A professional musician for 30 years, Dave Iwataki is a keyboardist, pianist, composer, and arranger who has found a way to combine his passion for music with serving diverse communities. A recipient of multiple arts grants, he has created several community-centered projects, including “The Healing Drums”, a project initiated in response to the LA Riots designed to illustrate harmony and unity among the communities of Los Angeles through diverse percussion traditions, “J-Town/Bronzeville Suite”, a musical exploration of a seldom-told chapter of Los Angeles history, and “Barbed Wire and Hip Hop”, a hip hop album about the Japanese American internment camps. For each of these projects, Dave created the concepts, wrote the music, and assembled the musicians and other supporting participants.
Here is what he has to say about this collaboration with JANM.
“How to compose another score for a film about the Japanese American experience without sounding redundant? The question was answered when producer/director of “Masters of Modern Design”, Akira Boch, asked me to musically reflect the innovative direction that the Japanese American artists were taking in their respective disciplines. He suggested modern jazz, the sound of the times when the artists were most active. Akira’s request was both an unexpected pleasure and a challenge. Musicians- Jon Crosse, Ernie Nunez and Chris Wabich, helped me to bring authenticity to the genre of jazz that underscores the film. I hope it takes you there.”
Dave Iwataki
Includes these tracks:
- Only What You Can Carry 5:37
- Nintai 7:41
- Art Saved Us 6:26
- Visual Jazz 4:04
- Kesshutsu 4:00
- The Spirit of the Trees 3:42
- Prejudice is Stupid 7:00
- Life Interrupted 2:34
- Impermanence 5:50
- Abstraphic 1:59
Artbound: Masters of Modern Design
