DAN KURAMOTO - Hiroshima

Don Kuramoto was an art student from the college of East Los Angeles. Dan was working for Recreation and County parks and L.A. to earn money and also working as a sports specialist. Dan used to play flute in his Hippy style. Peoples call this Post-Hippy style pf flute playing. He was highly qualified too, with the knowledge of evaluation of ethnic studies on the campus; he held a bachelor degree in fine arts like drawing and painting too.

He set as the first department chairman at Cal State University at Long Beach, for Asian-American studies. He started teaching music as an Asian-American and as an artist, for three years. He found university life is not big enough to open his wings. He also found that playing music for various fund-raisers community was a kind of expression, which became his passion.

Music was his whole-soul and music also provided a great forum for communication and art that was his desire. Fueled by musical work of Jazz artists that he loved most, and the incredible creative and destructive energy of the artist like Wind, Fire and Earth, Jimi Hendrix; Den assumed music as a vehicle to voice and music of Japan and America was mixed and both heritage of music get together and build a greater sound that will touch the soul of all creatures. He felt that the greatest source of America is its diversity.

Later on, he met June and found the answers of his questions and destination of his journey. She was a famous Japanese classical musician and her high desire to create a “new music” inspired Dan a lot. This inspiration helped them to make collaboration and here was the birth of Hiroshima. They had short music background but had a endless ideas and imagination with persistence. Dan became the lead music composer, leader and producer of the band.