GARDENA — Paying tribute to and saying “thank you” to the Nisei generation is the idea behind “Sentimental Journey: A Nisei Life in Song,” a nostalgic musical journey to be performed by the Grateful Crane Ensemble on Sunday, July 9, at 2 p.m. at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute.
“In this show, we tell stories of the Nisei’s lives before, during and after World War II,” said Soji Kashiwagi, executive director of the Grateful Crane Ensemble. “In between the storytelling, we sing over 20 favorite Japanese and American songs which bring back many memories for our Nisei audience members.”
Performers for this show include long-time Grateful Crane members Jason Fong, Haruye Ioka, Keiko Kawashima, Darrell Kunitomi, Merv Maruyama and Helen H. Ota, with musical director Lisa Joe on keyboards and Danny Yamamoto on drums.
“If you have Nisei in your family or among your friends, please bring them to this show,” said Kashiwagi. “These days, it’s a rare opportunity for them to hear the music from their era, and they will love every song that we sing.”
The Gardena Valley JCI is located at 1964 W. 162nd St. in Gardena. General admission tickets are $20. To reserve seats, call the Grateful Crane ticket line at (310) 995-5841 or send an email to gratefulcrane@gmail.com.
How long is the play? If show time is 2:00 p.m. end around 4 p.m.?