Hiroshima
"Spirit Of The Season" Holiday Show
December 17 - 20, 2009

Message from Dan Kuramoto, leader Hiroshima:

Our Rrazz Room appearance will be unique because it will be the first Hiroshima Holiday performance we will have ever done in the Bay Area.  Our 'Spirit of the Season' shows have become a tradition in Southern California (this year is our 8th annual!), and we are excited for the opportunity to share the Christmas Vibe with everyone. Though promised by every recording company we have been with over our 30 years of recording, we were never given the chance to do a Hiroshima Christmas record.  About eight years ago, between record labels, we finally made "Spirit of the Season," on our own.  It is Holiday songs with a Hiroshima flavor, a mix of Jazz, R&B and all things Hiroshima.  It quickly became one of our best ever reviewed projects.

Our Rrazz Room shows will feature Christmas songs and Hiroshima favorites. Our special guest star vocalist, Terry Steele, re-joins us fresh from a three-year run starring in the "Remembering Luther" Tour and performs "The Door is Open," “Spirit of the Season," "Save Yourself for Me," an unforgettable version of "Silent Night" and more.  And who else but June could do a hip version of "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer," on koto?  We invite you to come and celebrate the holiday spirit with us.  In addition, CDs will be available (including our just released "Legacy") at 'show-only' prices that are perfect for holiday gifts.  Let there be Joy and Peace, and let all of us share the Spirit of the Season. 

Hiroshima is an American jazz fusion band formed in 1974 by Sansei Japanese American Dan Kuramoto (wind instruments and band leader), June Kuramoto (koto), Johnny Mori (percussion and taiko), & Danny Yamamoto (keyboards and drums). Named for the Japanese city of Hiroshima, they are best known for the fusing of Japanese music and other forms of world music into their playing. Their early jazz-pop R&B sound gave them a huge following among the African American community and they are regarded as musical pioneers amongst the Asian American and Japanese American community.

Hiroshima became popular in the smooth jazz community upon the release of their 1985 album, Another Place, which spawned their crossover hit “One Wish.”

The highlight of Hiroshima's career was being the opening act for the Miles Davis 1990 world tour. Since then, despite moving towards new age music, Hiroshima continues to gain a wider audience for their music.

June Kuramoto is the only founding member who is not American-born. She was born in Saitama-ken and moved to Los Angeles at a young age.

The band was featured in a 1976 documentary titled Cruisin' J-Town, directed by Duane Kubo. They wrote an original song entitled “The Moon Is a Window to Heaven” for the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.