JQ Magazine: Concert Review – Yoko Kanno, Logan Richardson Jam ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Classics in NYC
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
Photos by Anthony Mulcahy.
On March 29, the Town Hall of New York became a community united in decades of song as a world-renowned anime composer made her NYC debut with Yoko Kanno Live!, her first U.S. concert since a 2013 solo piano gig at Otakon in Baltimore.
For this special performance–the seeds of which were planted when Kanno made a surprise appearance at 2023’s Cowboy Bebop 25th Anniversary Concert – The Music, also at Town Hall–the cultural icon was paired with two dozen musicians led by saxophonist, composer and bandleader Logan Richardson and the Blues People Big Band.
Town Hall artistic director Melay Araya kicked off the evening with a shoutout to the capacity crowd of space cowboys in the house, noting that Kanno was joining Bob Dylan, Nina Simone and Whitney Houston in the honor of making their New York concert hall debuts at Town Hall.
With the first half of the show dedicated to Cowboy Bebop, Richardson and his 16-piece big band started with jazzy small-combo pieces like “COSMOS,” “Odd Ones” and “Slipper Sleaze.” Introducing Kanno to the stage, Richardson remarked what an honor it was to rehearse and share a stage with such a legendary and exuberant figure. The two shared a special chemistry, with the deadpan, mostly seated Kansas City native providing a contrast to the bouncy, crimson-clad Kanno, who literally covered every inch of the stage conducting the various members of the orchestra from song to song.
A pair of vocal numbers brought out additional guest vocalists, reprising their original contributions to recordings made more than two decades ago. Australia’s Scott Matthew delivered the goods on “lithium flower” from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, while Utica’s own Steve Conte provided vocals, acoustic guitar and rock star swagger on “Could You Bite the Hand?” from Wolf’s Rain.
Read MoreJQ Magazine: Nippon in New York – Kenshi Yonezu, The Joy of Sake, ‘Sailor Moon’ Live
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
Spring has sprung in the Big Apple, and that means one thing: a new season of sounds, colors, and spectacular performing arts to match the blossoming sakura trees throughout the city.
This month’s highlights include:
Friday, April 4, 8:00 p.m.
Kenshi Yonezu 2025 World Tour / JUNK
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Avenue
From $175
Kenshi Yonezu, the brains behind the theme songs of popular anime such as Chainsaw Man and the Academy Award-winning Studio Ghibli film The Boy and the Heron, makes his Radio City Music Hall debut! After gaining success with Vocaloid music under the stage name Hachi, Kenshi Yonezu began producing under his real name in 2012. In addition to music, he has attracted attention for his album cover illustrations and video productions. The video for his hit single “Lemon,” the long-running theme song for the TV series Unnatural, is the most-viewed music video in Japan, and topped Billboard Japan’s year-end charts for two consecutive years, leaving a mark on music history both in Japan and abroad. His newest single “Plazma” is the official theme song to the latest installment in the iconic Gundam franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-. Available everywhere now, the track features electrifying vocals from Yonezu alongside high-tempo synths and electronic rhythms to match the vibrant universe of the mecha and their epic space battles.
April 2-20
In the Pinku: The Return of Roman Porno
Metrograph, 7 Ludlow Street
$17
lIn 1971, facing flagging attendance thanks to competition from television and the specter of bankruptcy, the venerable studio Nikkatsu, the oldest in Japan, remembered the ancient wisdom that “Sex sells”—thus was the Roman Porno line born. Playing alongside the cheaper, independently produced so-called “pink films,” Roman Porno were often more than just salacious—though they were, of course, plenty salacious—for as long as their makers served up the obligatory naked flesh and softcore idylls, they were left free to throw in all the formal flourishes, experimental performances, radical politics, and morbid psychology they so desired. From the ’70s heyday of the Roman Porno to more recent works by Sion Sono and Akihiko Shiota, this six-film series, accompanying a run of Love Hotel, Shinji Somai’s lone venture into Roman Porno, is a trip to the exhilarating intersection of art and smut.
Monday, April 7, 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder: One Night Special Performance
Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 West Third Street
Limited availability
Since Hiromi’s debut album Another Mind (2003), the world-renowned pianist’s sound has evolved with every release, erasing the lines between jazz and classical, composition and improvisation. This special intimate performance celebrates the release of Out There, Hiromi’s 13th studio full-length album. Born in Hamamatsu, Japan, Hiromi began studying piano when she was six years old. When she was 17, Chick Corea invited her to play with him at a Tokyo concert. She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where she was mentored by jazz legend Ahmad Jamal. A prolific artist, she has also recorded the soundtrack to Blue Giant, an animated feature film based on the popular manga. Hiromi is a perennial favorite on DownBeat’s Annual Critics and Readers Poll, and has performed at the world’s finest jazz festivals, including Montreux, Umbria, North Sea, Newport, and Monterey. Her work has been celebrated by media including the New York Times, NPR and NPR Music, and the Washington Post, and she was a featured performer at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021.
Read MoreJQ Magazine: Nippon in New York – ‘Hans Zimmer Live,’ PHANTOM SIITA, ‘Gundam’ Premiere
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
Stay warm this winter with some hot local events, from live showcases that will transport you to another time and place, a clutch of new anime screenings, and a live J-idol performance you won’t want to miss.
This month’s highlights include:
Feb. 5, 6, 9
Various theaters
Various prices
Anime Expo Cinema Nights presents Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Caught up in a world of dreams, lost in the cruelty of reality. What should have been an easy bounty turns into biological war after a terrorist gets hold of a deadly virus. Drawn in by the pretty price on the mastermind’s head, Spike and the Bebop crew are ready to collect a much-needed reward. Unfortunately, the gang’s about to find themselves in more trouble than money when the terrorist threatens to unleash the virus on Halloween– effectively killing everyone on Mars. With little time and leads that seem more dreamy than helpful, they’ll have to use their own bag of tricks to stop a dangerous plot.
Feb 5-7, March 29
We Call It Ballet: Sleeping Beauty in a Dazzling Light Show
Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 524 West 59th Street
$45-$65
Experience Sleeping Beauty like never before in this dance and light show. Enjoy a unique fusion of classical ballet and modern technology, where local dancers literally light up the stage with glittering routines and glow-in-the-dark costumes. The timeless tale of the cursed princess awakened by her true love’s kiss comes to life on stage, as pirouettes and gravity-defying leaps cast a kaleidoscope of colours across the space. It’s a beautiful production you won’t want to miss!
Thursday, Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue (Brooklyn)
From $274
Last call! Due to overwhelming demand for the sold-out Hans Zimmer Live 2024 North American fall tour, the award-winning film composer has added an additional show in Brooklyn. This performance is the last opportunity for NYC-area fans to see Hans Zimmer Live before he begins working on a brand-new live production. Hans Zimmer Live showcases the multiple Academy Award® and Grammy winning composer’s groundbreaking audio and visual show featuring a selection of the composer’s scores, brought to life by Zimmer and his 18-piece live band and full orchestra. The newly arranged concert suites include music from Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, The Lion King, The Last Samurai and Dune, for which Zimmer received his second Academy Award®.
Read MoreJQ Magazine: Nippon in New York — ‘Noh-opera,’ Cowboy Bebop Concert, Anime NYC
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
The Japan-centric events of the month ahead promise to be as rich and full as autumn itself—brisk and colorful, with a dash of unpredictability.
This month’s highlights include:
Thursday, Nov. 1
Various locations
$16-$20
Get ready to crumble! The king of all monsters is back and bigger than ever! The action heats up when a UFO reveals itself as a massive alien monster with awesome destructive powers. The alien monster heads straight for the behemoth Godzilla, who’s just crushed the entire city for the battle of the millennium. But Godzilla’s furious heat beam may not be enough to destroy the death-dealing alien, and the future of humankind is in jeopardy. Now, it’s a bang-up, three-way, no-holds-barred brawl as Godzilla, the alien monster and the courageous citizens of Japan fight an unprecedented battle for survival in this earth-shattering sci-fi action adventure that will blow you away.
Nov. 3-4
Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue
$8 Members, $15 Non-Members (per day)
Join Asia Society to celebrate Japanese independent filmmaking at New York Japan CineFest 2023. Now in its twelfth year, this film festival is back in person for the first time since 2019 with a screening of eighteen provocative short films over two days. The films comprise a diverse and exciting array of genres and styles from around the world— including fiction, documentary, and anime—that portray historical and contemporary Japanese culture and society.
On Friday, November 3, at 6:30 p.m., the two-day festival opens with a ninety-minute screening of short films, followed by a reception.
On Saturday, November 4, more short films follow at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with a beautiful calligraphy performance by acclaimed artist Chifumi Niimi at 3 p.m. Asia Society is proud to co-host the world premiere of Chifumi’s first short documentary film, Shu Ha Ri on New York Japan CineFest Day Two.
Nov, 8-9, various times
Various locations
$16-20
It’s 2012, and ten years have passed since the adventure in the Digital World. Daisuke Motomiya is now twenty, and he and the rest of the DigiDestined seem to be changing bit by bit in terms of appearance and lifestyle. Then one day, a giant Digitama suddenly appears in the sky over Tokyo Tower. Daisuke and the others encounter a mysterious young man named Lui Ohwada, who informs them that he’s the first ever DigiDestined in the world…
The feature will include an introduction from the director, Tomohisa Taguchi. PLUS, as an incredibly special bonus, the first 50 guests to arrive at each night’s screening will receive a complimentary Digimon Card Game Tamer Party Pack -THE BEGINNING- ver. 2.0, which includes 3 out of 14 possible cards from the new Digimon Card Game deck commemorating the film. Lucky recipients will be among the first fans in the U.S. to own these new “Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning” themed cards before they are released to the general public in December. The Nov. 8 screening is dubbed in English, with the Nov. 9 screening subtitled in Japanese.
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