World Premiere of Mark Izu’s ‘Songs for J-Town’ at Presidio Theatre
An epiphany often can occur at the most inopportune moment. Local jazz bassist Mark Izu’s struck him, of all dates, on September 11,2001, as Americans reeled from the World Trade Center disaster. His band had a Yerba Buena Gardens show booked, and its musicians had already flown in before airports shut down nationwide, so the high-road choice seemed obvious: Cancel the gig. But following the wise teachings of his Los Angeles-based sensei, the late Togi Suenobu, Izu picked the road less traveled. “My sensei always said, ‘Don’t think so much about life — you really have to experience it,’ says the musician and composer,67, who this weekend will be premiering his 90-minute “Songs for J-Town” at the Presidio Theatre. The work is inspired by the history of San Francisco’s Japantown and the pandemic-era transformations it’s undergoing. Every venue was dark on 9/11, Izu recalls, but his ensemble agreed to perform anyway, with or without pay. “It was literally the only thing open that night, and it was packed, because people really wanted to be with other people,” he says. Complementing the ethereal music was a blessing by a Konku minister, plus a rousing singalong of the Hawaiian folk song “Aloha Oe,” complete with English translation. “And it just made me cry,” he adds. “Because that was the essence of why I do what I do — we’re here to entertain people, but we’re also here to bring people together for a deeper connection.” Inspired by Japan’s traditional Gagaku music and its nature-revering Shinto and Konko religions, Izu — who was artistic director of The City’s Asian American Jazz Festival for 15 years — does stand on ceremony.
