LASA/EANLAS: Rethinking Trans-Pacific Ties: Asia and Latin America

Trinational Musical Circulations: Professional Musicians Moving between Japan, Israel, Brazil, and the United States

• In Event: Musical and Poetic Circulations across the Pacific

Abstract

Professional musicians tend to tour and migrate along established routes that include trinational groupings. This paper explains two such triangular circuits that connect Japan, Brazil, and the United States, and Israel, Brazil, and the United States. To focus the analytical aperture to a few countries that musicians commonly traverse offers a perspective on globalization trends between binational and global frames, and between narrowly idiosyncratic and broadly cosmopolitan identities. Drawing on interviews with musicians based in New York City conducted over the past seven years, and music description, the case study describes three Japanese musicians and three Israeli musicians who developed competencies playing Brazilian music while living in the United States and collaborating with local Brazilian expats. Their expanding interests and careers playing Brazilian music brought them to Brazil and back to Japan and Israel, respectively, while based in the U.S. For some of the Japanese, Israeli, and Brazilian collaborators, opportunities emerged to tour and teach in each other's countries, too, showing the intersections and expansions of professional routes. Their music also has artistic influences from their expanding experiences, collaborations, competencies, and tastes. These countries in particular have long and deep historical relationships that support such bilateral and trilateral movements of professionals. Meanwhile, the musicians have had to navigate each country's differing identity politics as they engage in intercultural musical dialogue and exchange.

Author

• Marc M Gidal, Ramapo College of New Jersey