HAI! JAPANTOWN 2022

PERFORMING ARTISTS

Seattle Kokon Taiko (SKT), Washington’s first performing taiko ensemble, combines the ancient with the modern. Their repetoir is a mix of traditional pieces and contemporary compositions.

SKT is based in the local Japanese American community and has performed at schools, arts festivals, street fairs, community programs, corporate events and in concert throughout Washington and Oregon.

“Through taiko, we hope to contribute to the development of a uniquely Japanese American art form –Japanese in origin, American in expression– that weaves threads of continuity between generations and builds bridges of understanding among people of all nationalities and walks of life.”

SEATTLE KOKON TAIKO

TOMO NAKAYAMA

Born in Japan and raised in Seattle, Washington, Tomo Nakayama is an artist whose melodic, complex and emotionally compelling music has been praised by NPR, New York Times, and The Stranger.

After two critically acclaimed indie-folk albums “Fog on the Lens” and “Pieces of Sky” (named "Best Folk Act" by Seattle Weekly), he surprised his fans by releasing the synthpop album "Melonday" (on Seattle label Porchlight Records). Co-produced by Yuuki Matthews (The Shins, Teardrops, Sufjan Stevens) and mastered by Dave Cooley (M83, Paramore, Tame Impala), “Melonday” was named one of the Top Albums of 2020 by Seattle Times, KEXP, and Seattle Met Magazine, and debuted at #1 on the NW Charts.

Tomo has toured across the US and Japan, sharing the stage with Cornelius, Wye Oak, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Ben Gibbard, Damien Jurado, and Shugo Tokumaru. He has collaborated with Dave Matthews, Sera Cahoone, Jherek Bischoff, and Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate).

An active, longtime member of the Seattle music and arts community, Tomo has also curated and produced events for Forterra (Ampersand Live) and Town Hall, where he also served as Artist in Residence. He also composed music and appeared as an actor in the Lynn Shelton film “Touchy Feely” with Elliot Page and Rosemarie DeWitt.

STEVE GRIGGS ENSEMBLE

Steve Griggs is a writer, composer, and saxophonist in Seattle who combines history, narrative, and improvisation in musical performance.

With support from 4Culture, Steve created an original program of stories and music based on the Panama Hotel. His writing is published in Earshot Jazz, Seattle Times, and Seattle Weekly. He recorded two CDs with drummer Elvin Jones and was a soloist on the video game soundtrack for Halo 3: ODST.

Steve Griggs - Saxophone
Milo Petersen - Guitar
Drew Baddeley - Bass
Greg Campbell - Drums

Steve is the Associate Producer of the Impulse Records release “John Coltrane: A Love Supreme - Live in Seattle”, which was named Historical Jazz Recording of the Year by Downbeat Magazine in 2022.

KAORU OKUMURA

Kaoru Okumura is a Japanese Butoh performer based in Seattle, US. A fan of Butoh since the 1970s, Kaoru studied Butoh in 1993 at Asbestos-Kan in Tokyo with Akiko Motofuji, the wife of one Butoh’s originators, Tatsumi Hijikata. This is where Kaoru first performed. She started Butoh activities in Seattle in 2008.

Since then, she has enjoyed performing solo and with Danse Perdue, KOGUT Butoh, and others, where she experiences how a body bridges the soul and the world. Recently she is focusing on solo work, periodically premiering new pieces at various venues.

Photography by David Joshua Jennings

Kaoru had about 20 performances a year since 2016, including Seattle International Dance Festival, and 9E2 Seattle in collaboration with Google Deep Dream, which was also supported by Google AMI (Artists & Machine Intelligence).

Kaoru has a MS degree in mathematics, and a career in computer research as an advisory researcher. She enjoys tech worlds, gadgets, including photography.

DJ RAMOS

SEIICHI NAGAI

Seiichi is a Seattle-based indie singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer. The multi-faceted Japanese-American artist has been making waves in the past year, being featured by tastemakers worldwide such as Iggy Magazine, Hertz Magazine, CLOUT, Rising Artists, The Luna Collective, and many more. Apart from sharing the stage with numerous indie artists throughout Seattle, Seiichi's music has recently been aired on KEXP, and JoyRx, and featured via performance at Capitol Hill Block Party 2022.

"Excuses", the first single release from Seiichi's upcoming EP has already grabbed the attention of top tastemakers, landing on Spotify's Fresh Finds: Indie playlist, and his upcoming EP, Felix Culpa, set to release September 2nd, is sure to take the artist to new heights.