Steppenwolf presents 'Tatsu Aoki's Miyumi Project' 5/9

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 2008 Traffic Series marks Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with 'Tatsu Aoki's Miyumi Project:  East Meets the Rest' – Friday, May 9, 2008 in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

 

Chicago avant-garde jazz is fused with taiko drumming from a variety of cultures in an energetic performance by Tatsu Aoki and his band, The Miyumi Project, celebrating a long history of collaboration between African-American and Asian-American jazz artists.  Aoki's ensemble is a multi-generational group comprised of Chicago's leading musicians, including Mwata Bowden (baritone sax/clarinet), Jeff Chan (tenor sax), Jonathan Chen (violin), Amy Homma (drums and shamisen), Chinatsu Nakano (alto sax and bamboo flute), Yoko Noge (vocals), Melody Takata (drums), Joel Wanek (bass), Francis Wong (soprano sax) and Hide Yoshihashi (drums).  The performance will also feature members of the Japanese American Service Committee's Tsukasa Taiko Youth Program.

 

A musician, composer and educator, Tatsu Aoki has recorded more than 100 albums featuring many of Chicago's musical legends.  He is the founder and artistic director of the Chicago Asian-American Jazz Festival and is an artist-in-residence at the Japanese American Service Committee.

 

The May 9 performance at Steppenwolf will also mark the official release of Tatsu Aoki's newest recording The Miyumi Project Live in Poland on Chicago label Southport Records.  Mr. Aoki and members of the ensemble will be signing copies of the new CD following the performance.

 

Title:                            Tatsu Aoki's Miyumi Project:  East Meets the Rest

Featuring:                    Tatsu Aoki, Mwata Bowden, Jeff Chan, Jonathan Chen, Amy Homma, Chinatsu Nakano, Yoko Noge, Melody Takata, Joel Wanek, Francis Wong, Hide Yoshihashi and the Japanese American Service Committee's Tsukasa Taiko Youth Program

Location:                     Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre

Dates:                          Friday, May 9, 2008

Curtain Times:             7:30 p.m.

Ticket price:                 $40

Audience Services:      1650 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650

                                    Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org

"Traffic continues Steppenwolf's season-long conversation about what it means to be an American – this time with a decidedly made-in-Chicago focus.  Traffic provides a vibrant platform for dialogue between our multi-generational audience and an eclectic pool of artists," comments Director of the Traffic Arts Series, Sylvia Ewing.  "Traffic provides the opportunity for Steppenwolf to be a place where people come together for an experience that bridges entertainment and discovery, the familiar and the unknown."

Steppenwolf's Traffic Series brings together artists of all disciplines and casts them as storytellers in one night only presentations on the Steppenwolf stage.  Traffic provides an intimate and unique intersection of language, lyrics, poetry and music, creating a fresh perspective on expressing the American story.

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