Music

SANTA ROSA — Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced Feb. 19 that as a result of an investigation by the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, murder charges have been filed against Joshua Rhea Begley, 28, of Rohnert Park.

Begley is charged in the killing of Taku Sakashta of Rohnert Park, a renowned guitar-maker. Begley was arraigned on the murder charge on Feb. 19, and was also charged with robbery, burglary, felony evading arrest, and resisting a peace officer.

LOS ANGELES — Hiroshima and Kitaro were among the nominees at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards ceremony, held Jan. 31 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but did not win in their respective categories.

Los Angeles-based Hiroshima was nominated for its latest release, “Legacy,” in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category. The Grammy went to Booker T. Jones for “Potato Hole.” Also nominated were Chris Botti for “In Boston,” the Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman for “Modern Art,” and Spyro Gyra for “Down the Wire.”

This was Hiroshima’s second Grammy nomination.

The Knockout, 3223 Mission St. (at Valencia) in San Francisco, will present “a night of screaming Japanese rock ‘n’ roll madness” on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 10 p.m.

DJs Scary and Heday will spin Japanese rock, garage psychobilly, rockabilly and more all night long.

Only those 21 and over will be admitted. For more information, visit http://theknockoutsf.com.

LOS ANGELES — Nominations were announced last week for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, which will be presented on Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In the "Best New Age Album" (vocal or instrumental) category, Kitaro was nominated for "Impressions of the West Lake" (Domo Records).

Also nominated were Jim Brickman for "Faith," David Darling for "Prayer for Compassion," Henta for "Laserium for the Soul," and Peter Kater, Dominic Miller, Kenny Loggins and Jaques Morelenbaum for "In a Dream."

Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble's new DVD, "Ten," will be available for shipment on Saturday, Dec. 12.

SYTE’s sold-out 10th anniversary concert was filmed this year at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts MainStage. This live performance captures the artistic style that has become SYTE’s innovative trademark, guiding their audiences through subtle, melodic flows to flights of wacky comedy and then to driving heights of percussive feats.

SANTA MONICA — Jon Hatamiya of Davis is among 28 talented high school students from across the U.S. that have been selected for positions in the 2010 Grammy Jazz Ensembles, the Grammy Foundation announced on Nov. 24.

Their selection launches them into the spotlight surrounding the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, and provides them with unparalleled opportunities to perform in front of some of music's biggest names.

To mark the 750th memorial of Shin Buddhism founder Shinran Shonin, Honpa Honwangji Mission of Hawaii asked renowned ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro to compose the song "Annon," which means "may peace and tranquility prevail throughout the world," and he delivered a song that certainly brings peace and tranquility to the listener.

The mini-EP, entitled "Annon," was released earlier this month (Hitchhike Records, 2009) and is available online at www.jakeshimabukuro.com.

by HIROKI SAITO
Hokubei Mainichi

Louis Armstrong, also known by the nickname Satchmo: In the jazz world, everyone knows his name. Trumpeter Yoshio Toyama has been captivated by Satchmo’s charm and has dedicated his life to jazz.

by J.K. YAMAMOTO
Hokubei Mainichi

The Los Angeles-based band Hiroshima, which has just released its 30th anniversary CD, “Legacy,” will be in the Bay Area to perform at Yoshi’s Oakland from Friday to Sunday, Sept. 11-13.

A lot has changed since Hiroshima released its self-titled album in 1979. The band is now widely known, has toured nationally and internationally, and has received numerous honors. But the group’s direction remains the same, according to leader Dan Kuramoto.

LOS ANGELES — When Hiroshima cut their self-titled debut album in 1979, record executives at their own label placed bets that the band’s unprecedented amalgam of traditional Japanese instruments, American jazz structure and Latin percussion — an intriguing anomaly in the waning days of the disco era — wouldn’t make much of an impact in terms of sales or critical acclaim.