By Mary Jeneverre Schultz, Asian Avenue magazine
With limited advertising but to a packed audience of 400, Ai Kuwabara Trio performed to students, music lovers and aspiring musicians at the Kenneth King Academic & Performing Arts Center, Concert Hall at the Metropolitan State University of Denver on November 18.
As its third stop on a four-city tour throughout the United States, the Ai Kuwabara Trio performed music categorized as urban contemporary jazz with a strong, experimental feel and flavor of funk.
Sponsored by the Japan Foundation, the group performed in San Francisco and Los Angeles with the final stop in Anchorage, Alaska.
“The Consulate hopes that our Cultural Affairs department can continue being a conduit to the local community by help diversifying and enriching the art and culture scene in Colorado,” Yayoi Shaw of Cultural Affairs of the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver.
The jazz trio hand carried 200 CDs to be sold at all their performance venues, however, selling out in California, the musician trio instructed audience members to purchase their music through iTunes.
If you missed their performance, search the band’s name ‘Ai Kuwabara Trio’ on YouTube.com for video clips. Another resource is their website: www.aikuwabaratrio.com.
Arturo Gómez, Music Director and Host of Lunchtime at the Oasis on Denver’s radio station, KUVO, attributed the high attendance to good weather and active promotion from the local jazz station.
For information on future events, contact the Cultural Affairs of the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver at [email protected] or visit www.denver.us.emb-japan.go.jp.
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