The Living Room Trio (Snekkestad/Strønen/Kjærgaard) Japan Tour 2014 - two clips from Nagoya gig

The Living Room Trio with Makigami Koichi at Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2013. 

Source: Fotograf Stein Hofve

Now the first Japan tour of the Living Room Trio has started and Makigami just uploaded two short clips from the gig at Valentine Drive in Nagoya on April 24.







And tonight, April 25, they have a gig with Hikashu at Sakuraza, Kofu. And here comes a news - it seems that they will jam together.

☆明日４/２５ 甲府桜座で、ヒカシュー＆北欧より来日中のバンド『The Living Color Trio』とのジョイントライブです。 トーマスに会うのも久しぶり。本当に素晴らしいドラマーです。ドラム２台用意しているから、一緒に演奏するシーンもあるかもしれません。楽しみだー！！
— 佐藤正治 (@MASAHARUSATO) 2014, 4月 24

Sato: "Tomorrow, April 25, there will be a double-bill gig with Hikashu and the Living Room Trio from Northern Europe at Sakuraza, Kofu. Thomas Strønen is truly a fabulous drummer and I haven't seen him in a while. We have arranged two drum sets so maybe we'll play together. You must be excited!"

明日はいよいよ初甲府ヒカシュー。thelivingroom trio とのセッションもあります。
— 巻上公一 (@MAKIBRI) 2014, 4月 24

Makigami: "Tomorrow Hikashu will perform at Sakuraza, Kofu. It's the first time for the group to play there. And there will be a session with the Living Room Trio."

Certainly this will be a special evening. The information of the tour is here.

"Bankan" and "Chakra Biraki" got reviewed on all about jazz

A review of the recent Hikashu releases is just published at allaboutjazz.com. It's written by Eyal Hareuveni who also reviewed the band's last effort "Uragoe" for the site.

The Wild, Eclectic World of Koichi Makigami's Hikashu Band

By EYAL HAREUVENI, Published: April 18, 2014

Japanese vocal artist Koichi Makigami's main musical vehicle has been his band Hikashu since the late seventies. This band embodies Makigami's colorful eclectic tastes and myriad vocal personalities. They succeed in tying together eccentric collective improvisations, Japanese theater traditions or elements from Japanese films and pop songs, references to progressive rock and wild, virtuoso vocal acrobatics. Hikashu's 21st album Bankan and the following EP Chakra Biraki [Chakra Opening] show that when it comes to Makigami and Hikashu, you can only expect the unexpected, but you are guaranteed to have tons of fun.

It's always nice to see the albums got reviewed on media, and allaboutjazz.com is pretty favorable - it's mainly about jazz, of course, but not only that. They're eclectic, so is Hikashu.

You can read the rest here.

Makigami Koichi in NYC: The Stone Residencies Oct 28-Nov 2

Hikashu at GuruGuru Toiro Festival, Saitama Super Arena on April 6, 2014. source: gurugurutoiro.net

For a week starting October 28, Makigami Koichi will curate performances at the Stone NYC.

Currently the line-up is under consideration but Makigami has already expressed that he intends to play with Hikashu for a few days.

He also plans to perform with lots of guest like Bolot Bairyshev, the great performer from Altai. So don't miss it.

The Stone website

The Stone, New York City

The "Bankan" Tour part 2 - Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Kobe shows in May

The second leg of the tour supporting their new album will be held in May, and it covers the second and third largest regions of Japan.

The dates are as follows:

May 18 - Freakyshow, Shizuoka
May 19 - Tokuzo, Nagoya
May 21 - Takutaku, Kyoto
May 22 - Guggenheim, Kobe



May 18, 2014
@ Freakyshow
Shizuoka
other acts: Suteteko, Daichu, and others
open 18:00 - start 18:30
freakyshow.net

Freakyshow, Shizuoka

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May 19, 2014
@ Tokuzo
Nagoya
other acts: Oorutaichi + Utamo
open 18:30 - start 19:30
adv 3,600 yen - at door 4,000 yen
tokuzo.com

Tokuzo, Nagoya

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May 21, 2014
@ Takutaku
Kyoto
other acts: Oorutaichi + Utamo
open 18:00 - start 19:00
adv 4,000 yen - at door 4,500 yen
www.geisya.or.jp/~takutaku

Takutaku, Kyoto

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May 12, 2014
@ Guggenheim House
Kobe
other acts: Oorutaichi + Utamo
open 19:00 - start 19:30
adv 4,000 yen - at door 4,500 yen
www.nedogu.com

Guggenheim House, Kobe

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Guruguru Toiro Festival 2014 in Saitama

This week Hikashu will perform at festival called Guruguru Toiro in Saitama. The event will be held for two days, and their appearance is the latter date - April 6.

The line-up of the same date also includes Charan Po Rantan whom Hikashu collaborated with for their latest release "Chakra Biraki," so maybe something special might happen. We can only expect.


April 6, 2014
"Guruguru Toiro 2014"
@ Saitama Super Arena
Saitama
open 12:30 - start 13:00
(Hikashu 17:00-17:50 @ Red Stage)
3,500 yen for one day
(one drink order minimum)
gurugurutoiro.net


Saitama Super Arena, Saitama

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