Tag: Japan

Go Away With … Al Jarreau

Jae-Ha Kim

“Traveling is a wonderful perk of my job,” says singer Al Jarreau. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” A recent tour took him to Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Jakarta, but not Tokyo — one of his all-time favorite cities. The seven-time Grammy Award winner in jazz, pop and R&B is best known for his smooth hit singles “Never Givin’ Up,” “Moonlighting” and “After All” and his greatest hits album “Al Jarreau — The Very Best Of: An Excellent Adventure” will be in stores on Sept. 29.

Go Away With … Chris Isaak

Jae-Ha Kim

Chris Isaak has had hit singles (“Wicked Game,” “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing”), acted in feature films (“Silence of the Lambs,” “The Informers,” “From the Earth to the Moon”) and toured the world. Now add talk-show host to his resume, as he interviews other musicians on the Biography Channel’s series, “The Chris Isaak Hour.” Born and raised in the Bay Area, the 53-year-old entertainer lived briefly in Tokyo when he was a college student.

Go Away With … Joan Osborne

Jae-Ha Kim

Ever since her 1995 hit single “One of Us,” Joan Osborne has remained a strong presence in the music world, collaborating with members of the Grateful Dead, participating in the Lilith Fair concerts and appearing in the documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.” The 47-year-old singer-songwriter is now playing dates nationwide to support her latest CD “Little Wild One.”

Go Away With … Yanni

Jae-Ha Kim

Born in Kalamata, Greece, Yanni moved to the United States to attend the University of Minnesota when he was 18 years old. Though he earned a degree in psychology, the self-taught musician decided to pursue music as his career. “I didn’t know any better back then,” he says, laughing. “I’m not sure it was the best thing to do, but it was what I needed to do. I have always just loved music.”

Go Away With … KT Tunstall

Jae-Ha Kim

Singer KT Tunstall has always been environmentally conscious. When she began touring to promote her quadruple platinum debut album “Eye to the Telescope,” Tunstall traveled on a biodiesel-powered bus. “It’s unacceptable to tour using non-environmentally friendly fuel when there are alternatives,” says the outspoken Scot whose London home benefits from the use of reclaimed wood, Thermafleece wool insulation and solvent-free paint.

`Geisha’ raises fears of stereotypical movie roles

Jae-Ha Kim

In both the book “Memoirs of a Geisha” and its film adaptation, women fall into two categories: sexy geisha and conniving dragon ladies, two stereotypes about Asian women that linger today. Already some members of the Asian-American community are worried that the film, which opens locally Friday, may reinforce unflattering images of Asian women as being submissive, sexual objects.

The Art of Persuasion: `Minbo’ Proves Words are Mightier Than the Sword

Jae-Ha Kim

The yakuza – the Japanese equivalent of the Mafia – has achieved notoriety of romantic proportions in films such as “Black Rain” and “The Yakuza.” But in his brilliantly clever “Minbo – Or The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion,” director-writer Juzu Itami presents the group as nothing more than a bunch of thugs who take pride in chopping off bits of each other’s pinkies and think nothing of hiding cockroaches in food to blackmail restaurants for hush money.