June Kuramoto & Derek Nakamoto - The Way Of Tea (2005)

Tracklist

01 - With Heart
02 - Bending With The Wind
03 - Infusion
04 - Shades Of Amber. Green And Black
05 - Gentle Passage - Interlude
06 - Harmony
07 - Respect
08 - Wabi (Beauty Of Imperfection) - Interlude
09 - Purity
10 - Tranquil Loneliness
11 - Ja Mata (Until We Meet Again) - Interlude

personnel :

June Kuramoto - Koto
Derek Nakamoto - Piano, Rhodes, B-3 & synthesizers
Denny Fongheiser - Drums, Percussion
Larry Karush - Tabla

Born in Japan, JUNE KURAMOTO came to America at age six with her mother, brother and two sisters and was raised in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. Almost by destiny, a renowned koto master Madame Kazue Kudo, protégé of one of Japan’s most famous kotoist/composer, Michio Miyagi, also immigrated to the United States around the same time and began teaching (o)koto in June’s family home. Using her grandmother’s koto, June, at age seven, found comfort and connection in playing this ancient Japanese instrument. She subsequently received her classical koto degrees (natori) from the Miyagi School of Koto in Tokyo, Japan.
She joined up with Dan Kuramoto, leader of Hiroshima, and has since been one of the driving artistic forces of Hiroshima, creating a multi-cultural musical statement. Hiroshima has received two grammy nominations.
June has had the great honor and privilege to record and/or perform with Ravi Shankar, George Duke, Manhattan Transfer, A Taste of Honey, Stanley Clarke, Angela Bofill, Teddy Pendergrass, Keiko Matsui, David Benoit, Michael Paulo, Kenny Endo, Daniel Ho, Ozomatli to name a few. She can also be heard on motion picture and television scores such as “The Last Samurai” (one of the featured musicians), “Heroes”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Xena the Princess Warrior”, “Blade II”, “Black Rain”; and various commercials.