New music: Percussionist Taku Hirano goes solo with 'Blu York'
Plus, Trevor Church also plays drums and your weekly events calendar.
I first came across Taku Hirano in 2018 when he was doing percussion for Fleetwood Mac at their tour stop at the Save Mart Center.
I did some advance coverage of the show and a review and somewhere in the midst of that reporting found out that Hirano was an ex-Fresnan. He graduated from Roosevelt School of the Arts (of course) before heading off to Berklee College of Music and eventually on to a career playing, recording and consulting with a long list of hit makers.
Like, seriously long.
If he wanted to name drop, there’s: Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Lionel Richie, Isaac Hayes, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, John Mayer, Usher, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Shakira, Mary J. Blige, Josh Groban, LeAnn Rimes, Chaka Khan, Jamie Foxx, Brandy, Don Henley, Barry Manilow, Travis Tritt, Yolanda Adams, Cece Winans, Dre, Jay-Z, the Temptations, Nelly Furtado, Stevie Nicks, Ziggy Marley, Jason Mraz, Josh Groban, Chromeo, Lionel Richie, Trent Reznor, Iggy Azalea, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle (they playing together at the White House), Melissa Etheridge, Jill Scott, Janelle Monáe, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Japanese pop superstar Utada Hikaru and Academy Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman.
Side note: He’s also married to Fox News anchor Arthel Neville (which means he’s married into the musical Neville family).
On Friday, Hirano released his first solo outing.
“Blu York” is Hirano’s return to jazz.
Recorded live at the jazz club Nublu in 2019 and 2020 with a band that included Marvin Sewell (guitar), Bruce Flowers (keys), Fred Cash (bass), and Adrian Harpham (drums) and guest Keyon Harrold (trumpet), the eight tracks are appropriately percussion heavy and jazzy.
But there are some funkier, more bluesy and more rockin’ (and at points electronic) takes here; in “Hang Up Your Hang Ups,” “Crawling King Snake” and “Come And Get It,” respectively.
“Blu York” is available on CD and digital formats now.
New music: Devil Cross
In between running Church Recordings and fronting and managing his own band Haunt, Trevor Church found time to sit in another project, Devil Cross.
He plays drums on the band’s debut album “This Mortal Coil,” which is set for release Dec. 7 on Fighter Records. This week, the band released a lyric-video for the song “Warrior Deep Inside” (see below).
Devil Cross is Church, plus Jo Steel and Brennan Whitworth who play in the Canadian metal Aphrodite.
As the Fresnan would say, it is metal.
Events list Oct. 3-9
The Big Fresno Fair kicks off a 12-day run of music with:
Anthrax, 7 p.m. October 6. $22-$42.
Young the Giant, 7 p.m. Oct. 7. $47-$62.
Bell Biv Devoe, Jon B and Mya, 7 p.m. Oct. 8. $29-$49.
Groupo Metal featuring Chris Pérez and Los Kumbia Kings, 7 p.m. Oct. 9, $26-$44.
Also this week:
Covet with Floral, 7 p.m. Oct. 3, Strummer’s. $18, all ages.
Dead Kennedys, MDC, Noogy, 7 p.m. Oct. 4, Strummer’s. $25, all ages.
The Expendables with Ballyhoo and Tunnel Vision, 6 p.m. Oct. 6, Fulton 55. $20-$24.
Fresno Punk Fest, Oct. 7-9, Full Circle (day 3) and Full Circle Brewery District (day 1, 2). $15 day or $30 three-day pass.
Mat Zo, 9 p.m. Oct. 8, Fulton 55. $10-$20.
Hyphy Night, 8 p.m. Oct. 8, Strummer’s. $5. 21+
Pop Night, Carty vs. Charli, 9 p.m. Oct. 9, Strummer’s. $5. 21+
That’s it for this week. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com