Kabuki Jazz Cabaret October 29, 2011

Kabuki Jazz Cabaret blends dramatic performance with Chinese and Sri Lankan ghost legends, thundering Taiko, cascading contemporary Koto and haunting jazz. Veterans of the avante-garde theater and music scene, writer/actor Brenda Wong Aoki and her long time creative partner Emmy-award winning composer Mark Izu, bring together the best of the best: Grammy nominated multi-percussionist Dr. Anthony Brown, natori Koto master Shoko Hikage, 2010 Best Latin Jazz flutist Mas Koga, vocalist Moy Eng, and Taiko duo Janet Koike with National Heritage Fellow PJ Hirabayashi.

The all new program features: The Soul of the Great Bell, a traditional Chinese legend of a mighty emperor and the ghost of a young girl imprisoned in a temple bell; and The Night of the Demon Dancers, by writer/performer Nayomi Munaweera; a miracle story about her father paralyzed as a small boy in Sri Lanka.

Kabuki Jazz Cabaret was conceived and created by Aoki and Izu, who have developed a symbiotic blend of east and west, spoken word and music. Mark Izu studied and performed Gagaku (Japanese Imperial music) for over twenty years with master Togi Suenobu. Writer/performer Brenda Wong Aoki is a student of Noh and Kyogen and a three-time NEA Theater Fellow. She is one of the premiere storytellers in America and an award-winning playwright recognized for her multidisciplinary works combining contemporary monodrama with traditional arts. ( www.aokizu.com )

Official Website: http://www.142throckmortontheatre.com