Carolina Blue

Product Description There is power in Bill Monroe’s music, but even he probably had no idea that in 1974 it would have life-changing effects on young Maro Kawabata, watching him on Japanese television, or that it would launch Maro on a quest for musical meaning and excellence. Maro’s story is one of persistence and determination, leading him to school in the United States, back home to Japan where he met and married his American bride, Sandra, and then to return to the USA to raise his family in the midst of his musical Odyssey. Now an Ohio resident, you can hear Maro’s commitment to heart-to-heart communication through music here on CAROLINA BLUE, the CD that is the culmination of a lifetime of thinking, planning, refining and sharpening his musical ideas and skills. To bring his vision to light Maro has called on several gifted musicians for assistance; some are friends he has known from his travels around the country, while others are people whose talents he has admired, but whom he never met until first getting together for the recording sessions. His list of friends and pickers is impressive, indeed: Bobby Hicks, Sammy Shelor, Keith Little, Ron Stewart, Missy Raines, Jim Hurst, Butch Baldassari, Kazuhiro Inaba, and Raymond McLain. On this CD you will hear some old music as well as some new tunes. The old ones are included because they are beautiful, certainly; but also out of respect — they represent the underlying traditions on which Maro has based his own musical philosophy. Though they are familiar, through these sensitive performances Maro pays homage. The new tunes are here for many of the same reasons — CAROLINA BLUE was composed as Maro was traveling through the mountains of western North Carolina, struck by the natural beauty surrounding him and the sense of the connection between that “place” and the music in his heart. SAMANTHA was named for his daughter, who must surely be pleased to share her name with such a lovely melody. About the Artist Maro Kawabata was born in Kyoto Japan in 1962. At the age of 12, he first saw Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys perform on Japanese television; he thought the music was very inspirational. Soon there after, Maro asked his mother for some spending money to purchase albums by Bill Monroe. Motivated by Monroe, Maro and his brother Takaharu started to play music together. The first band Maro ever played in was called The Riverside Brothers; the band name incorporates the direct translation of the Kawabata name and also reflects the fact that Maro and Takaharu are brothers. The band performed in many different venues in the Kyoto area and included radio, television, and bluegrass festivals. Maro has had the opportunity to play with many different musicians, some well-known and some not so well-known. A benefit of this musical interaction is the development of Maro’s own sense of musical taste and quality. He toured Canada in 1996 with Kaz Inaba, Kenny Stone, and Tim Dishman and in 1997 played at the International Bluegrass Festival in Oklahoma. This latter performance included the playing of a number of talented musicians from Japan. Also in 1997, Maro performed with Randy Howard, Don Rigsby, Missy Raines, and Kaz Inaba as The International Band. These two performances were very critical to Maro in terms of his attitude and approach to music. Most recently, he has performed with Buzz Matheson and the Family Pride. In addition to performing, Maro is active in composing songs. Future plans include the formation of his own band to showcase his musical talents and interpretations of bluegrass.

Detalles del producto Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No Dimensiones del paquete : 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 pulgadas; 3.4 Onzas Fabricante : Copper Creek Producto en Tienda desde : Enero 20, 2007 Etiqueta : Copper Creek ASIN : B000056WX1 Número de discos : 1 Clasificación en los más vendidos de Amazon: nº1,046,958 en CDs y Vinilo (Ver el Top 100 en CDs y Vinilo) nº8,266 en Bluegrass (CDs y Vinilo) nº622,480 en Pop (CDs y Vinilo) Opiniones de clientes: 5.0 de 5 estrellas 1 calificación Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No Dimensiones del paquete : 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 pulgadas; 3.4 Onzas Fabricante : Copper Creek Producto en Tienda desde : Enero 20, 2007 Etiqueta : Copper Creek ASIN : B000056WX1 Número de discos : 1