Choral Chameleon

An indelible and joyful jazz-choral masterpiece is born. Kyoto tradition meets NYC through a unique quartet of piano trio & choir. --- ** Please register via Eventbrite to receive the viewing link and concert program the day before the stream.** ---- This is a one-time opportunity to watch the full concert film of the World Premiere of Eri Yamamoto’s ‘Goshu Ondo Suite’ by Eri Yamamoto, the accomplished Japanese jazz pianist whose trio has been in residence at Arthur's Tavern in the West Village, NYC for over 20 years. There are two viewing opportunities to accommodate multiple time zones: Thursday Aug 13th at 8pm EDT/5pm PDT Saturday Aug 15th at 7.30pm Japan/11.30am GMT/12.30pm CET At a time when cultural exchange and human connection matters more than ever, we are thrilled to share the concert film during this year’s Obon festival, celebrated annually by Japanese communities around the world. The original concert recording took place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of November 2018 at the studios of the Paul Taylor Dance Company in lower Manhattan, New York City, performed by Choral Chameleon, conducted by Artistic Director Vince Peterson, alongside Eri Yamamoto Trio, with Eri yamamoto on piano, David Ambrosio on bass and Ikuo Takeuchi on drums. In essence, choir and trio formed a quartet for the night. After the conclusion of the premiere, the audience was taught a modified version of the traditional Obon dance from Shiga, which we will show at the end of the video. Everyone is invited to join in from home with this joyful moment during the encore while the credits roll! The live album was released by AUM Fidelity label in November 2019, to universal acclaim from the jazz press, and it has garnered extensive global radio airplay to date. Thanks to the generosity and support of Japan Foundation New York and the Center for Global Partnership and blessing of AUM Fidelity label, we have been able to make this online event possible at no charge. We invite you to experience the birth of this incredible new work. "There have been countless jazz masses and gospel-jazz recordings, with some iconic and influential recordings among them including Mary Lou Williams' 'Black Christ of the Andes' (1963), Donald Byrd's 'A New Perspective' from 1964, Duke Ellington's 1965 'Sacred Music Concert', and Dave Brubeck's 'Truth is Fallen' from 1972, to name a few. Add to this prestigious legacy Eri Yamamoto's 'Goshu Ondo Suite' " Thom Jurek, Allmusic.com 4.5/5 Stars About Goshu Ondo Suite from AUM Fidelity: “Eri Yamamoto transcended jazz, classical and folk forms in creating her new work. She has seamlessly melded biography, group improvisation and far-ranging compositional vocabularies in a momentous seven-part suite. The suite is based off of the “Goshu Ondo,” a traditional circle dance song from Shiga, Japan, where it was sung during the summer Bon festival to warmly welcome ancestral spirits. Composing the Goshu Ondo Suite brought some of Yamamoto’s happiest childhood memories flooding back. The decision to compose for choir was sprung from a desire to bring community into the process of creation – to increase by a great amount the number of people involved in making & celebrating beautiful sound together! To evoke that joyful sense, her Trio & Choral Chameleon engaged in an intensive & committed rehearsal schedule, with the choir singing in Romaji transliteration of the Japanese text. Indeed every member of Choral Chameleon was so engaged with the process that they memorized the piece, performing the exultant November 2018 world premiere by (and with) great heart!”