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New opera "Fractured Mosaics" premiering March 30-April 1st 

Some of you know I have been working on a new opera production this past year. I’m excited to announce that “Fractured Mosaics,” a virtual opera that asks what it means to be Asian American will be presented by @White Snake Projects March 30 - April 3 online! It’s been a thrill to work with librettist Cerise Jacobs, the wonderful singers and a terrific creative team. I will be one of five featured composers contributing to this unique opera cycle. Get tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fractured-mosaics-a-virtual-opera-tickets-508028495907 or visit https://www.whitesnakeprojects.org/projects/fractured-mosaics/ for more information. 
 

'Voyages' is "in the can!" 

We had a wonderful two days recording our Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant project Voyages at Big Orange Sheep studios in Brooklyn Aug.16-17th following our performance at ShapeShifter Lab on the 14th. Many thanks to Pete, Mike, Matt, Jared, Sara, Meg, Lois and Jody for incredible performances, to Chris Benham for engineering, and to my long-time friend Henry Hey for producing in the control room. Can't wait to share this music with the world!

'Voyages' premier video 

Hey all, since it doesn't look like we'll be getting out there any time soon, I thought I'd share some video from Ben Kono Group's most recent project: Voyages. This was a suite of compositions commissioned by Chamber Music America New Jazz Works and we premiered it at Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, and again at Greenwich House in NYC this past December. Inspired by the writings of my grandfather Juhei Kono it traces our family's transition from Japan to America and features my quintet augmented by some very special friends on strings. The first installment of these is called "Bata Kusai!!", a rather colorful phrase my grandfather used to describe his first taste of American food and culture when he was summoned over to work on a farm, and I wrote it to feature the amazing Sara Caswell on violin. Hope you enjoy! 

Ben Kono Group premiere of "Bata Kusai!!" from "Voyages" suite, commissioned by Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant at Renee Weiler Concert Hall, NYC Dec.18, 2019. 

Ben Kono, tenor saxophone and composition 
Pete McCann, guitar 
Mike Holober, piano 
Matt Clohesy, bass 
Jared Schonig, drums 
Sara Caswell, violin 
Meg Okura, violin 
Lois Martin, viola 
Jody Redhage Ferber, cello

"Don't Blink" featured in Chamber Music Magazine Fall 2020 issue 

Many thanks to Chamber Music Magazine for featuring my CMA grant project "Don't Blink" in their Fall 2020 issue, and to the musicians who have kept this project going over the years: Henry Hey, Pete McCann, Kermit Driscoll, Satoshi Takeishi, Mike Holober, Jared Schonig, and Matt Clohesy. Looking forward to a time when we can continue presenting this music live again!

Summer Newsletter, Music Mountain 

Dear Friends, 

I hope you are having an enjoyable summer! The family and I just returned from a truly inspiring tour of our national and state parks on the west coast for a long awaited getaway. Highlights included camping among the California redwood giants of Jedediah Smith State Park; wandering through Sahara-like sand dunes of Oregon’s coast; and hiking among the glaciers and marmots of Mt.Rainier in Washington. If you get a chance to do so, I highly recommend spending some time immersing yourself in nature away from home. It doesn’t have to be exotic, just far enough from the city so you can see the stars at night and hear the birds over the sound of trains and automobiles! Our country’s natural environment is a treasure that never ceases to inspire me, and now more than ever it’s crucial to remind ourselves why we need to take action and protect these special places. 

This spring I had the pleasure of taking the Ben Kono Group to Joplin, Missouri and presenting our environmental jazz suite “Don’t Blink” as part of the revered Pro Musica Chamber Music series. I must admit that, during our drive from the airport in Arkansas to our hotel in Joplin, I was a bit apprehensive about the reception of our message as we passed mile after mile of fracking fields and gas refineries. As it turned out, not only was our performance well received, but there was an overwhelming positive response to our message concerning the fragility of our environment, and it seemed to strike a particular nerve with that community. Thanks to Bonnie Yetter for all the careful planning and warm hospitality given to us on our visit, she is a great advocate for the arts in Joplin! And of course thanks to Henry Hey, Pete McCann, Matt Clohesy and Ross Pederson for bringing their incredible musical expertise and positive energy to the gig. They are the best of the best! 

If you happen to be on the east coast, we now present this same program at Music Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Falls Village, CT on Saturday August 5th at 6:30 as part of their Twilight Series performances. Music Mountain is the oldest summer chamber music festival in the country and has one of the finest sounding acoustic spaces around. Tickets are $30 for the concert only, or there is a pre-concert theme dinner option at Falls Village Inn for $70 if you want to make a night of it. If you are in the Berkshires area we would love to see you there! Visit dontblinkmusic.org for a preview of the music we will be playing. 

In other news this summer, I spent June recording some amazing new music with the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble—our third album with this band; a new recording of wind ensemble music with Gotham Winds; a CD release concert for Korean jazz composer Hyeseon Hong; and, coming up in August, the debut recording of Japanese jazz composer Migiwa Miyajima and her most excellent jazz orchestra. Jazz and camping, what a great way to spend the summer!

Previous events

Apr29

Ben Kono Group@Pro Musica Joplin, MO

Corley Auditorium, Missouri Southern State University, 3950 Newman Rd, Joplin, MO 64801

http://promusicajoplin.org/

The Group features long-time musical collaborators Henry Hey on piano and Fender Rhodes, Pete McCann on guitars, Ross Pederson on drums, Matt Clohesy on bass, and . In 2013 Kono was awarded the Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Commissioning and Ensemble Development Grant funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to write and premier a suite for the Group entitled DON’T BLINK.

The appearance of the Ben Kono Group in Joplin is sponsored, in part, by Annette Thurston and Charles Keeter.

While in Joplin the Ben Kono Group will present a clinic for jazz students at MSSU and area high schools at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, 4/29/17. The public is invited to attend the clinic.

Tickets: $10 adults, $5 students. Tickets can be purchased online (click on the Tickets section of this website) or from the Pro Musica office, 9:00-1:00 (call first 625-1822).

Nov21

Jeff Fairbanks' Project Hansori

The Secret Theatre , 4402 23rd St, Long Island City, NY 11101

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/1681

Project Hansori, meaning one sound in Korean, encapsulates Jeff Fairbanks large scale work fusing Jazz and the music of various cultures, drawing heavily from certain East Asian traditions. This group reflects his vision for combining different cultural elements into a contemporary, orchestral Jazz setting. Its debut album Mulberry Street won major grants from the American Music Center and the Aaron Copland Fund. This event is made possible in part by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Nov15

Composers: Joel Harrison, Michael Thomas and Christopher Zuar Ben Kono, Michael Thomas, Jeremy Powell, John Lowery, Andrew Gutauskas – saxophones Sam Hoyt, Jonathan Powell, Matt Holman, Dave Smith – trumpets Matthew McDonald, Nick Finzer, Nick Grinder, Max Seigel – trombones Joel Harrison – guitar Martha Kato – piano Even Gregor – bass Jared Schonig – drums sets at 7.30pm + 9.30pm each set: $15/$10 members

Nov8

Ted Nash Big Band: The Presidential Suite

 —  —

The Jazz Standard, 116 E 27th St , New York, NY 10016

http://www.jazzstandard.com/?event=20161108

In researching and writing his eight-part "Presidential Suite," saxophonist Ted Nash found that "great political speeches combine three elements: a prominent orator, a significant statement and considerable eloquence...A sub-theme, a thread common to all of these, is the idea of freedom. For most movements I have used the intonation - the ups and downs and cadences of the voice - to form the thematic material." Nash found inspiration in orations by U.S. President John F. Kennedy ("Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You"), Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi ("Freedom From Fear"), and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ("We Shall Fight On The Beaches"), among others, and he "allowed the spirit of their messages to shape the intensity of the arrangements." This Jazz Standard engagement celebrates the CD release of Ted Nash Big Band Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom, with a recording cast that includes the voices of Glenn Close, Deepak Chopra, and Sam Waterston. On election night, the audience will be presented live election updates by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Fred Kaplan and Peabody Award-Winning journalist Brooke Gladstone.

Ted Nash – tenor sax Sherman Irby – alto sax Charles Pillow – alto sax Ben Kono – tenor sax Dan Block – tenor sax Paul Nedzela – baritone sax

Kenny Rampton – trumpet Marcus Printup – trumpet Greg Gisbert – trumpet Alphonso Horn – trumpet

Vincent Gardner – trombone Elliot Mason – trombone Chris Crenshaw – trombone

Dan Nimmer – piano Carlos Henriquez – bass Ali Jackson – drums

Fred Kaplan – live election coverage (11/8 only) Brooke Gladstone – live election coverage (11/8 only)

Plus Special Guests

Mar29

Meg Okura residency: the J-Orchestra

The Stone, Ave.C and 2nd St., New York, NY 10009

8 pm The J-Orchestra Meg Okura (violin) Miho Hazama (composition & conducting) Asuka Kakitani (composition & conducting) Migiwa Miyajima (composition & conducting) The J-Orchestra performs compositions by Japanese Composers !

10 pm The J-Orchestra Meg Okura (violin, composition & conducting) Idan Santhous (composition & conducting) The J-Orchestra performs compositions by Jewish Composers!