October, 1 < Jam Session in Tokushima >

One of my pianist friends visited my town to perform.
I met him last month at the jazz live. A lot of young musicians including uviversity students also came to join the session.
It was wonderful because there was no wall between professional and amateur.
He also said, "this is my big pleasure to enjoy warm atmosphere of country-side. I love this."

After his short performance, he encouraged me to sing a song, and we enjoyed the session until 1:30 a.m.
All kind of musicians, saxhonist, trumpeter, guitarist and drummer played.
This is actually the first time for me to go out at night alone in my city since I came back.

September, 12 <Kanreki (60th) Concert in Tokyo >

I was invited by one of my friends to his 60th birthday concert. He is a saxphonist and helps a bar in Tokyo, Ginza. When I was working in Tokyo, I often went to his bar after work.
Everytime I went to his bar, he encouraged me to sing, but seldom praises me.

A lot of his friends gathered together to celebrate him at the night.
He asked his musician friends to play with him. He also introduced me to all audience, but actually I was so confused, because those people are particular about jazz.

I sang two songs, "On The Sunny Side of The Street" and "My Foolish Heart."
After singing, I got totally drunken. We moved to his bar and enjoyed talking and playing music until very late night...

August 12~15, <TOKUSHIMA AWA-DANCE FESTIVAL >

Every summer, our town is crawling with a lot of trourists.
TOKUSHIMA AWA-DANCE FESTIVAL is one of the most famous dancing festival in Japan. Over one million people rush into the town to enjoy this and our town turns to be "crazy town."

The origin of the Awa Dance is that it began from a celebration of the completion of TOKUSHIMA Castle when HACHISUKA Lemasa provided sake for the townspeople who got drunk and began to dance with abondon in 1587.

Awa Dance is held in the city of TOKUSHIMA using the main downtown streets and stage. It starts in the evening (6:00p.m.) and the dancing lasts until 10:30 p.m. The main performances are held on outdoor dance stages or strips built in the downtown parks and streets. Eight are on stages, four in plazas, two along roads, and six at streetcorner spaces.
All of prefecture of TOKUSHIMA prefecture catches the summer fever it comes to Awa Odori.

In this season, my house also becomes a "INN" every year with my good friends from all over Japan. Nine people visited me and enjoyed this year.
One of my good friends' couple who used to live in Berkeley also visited me. Her name is SHOKO, and our classmates called her "SHOKO BLACK" in order to distinguish her from me because of the hair color.
We talked with drinking about old good days in Berkeley.
We miss Berkeley a lot (especially dry and cool weather in summer.)

August 1, < TOKUSHIMA JAZZ STREET 2004 >

My home town, TOKUSHIMA, has a big jass festival in every summer and winter. Audience can buy a ticket and enter all bars where the paerformance is taking place.
Our band "BIRDS" has been performed at the festival for six years since 1999 and this summer was going to be seventh appearance.
We performed at two bars in the center of the city, and played seven songs, three instrumental songs and four vocal songs.
The band consists of four members, two pianists(HIDE OKUGAWA, MUNEHIRO MORITA), one bass(RYUJI MIYAMOTO) and one vocal(SHOKO.)

It was nice atmosphere and we really enjoyed with such a warm audience.

After the performance, we came back to my house, and drank.....until the morning! Strangely I wasn't tired at all.
Our sound has seemed to change every year because we are changing.
That's why we want to meet and play together every year even though we live apart.