Mark Izu
Encyclopedia
Mark Izu is an American
jazz
double bass
player and composer. He is of Japan
ese ancestry and frequently combines jazz with Asian traditional musics (particularly the ancient Japanese court music known as gagaku
) in his compositions. He has performed with Anthony Brown
and Jon Jang
. Mark Izu is a seminal leader in the'Asian American Jazz
movement. His compositions include symphony, film, theater, dance and jazz. The principal curator of the original Asian American Jazz Festival held at the 'Asian Art Museum
in San Francisco’s 'Golden Gate Park
for nearly two decades, he helped establish the genre.
In addition to the double bass, he also plays the Japanese shō and Chinese sheng
(both mouth organ
s).
He lives in San Francisco, California
with his wife, playwright and performer Brenda Wong Aoki, and son.
Mark Izu received a Northern California Regional EMMY® Award for outstanding Musical Composition/Arrangement for his score for 'Bolinao 52
, a film about the Vietnamese Boat People which also received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
player and composer. He is of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ancestry and frequently combines jazz with Asian traditional musics (particularly the ancient Japanese court music known as gagaku
Gagaku
Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
) in his compositions. He has performed with Anthony Brown
Anthony Brown
Anthony Brown is an American jazz percussionist, drummer, composer, and bandleader, and ethnomusicologist. He is the son of a Choctaw and African American father and a Japanese mother. Long associated with the Asian American jazz movement, he specializes in the juxtaposition of American and Asian...
and Jon Jang
Jon Jang
Jon Jang is an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. Of Chinese ancestry, he is active in the Asian American jazz movement and specializes in music which combines elements of jazz and Asian musics....
. Mark Izu is a seminal leader in the'Asian American Jazz
Asian American jazz
Asian American jazz is a musical movement in the United States begun in the 20th century by Asian American jazz musicians.Although Asian Americans had been performing jazz music almost since that music's inception, it was not until the late 20th century when a distinctly Asian American brand of...
movement. His compositions include symphony, film, theater, dance and jazz. The principal curator of the original Asian American Jazz Festival held at the 'Asian Art Museum
Asian Art Museum
Asian Art Museum is the usual name for a number of museums, including:* The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco* The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located on the National Mall in Washington DC...
in San Francisco’s 'Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
for nearly two decades, he helped establish the genre.
In addition to the double bass, he also plays the Japanese shō and Chinese sheng
Sheng (instrument)
The Chinese sheng is a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes.Traditionally, the sheng has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo suona or dizi performances. It is one of the main instruments in kunqu and some other forms of Chinese opera...
(both mouth organ
Mouth organ
A mouth organ is a generic term for free reed aerophone with one or more air chambers fitted with a free reed.Though it spans many traditions, it is played universally the same way by the musician placing their lips over a chamber or holes in the instrument, and blowing or sucking air to create a...
s).
He lives in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with his wife, playwright and performer Brenda Wong Aoki, and son.
Mark Izu received a Northern California Regional EMMY® Award for outstanding Musical Composition/Arrangement for his score for 'Bolinao 52
Bolinao 52
Bolinao 52 is a documentary by Vietnamese American director Duc Nguyen about the Vietnamese boat people ship that was originally stranded in the Pacific Ocean in 1988. During their 37 days at sea, the group encountered violent storms and engine failures...
, a film about the Vietnamese Boat People which also received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary.
Discography
Navarasa: Duets for Shakuhachi & Contrabass (2010)
Legend of Morning Glory (2010)
Threading Time (2007)
Mermaid Meat (2007)
Last Dance (2002)
Dragon Painter (2007)
Recordings
Cat Chat, Tokyo Broadcast System (1999) TBS CD ROM
Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite, Asian American Orchestra (1999)
The Queen’s Garden, Brenda Wong Aoki (1998)
Dreams & Illusions: Tales of the Pacific Rim, with Brenda Aoki
Circle of Fire, Mark Izu & Circle of Fire
San Francisco Jazz Festival 96
Tiananmen, Jon Jang & The Pan Asian Arkestra Soul Note
Quest, Michael West
Live in Berlin, United Front
Whats the Difference Between Stripping and Playing the Violin? with Miya Masaoka
Family, Anthony Brown
Big Bands Behind Bared Wire, Asian American Jazz Orchestra (1998)
Jang, Jon Jang
Song for Manong, Fred Houn
Never Give Up, Jon Jang & The Pan Asian Arkestra
Self Defense, Jon Jang & The Pan Asian Arkestra Soul Note
Francis Wong, Francis Wong & the Great Wall Ensemble
Crystalization of the Mind, Jason Michaels
In Xinjiang Time, Phonix Spring Ensemble, Betty Wong OWR
Travel of a Zen Babtist, Mark Izu/Lewis Jordan
Are You Chinese or Charlie Chan, Jon Jang
Ohm: Unit of Resistance, United Front
Of Blues Myself & I, Ray Collins
Path with a Heart, United Front
Monk Anthony Brown ‘s Asian American Orchestra
Russel Hisashi Baba, Russel Baba
External links
See also
- Asian American jazzAsian American jazzAsian American jazz is a musical movement in the United States begun in the 20th century by Asian American jazz musicians.Although Asian Americans had been performing jazz music almost since that music's inception, it was not until the late 20th century when a distinctly Asian American brand of...