Alice Tong - photo by Anna Wu

We here at ATO fancy ourselves a rather eclectic bunch; we’re into a mad, disjointed variety of unrelated people, places, things, etc.  We seldom agree on anything, but two interests do top all of our lists – good animals and good music.  Imagine our surprise when we stumbled across an artist whose main passions matched ours!  That person is California-based singer/songwriter/shelter dog trainer Alice Tong. 

Alice and Lance

By day Alice (who is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker) is employed at Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, CA – plus she offers private dog training, as evidenced HERE.  She has also assisted SIRIUS Puppy/Dog Training Classes, East Bay SPCA’s TLC (Teaching Love and Compassion) dog training classes, and trained service dogs for individuals with physical disabilities. Alice graduated with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior- one of the most respected and comprehensive dog training programs available using force-free methods.  How cool is that? 

Anybody that involved with animals must have a big heart — and Alice just happens to have a big talent to match.  Her first album, “Small” (2005) reveals huge singing chops she puts to good use on sultry standards like “Black Coffee”, “Round Midnight” and “Nature Boy” — along with a sprinkling of original material. To say this collection is gorgeous is an understatement — and it only gets better with her more recent offering, last year’s “Please Be Brave Before The Lions They Come”.  Despite the Yoda-esque title (just kidding Alice) the album brings into sharp focus the masterful songwriting and warm, unique voice possessed by Ms. Tong.  I must also add that Alice plays piano, guitar, ukulele and harmonica on these cuts – and her musicianship is second-to-none. You can hear all this for yourself AND download these albums at Alice’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

Right now — here’s a little taste of the music courtesy of the Alice Tong Youtube Channel - where we strongly encourage you to spend a great deal of time.

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Obedient animals and good music — two of life’s great pleasures — both supplied by Alice Tong.

Sue Jin

ATO favorite Sue Jin has accomplished the near-impossible:  she has just delivered a new album that surpasses even the enormous breadth and depth of her previous “Worth the Tears” CD.  The new one, entitled “The First Installment – I” is being released slowly, one or two songs at a time on YouTube and elsewhere.  Truth is, we haven’t heard the whole thing yet — but the selected cuts available at this writing are worth the price of admission by themselves.  Example below – “The Road”

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Now that you’ve heard it — learn why it is so special to Sue in the moving video here:

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We’ll have updates on Sue and her great new album soon — but if you’re hungry for more info right now, check her out on Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/suejin

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… and here’s one more from the album — in case you’re not sold already …

Jed, move away from there

Remember the scene in the Beverly Hillbillies when Jed is “shootin’ at some food” and suddenly “up from the ground comes bubblin’ crude”?  Well, that’s similar to what happened recently when ATO did a brief story on S-Cube Entertainment’s girl group Umamiya.  We, figuratively, poked at the ground a bit and up came a geyser of talent – in the form of Cold Tofu, an L.A.-based Asian American comedy improv and sketch group. 

Cold Tofu

Ya see, for those who haven’t yet caught on, the whole S-Cube/Umamiya “phenomenon” is the … er … work of Cold Tofu.  Cold Tofu deserves a huge article – something beyond the scope of this humble website – but you can and should check out their website at www.coldtofu.com.

Corinne Chooey

Much to our amazement, our little Umamiya feature brought a flurry of positive comments and emails from the Tofu gang themselves — and we appreciate that more than they know.  One of the responders was Tofu core member Corinne Chooey (aka Cathedral Leung of Umamiya).  Her photo looked pretty interesting, so we began poking around at her — um, FIGURATIVELY of course — and again the geyser raged forth. Hmm.

OK — right here and now we’re going to abandon the Beverly Hillbillies parallel ‘cuz it’s getting a little iffy. 

Nevertheless – closer examination of Ms. Chooey/Leung’s background revealed a wealth of captivating data:  raised in Frisco’s Chinatown, Chooey has been performing since an early age. Church plays and community theatre led to gigs with everything from Lodestone to Sara Lee — and she’s appeared in fare like Reno 911 and flicks with stars like Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.  She’s SAG, AFTRA and AEA — and that’s just scratching the surface.  For the whole story, check out her webpage:  www.corinnechooey.com.

To get to the point of all this — Chooey is also a writer and a while back she wrote (and produced) a real jewel of a short film, “Chinatown Rhapsody” — which we present below for your viewing pleasure.

Of this film, Chooey says “This is my homage to the San Francisco community that will forever be near and dear to my heart.  Growing up, I often heard stories from my grandparents about a swanky Chinatown Nightclub they used to visit in the 1940′s.  Rumor has it, I actually had an aunt who danced in the chorus. ”

Cold Tofu

If you haven’t followed this, you’ve simply gotta go back and piece together the story of S-Cube Entertainment and their girl group Umamiya.  This saga beats most anything you’ll see on WWE — but don’t take it any more seriously. 

 Prepare to be mystified.

Want more?  Here’s the video that, er …. “started it all”  I guess —

Yeah – this has been posted on ATO before.  But it deserves to be featured again.  And for some reason it really sounds good on a chilly, rainy day … or ANY day.  Enjoy.

“Rhythm and Passion of Korea”

LOS ANGELES (July 19, 2011) – The Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles is proud to announce the world premiere of their highly anticipated production, “Rhythm and Passion of Korea” at the Ford Amphitheatre on September 10, 2011. The new work promises to take audiences through an awe-inspiring journey where tradition and modernity merge in music and dance for one unforgettable night. Highlights of this incredible evening include the musical styling of international “Haegum”sensation, Kang Eun-il and her group of elite musiciansdirect from South Korea, Haegum Plus. Worldrenowned B-Boy dance crew, Last for One, best known for defying the laws of physics with their award-winning, heart-stopping acrobatic routines, will join Ms. Kang and Haegum Plus for their final set in the first half and performing in the second half of the evening to close out an amazing night of entertainment.  

Praised around the world for being a virtuoso of the “Haegum,” an instrument passed down from the Goryeo Dynasty (918~1392 AD) resembling a fiddle with its rod-like body and played with a bow, Ms. Kang takes Korean music to new heights. Armed with her bow, she and Haegum Plus expand and continually test the limits of sound. The result is entirely new genre that has become termed, “new traditional music.” Unlike “fusion” or “hybrid” music, “new traditional music” strongly maintains the character of traditional Haegum music — traditional sound and instrumentation serve as the “text” of the music and are central to the musical piece. Alongside the Yoshida Brothers of Japan and the Twelve Girls Band of China, Kang Eun-il and Haegum Plus are emerging as one of the most prominent musical groups representing Asia.

Last for One will add hip hop flavor to the second half of the evening. Audiences will have the rare opportunity to watch the dance crew that has earned numerous honors, including first place of the 2005 International Battle of the Year in Germany (known as the most prestigious B-Boying competition in the world). Additionally, they have also taken the first place title at both the 2003 Japan Battle of Hirapa and at the 2005 Spain Underground Republic 3. Last for One has been invited to perform around the globe in the U.S., Singapore, France, Finland, England, Mongolia, Angola and China. Last for One was also featured in the critically acclaimed documentary film, Planet B-Boy.

Be sure to join us on September 10, 2011 for “Rhythms and Passion of Korea” at the Ford Theatre.

Tickets priced at $25 for adults and $10 for full-time students with ID and children 12 and under, are available at www.FordTheatres.org or 323 461-3673 (for non-visual media 323 GO 1- FORD). Adults who buy tickets on or before September 3 pay only $20.

For more information on Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles, please visit www.kccla.org/english_/home_.asp  

MORE ON KANG EUN-IL:

Being a pioneer in using the Haegum to create “new traditional music,” Ms. Kang has performed both in Korea as well as internationally with world renowned artists and groups, including Bobby McFerrin, Luciano Pavarotti, Yoshida Brothers, Salta Cello, NHK Orchestra, and KBS Korean Traditional Music Orchestra. Representing Korea, she also regularly takes part in ‘”The World String Festival” in Japan. She has received several prominent recognitions for her work: KBS Korean Traditional Music Grand Prix, Korean National Assembly Culture and Media Grand Prix, 2005 Korean Culture and Art Committee Award, 2006 Ministry Culture and Tourism Artist Award among others for her contributions to the popularization and globalization of the Haegum and opening a whole new genre for this versatile instrument. Kang Eun-il’s performance of modern composers’ work, combining the Haegum with Western orchestra, classical guitar, piano, violin, viola and cello, has been received with great enthusiasm and featured in the acclaimed filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk’s film ‘The Bow’ (2005).

ABOUT THE FORD AMPHITHEATRE

The Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068, just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway, across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios. The grounds open two hours before showtime for picnicking. The Ford offers a number of dining options: a variety of food and beverages is available on site and box dinners for evening events may be ordered in advance. Patrons are welcome to bring their own food and drink.

The Ford is disabled accessible. Portable wireless listening devices are available upon request. On-site, stacked parking costs $5 per vehicle for evening shows and $1 per vehicle for morning family shows. For evening shows only, FREE non-stacked parking serviced by a FREE shuttle to the Ford, for evening amphitheatre performances only, is available at the Universal City Metro Station lot at Lankershim Blvd. and Campo de Cahuenga. The shuttle, which cycles every 15-20 minutes, stops in the “kiss and ride” area.

This event is part of the Ford Amphitheatre 2010 Season, a multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County-based arts organizations. For a complete season schedule, directions to the theater and parking information, log on to www.FordTheatres.org.

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Calendar Listing for “Rhythm and Passion of Korea”

WHEN:            September 10, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

WHO:              Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles Presents…

“Rhythm and Passion of Korea”

WHERE:         John Anson Ford Amphitheatre

2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068, just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway, across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios.            

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE

PRICE:            Purchase by September 3 and pay only $20
Buy tickets to three or more evening events and save 20%

Full price: $25           
Students & Children: $10

TIX/INFO:        Box Office Phone – 323 461-3673 (or 323 GO 1-FORD)

 www.fordtheatres.org/en/events/details/id/219“ 

www.fordtheatres.org 

And you can find Priscilla’s website at:  http://priscillaahn.com/home/