Erisa Ogawa recently visited London to work with Yokohama Calling in what turned out to be a very busy week for the multi award winning Japanese flutist.
After arriving at London Heathrow in the afternoon there was just time to drop some bags off at the hotel before heading out for dinner with the Yokohama Calling team followed by a jam session at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho. In true ‘jam’ tradition this continued til 3am.
During the following few days, Erisa also attended jam sessions at Spice Of Life in London’s Soho, Mascara Bar in Stoke Newington, London and also sat in on the main show with fabulous band The Ronnie Scotts Blues Explosion at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Soho, London.
Another day and a little time for sightseeing in London was followed by a team visit to a very inspiring concert by Makiko Hirabayashi Trio at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.
World Heart Beat Music Academy
This turned out to be a real inspiration and highlight of the week for Erisa and all of us. The work that the academy and it’s staff does is truly amazing and makes a huge difference to the community it serves, transforming young lives through music.
Erisa held a workshop for students at the academy. There were several flutists among the students who were eager to ask questions and learn from Erisa. They spent time playing their flutes together as a group, and the students were particularly excited by Erisa’s lesson on ‘flute beatboxing’.
Sahana Gero MBE, the academy’s founder and artistic director, is a remarkable and inspiring woman. Sahana explains: “Learning a musical instrument gives a child an immense sense of personal achievement, self-expression, community and connectivity. The emotion, discipline and structure involved takes them on a journey far beyond their initial expectations and they soon recognise that there are no limits.”
Please take time to visit the academy’s website and learn more about the cause and the community.
View the full gallery of Erisa’s visit to World Heart Beat here.
An early start…
A daytime session with Nikki Yeoh (piano), Mark Mondesir (drums), and Alex Davis (bass) – see gallery here – was followed by a guest performance at ‘A Canteen’, Chelmsford, with Nikki Yeoh (piano), Nick Cohen (bass) and Andy Gangadeen (drums).
Paris was also on the itinerary and the pace didn’t let up. There was some sightseeing, time for French cuisine and some performances at jam sessions. Then it was back to London for more music making.
