
Artist: Patrick Shiroishi
Song: “To Kill a Wind-Up Bird”
Album: Hidemi (Releasing 10/29)
Label: American Dream Records
Genre: Jazz, Avant-Garde
Los Angeles-based saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi‘s music has been heavily influenced by the Japanese internment camps that have stained America’s history. Through his frenetic, stirring compositions, he has created emotional soundscapes that have focused on the experience Japanese-Americans had inside these camps. On his upcoming release, Hidemi, he focuses on the personal experiences of his grandfather after he was released from the camp.
The first single from the album, “To Kill a Wind-Up Bird” opens with a cavalcade of woodwinds, fluttering in and out in a melodic yet scatalogical pattern. The track breaks down into a cacophonous disruption before reemerging with a serene moment. This serenity is fleeting, as Shiroishi’s baritone sax enters and barrels the song towards a propulsive conclusion.
Unlike anything else you’ve heard, check out this disarming track in our Check This 2021 Playlist!