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Article: Time has stopped in Okinawa's jazz clubs; US military occupation intruduced jazz to Okinawa. Now the island has more jazz clubs than most American cities.(FEATURES)(TRAVEL)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- April 20, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Roger House Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
OKINAWA, JAPAN -- In a small jazz club in Okinawa, Japan, waitress Akiko Chino vocalizes a rendition of "Paper Moon." The aspiring singer struggles to interpret the song phonetically, having memorized the lyrics from a CD. The crowd applauds as she leaves the bandstand, bowing before resuming the work of clearing tables.
When she passes my table, she asks for clarification of a line in the song: "What is a Barnum and Bailey world?" I try to explain, but the barriers of language and cultural history get in the way.
Regardless, her love for jazz will go on. She is typical of many ...