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November 26, 2011

Mar Creation to Host the “2011 Nippon Song Holiday Concert” Featuring World-Renown Japanese Artists

♦ Thursday, December 08 – 19:00-21:30
   at Victor Borge Hall at Scandinavia House (58 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016)

Fee: Advance $25.00 / At door $30.00
Inquiry: contact@marcreation.com / 917-400-9362
Online tickets: BrownPaperTickets
Facebook: Event page
Mamiko Taira & Toru Dodo
Go-Zee-Lah
Yumi Kurosawa
m2duo

New York, NY – November 22, 2011 – Independent record label, Mar Creation, Inc. will host the “2011 Nippon Song Holiday Concert”, featuring four prominent Japanese musicians/groups, spanning the genres of jazz to tango. The dynamic concert lineup includes four award-winning musicians and groups, and a special artist reception will immediately follow the concert. The event will take place on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm) at the Victor Borge Hall at Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue (between East 37th and 38th Streets), New York, NY, and tickets are $25 in advance ($30 at the door).

The four New York-based groups of musicians are: Yumi Kurosawa (Japanese koto), Go-Zee-Lah (experimental), m2duo (tango), and Mamiko Taira and Toru Dodo (jazz). Each of the four artists will play a couple traditional/popular Japanese songs, as well as some of their original music. Yumi Kurosawa is an award-winning koto player and composer of traditional and contemporary music, whose unique style incorporates computer sound into her original music. She has toured internationally in Japan, Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Russia and the United States, and has also appeared in many well-known venues such as Apollo Sound Stage, Joe’s Pub, and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Go-Zee-Lah is the partnership between Kyoko Kitamura on voice and Yayoi Ikawa on piano. They have used their vast musical expertise to compose their original works of music, using Japanese folk songs as compositional and improvisational inspiration. Go-Zee-Lah was featured at New York City’s legendary Vision Festival in 2010. M2duo consists of two Julliard graduates, Machiko Ozawa (violin) and Makia Matsumura (piano), who are known for their unique take on tango – ranging from their passionate interpretations of Astor Piazzolla’s music, sometimes even mixing tap dancing with violin – to reinventing Japanese pop songs as tango. Ozawa is a much sought-after tango violinist; Matsumura is one of the youngest pianists to regularly contribute improvised scores to classic silent films. Mamiko Taira (vocal) and Toru Dodo’s (piano) setlist consists of everything from American pop songs, to jazz standard, to Japanese folk songs. Taira is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning Japanese jazz singer. Dodo is a Tokyo-born world-renown pianist who has performed in venues all over the world and has released four solo albums to date.

Tickets for the concert are $25 in advance ($30 at the door), and can be purchased online at: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/213564. For more information on the Victor Borge Hall at Scandinavia House, please visit: www.scandinaviahouse.org or call (212) 779-3587.

Mar Creation, Inc., established in 2003, is a full-service, one-stop resource for all creative needs – video/music production, graphic/web design, event planning/booking, PR, artist management. It is home to an independent record label featuring a diverse lineup of talented international artists, spanning the genres of jazz, rock, pop, world music and electronica. In recent years, Mar Creation has been involved with and supports various charitable events/activities, including AIDS awareness, Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief fund and projects focused on international peace-making. For more information, please visit: www.marcreation.com.

For tickets, booking, promotional or press inquiries, contact Hiroshi Kono, President of Mar Creation, Inc., Phone: (917) 400-9362, or email: contact@marcreation.com.

2011 Nippon Song Holiday Concert

November 2, 2011

Yumi Kurosawa with Bella Gaia Enesemble

♦ Thursday, November 3, 2011
   at Yardley Hall, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park (Kansas, U.S.A.)
♦ Saturday, November 5, 2011
   at Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John's University, St. Joseph (Minnesota, U.S.A.)

October 22, 2011

MIKA's Solo Live!

♦ Saturday, November 5, 2011 - 14:00
   at Fort Lee Public Library (Fort Lee, NJ)
Facebok: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=264320963611679

September 18, 2011

Mamiko Taira & Toru Dodo Live!

♦ Thursday, October 19, 2011 - 21:30
   at Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street, New York, NY, U.S.A.)

Mamiko Taira & Toru Dodo  Live!

September 18, 2011

Yumi Kurosawa Koto Concerto-Genji w/ Lark Quartet

♦ Thursday, October 13, 2011
   at Freer Gallery – The Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art (Washington D.C., U.S.A.)

September 18, 2011

Daniel Baeder Electronic Project Live!

♦ Wednesday, September 21 - 24:00
   at HiFi Club (219 10th Ave SW, Calgary Alberta Canada)

Daniel Baeder Electronic Project Live!


♦ Sunday, September 18 - 24:00
   at Sal's On 17th (17 Avenue Southwest, Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
   Featuring VJ Brat
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/49650050930/

Daniel Baeder Electronic Project Live - featuring VJ Brat

August 19, 2011

Woven Notes Live

♦ Saturday, August 20, 2011 - 7:00PM
   at Metropolitan Room ( 34 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010)

Woven Notes, a six piece High Energy Vocal Jazz band from Tokyo will be performing at the Metropolitan Room.
Woven Notes has been making much headline news in Northern Westchester County since their arrival on July 9th. In only 4 weeks of performing at an upscale wine bar and lounge, they have managed to capture the attention of the North County News, The Yorktown Patch and the New York Times.

Woven Notes Live

August 11, 2011

Naoko Nakagawa & Jean-Ronald LaFond Voice Recital for Japan

♦ Thursday, August 18, 2011 - 7:00PM (door opens at 6:30PM)
   at WMP Concert Hall (31 East, 28th Street New York, NY 10016)

Performers : Naoko Nakagawa (Soprano), Jean-Ronald LaFond (Tenor)
Accompanied by : Joan Krueger (Piano), Satoshi Kanazawa (Composition, Piano)
Tickets : $20 (in advance), $25 (at the door)
Advance ticket purchase is available on AAJ's website
More details and ticket purchase : Artists in Action for Japan

Naoko Nakagawa & Jean-Ronald LaFond Voice Recital for Japan

August 2, 2011

Daniel Baeder Solo Live!

♦ Friday, August 5 - 24:00 at Darkroom (Chicago, IL)

Daniel Baeder Solo Live!

August 1st, 2011

MIKA's Samba Jazz Trio Live!

♦ Tuesday, August 2nd - 9:00pm-11:30pm at Tomi Jazz (Manhattan, NY)
Artists: Mika (p,vo), Helio Schiavo (dr), Leco Reis (b)

MIKA's Samba Jazz Trio Live!

July 18, 2011

MIKA - Japan summer tour 2011

MIKA piano trio
♦ Saturday, August 6 - 20:00/21:30 at Softwind in Roppongi ( Tokyo, Japan )
♦ Wednesday, August 10 - 19:30 at MOCO & SONGS ( Fukuyama, Japan )
♦ Thursday, August 11 - 19:00 at SushiGin Honten ( Tottori, Japan )
♦ Friday, August 12 - 20:00 at Birthday ( Matsue, Japan )


MIKA solo
♦ Saturday, August 20 - 19:00 at Jurann ( Soja, Japan )
♦ Sunday, August 21 - 16:00 at Brilliant Square ( Kojima, Japan )


MIKA duo
♦ Wednesday, August 24 - 19:00 at Penny Lane ( Kurashiki, Japan )
♦ Thursday, August 25 - 19:00 at Creole ( Kobe, Japan )


MIKA piano trio
♦ Friday, August 26 - 19:30/21:15 at Mr.Kellys ( Osaka, Japan )
♦ Saturday, August 27 - 20:00/21:30 at Praça 11 in Aoyama ( Tokyo, Japan )

July 18, 2011

Boris Gaquere & Renato Martins Duo - Brazil tour 2011

♦ August 25 at SESC Vila Mariana (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
♦ August 27 at Photosofia (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
♦ August 31 at Casa do Núcleo (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
♦ September 2 at SESC Bauru (Bauru, Brazil)
♦ September 9 at SESC de Ribeirão Preto (Ribeirão Preto, Brazil)

June 21, 2011

Mar Creation Presents “DANS-A-LIVE” – A Unique, Interactive Show Fusing Live Music with Dance

Mar Creation, a full-service creative entertainment agency, record distribution and management company, is proud to announce “Dans-A-Live”, a dynamic show featuring diverse dancing, singing, unique body percussion and live music, at Public Assembly (70 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211) on Sunday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. “Dans-A-Live” will feature the production debut of Nobuya Nagahama, a well-respected Japanese dancer and choreographer who appeared as a finalist in the hit television show, “So You Think You Can Dance?”. Cover is $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

"Dans-A-Live” will feature a jam-packed hour of dance performances accompanied by diverse music with live percussion enhancements.

Dancing will be provided by groups as well as solo dancers and range in styles from hip-hop to R&B to the “robot”. In addition to Nagahama, the roster of diverse dancers from the U.S., Netherlands, Canada and Japan, will include: Natsuko Hayashi, Kana Harayama, Rafael Casiano, Roxanna Louise and Julie Vanessa. Michael Feigenbaum, internationally-acclaimed Broadway performer and rhythm specialist, will lend his unique style of body percussion and beatboxing to the show. The second segment of the show will highlight a collaborative work of dancing and beatboxing by Nagahma and Feigenbaum. As part of the all-cast finale, guitarist Masashi Ishiura and violinist Muneyoshi Takahashi will perform to close out the show.

Check out TicketWeb's website to get tickets »

Dans-A-LiveDans-A-Live promo video

June 21, 2011

Mar Creation Presents “YUMING THINGS 2” CONCERT: A Specail Star-filled Tribute to the Music of Yumi Matsutoya

Mar Creation, a full-service creative agency, record distribution and management company, is proud to announce “Yuming Things 2”, a concert honoring the music of world-renown, multi-platinum Japanese artist, Yumi Matsutoya (“Yuming”), at The Triad (158 West 72nd Street, New York, NY 10023). Fittingly, the will take place on July 7, 2011, the same night as Tanabata, a well-known Japanese festival.
“Yuming Things 2” will put a fresh spin on Yuming’s pop songs offering jazz renditions by well-known Japanese jazz artists at two different times – 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Cover is $10 in advance, $15 at the door, with a two-drink minimum.

“Yuming Things 2” stems from the success of a similar concert, “Yuming Things”, which took place in March of last year, and will feature four jazz artists who will cover a total of 16 of Yuming’s songs (eight per show). With more than 30 records produced and 42 million copies sold, Yuming has been a one of the most influential pop artists in Japan since the 1970s. Japanese singer, Mamiko Taira, will produce and provide the vocals for “Yuming Things 2” and will be accompanied by an all-Japanese band - Senri Oe (piano), Yutaka Uchida (drums) and Yoshi Waki (bass).

Taira is an internationally-awarded jazz vocalist (grand prize at the Asakusa Jazz Festival Competition, invited participant at the Manly Jazz Festival in 1994 and 1996, finalist at the Third Annual Jazzconnect Jazz Vocal Competition) who toured with the James McBride Group and has been a fixture on the New York City jazz scene. Besides being a pianist, Oe is a well-known lyricist, composer, arranger, actor and television host in Japan. He just finished up his spring tour with Morning Musuko, a 17-piece big band specializing in Japanese popular music, and continues to play in prominent New York City jazz venues.

Uchida is a drummer/percussionist and composer who has toured internationally with various groups, while maintaining his own Yutaka Uchida Quartet. He has been awarded multiple grants from the Council on Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI) for his original works, and continues to play at some of New York’s most exclusive venues. Waki began his award-winning musical career at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he was presented with the Outstanding Performer Award. After graduation, he went on tour with the National Tour Company of Fosse, a Tony-Awarded musical show. He has performed with many notable musicians, and provided bass on “After Hours”, Album of the Year at the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Award, as well as “Catch that Train!”, Best Musical Album for Children at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

Check out Brown Paper Tickets's website to get tickets »

Yuming Things 2

May 21, 2011

Yumi Kurosawa's Live Schedule

Koto Concerto: Genji – world premiere - with Orchestra of the Swan
♦ Saturday, May 28 - 7:30 pm at Civic Hall ( Stratford-on Avon, U.K. )


Guest performance for Bella Gaia
♦ Saturday, June 18 at Vanderbilt Planetarium ( Centerport, NY )


Live performance in Bolzano, Italy
♦ Friday, July 1st ( Bolzano, Italy )


Kurosawa Koto Ensemble Concert with Yumi Kurosawa & Dozan Fujiwara
♦ Sunday, July 10 ( Morioka, Japan )


Hougakuten concert
♦ Monday, July 11 ( Tokyo, Japan )


ICMC ( International Computer Music Conference )
♦ Thursday, August 4 ( Manchester, U.K. )

June 10, 2011

MIKA's Live Schedule for June

MIKA solo
♦ Friday, June 10th - 9:00pm/10:30pm/0:00am (3 sets) at Tomi Jazz

MIKA solo


MIKA's Samba Jazz Trio Live!
♦ Monday, June 21st - 9:00pm-11:30pm at Tomi Jazz
Artists: Mika (p,vo), Helio Schiavo (dr), Leco Reis (b)

MIKA's Samba Jazz Trio Live!

May 08, 2011

Artists in Action for Japan Presents "Benefit Concert for Japan 002"
-Raise Funds for Japan Earthquake Relief Effort-

♦Saturday, May 21 - 6:00pm (the door opens at 5:30pm) at The Church-in-the-Gardens (50 Ascan Avenue, Forest Hills, NY 11375)

(A reception will follow after the concert at the lounge in the church.)

Suggested Donation : Adult $20 / Senior, Student $15 / Age 12 and under Free w/suggested donation
(Cash Only at the door. Adult tickets can be purchased online. Donation of any amount are welcome.)

All profits from the sales of tickets will be donated to Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) to support Japanese NPO/NGO currently working in devastated areas in North-Eastern Japan.

-Performers-
[ Jazz ] Oliver Lake (Saxophone), Yoichi Uzeki (Piano)
[ Classical ] Nanae Soma (Soprano), Naoko Nakagawa (Soprano), Satoshi Kanazawa (Composition, Piano)
[ Poetry Reading ] Mana Hashimoto, Daniel Abse (Actor)
[ Special Performers from P.S. 101 and P.S. 196 ] Steven Teh, Sydney Teh, Yumito Torigoe, Yuki Kanazawa

-Traditional Japanese Cultural Activities-
[ Ikebana/Kado, Japanese Flower Arrangement ] Mai Saeki (OHANA President), NY Flower Design School
[ Japanese Tea Ceremony ] Forest Hills Friends with Tea

This event is supported by Consulate General of Japan in New York, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), and Sake One.

Artists in Action for Japan

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