus some John and Joe originals. Doors open at 7.30pm - ÂŁ55 all inclusive (three course meal with wine) or ÂŁ20 a ticket to watch the show (2 sets). To make a booking call: 020 8445 7419 or email: jazz@haven-bistro.co.uk
John Watson, Dado Moroni, Rick Stone, Jim Malloy, Lafayette Harris, Clarence Banks, The Heath Brothers,
The Jazz Culture Newsletter Private Jazz Tours in NYC are available; also music teachers in various countries for students & jazz lovers. Further Info email: info@thejazzculture.com. Also, ads are available in the pages of The Jazz Culture Newsletter. The Jazz Culture Newsletter has been read in the following 50 countries in the past year: USA, UK, Lionelle Hamanaka, Canada, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Publisher Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Holland, Hong Kong, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian
Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam
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