The roots of the popular jazz fusion band Hiroshima are in pre-redevelopment Little Tokyo. Select group members discuss the sociological and cultural pulse of the early 1970s. Dan Kuramoto describes the political movements of the 1960s out of which Asian American music emerged, while June Kuramoto relates being ridiculed in her youth for playing the Japanese koto. Percussionist Johnny Mori delves into the influence of African American, Latino, and rock ‘n roll music on his art. The film goes beyond a mere profile of a band to investigate the core and influences of Asian American music.

Director Biography - Duane Kubo

One of the founders of Visual Communications, the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, Duane Kubo later went on to co-direct (with Robert Nakamura) and produce the VC production HITO HATA: RAISE THE BANNER (1980), the first feature length narrative film created exclusively by Asian Americans. Kubo moved back to his native San Jose, CA in 1982 and started teaching at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA. He later became dean of the Intercultural/International Studies Division, teaching Asian American Studies and overseeing the Ethnic Studies and International Studies programs. Kubo is now retired from De Anza College and volunteers in San Jose Japantown by running J-Town Community TV and the J-Town FilmFest.