Brenda Wong Aoki, Mark Izu and shakuhachi artist Christopher Yohmei Blasdel after performing “Ghosts and Girls” at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco in April. Photo by J.K. Yamamoto

ALAMEDA — “Ghosts and Girls: The Legend of Morning Glory” will be performed on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 8 p.m. at Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave. (at Everett Street) in Alameda.

Chikamatsu Tokuzo’s unstaged masterpiece is kabuki theater love story about the daughter of a powerful samurai who meets and falls in love with a boy from a poor family. When the boy’s love poem about the morning glory blows into the girl’s boat, she is determined to marry him, turning down each suitor her father has lined up.

After she runs away, she cries herself blind and makes a living as “the Morning Glory,” an itinerate storyteller famed for her tale of lost love. In the end, the two lovers meet one last time at a lonely inn on the banks of the Oi River.

Aoki has established a new genre as a contemporary storyteller. A writer, performer, and recording artist of Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Scots descent, her stories blend myth, street lore, and real life. These dramatic presentations synthesize kyogen and noh (Japanese traditional theater), modern dance, and live jazz.

Mark Izu’s compositions are characterized by his seamless integration of jazz with other music traditions, his mastery of cross-cultural instrumentation, and his ability to compose in many musical disciplines. As artistic director of the Asian American Jazz Festival for 18 years, he has gained national and international attention for developing a new musical genre. Izu plays acoustic bass as well as several traditional Asian instruments, such as the sheng (Chinese multi-reed instrument) and sho (Japanese multi-reed instrument).

KK Aoki Izu, the son of Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu, is a graduate of Nihonmachi Little Friends and currently attends Marin Country Day School, where he sings in the chorus. He made his professional debut in Hong Kong and San Francisco in 2002, and is studying taiko with Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo.

Maze Daiko creates intricate rhythms that fill the stage with energetic choreography and vibrant sound. Mazeru is the Japanese word for “mix.” The group creates a mix of instrumentation and rhythms with the physical elegance and powerful sounds of taiko.
Ensemble members include Janet Koike, Kathryn Cabunoc, Carolyn West, Cristine Sato and Bean (aka Tina Blaine, also featured on djembe, dumbek and marimba), plus special guest artist Elaine Fong, director of Odaiko New England.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. For reservations, call (510) 865-5060 or go to www.rhythmix.org.