"It was my hugely fortunate destiny to come across 'Blast!' and, as I am 39 this year, I would like to perform it with a heartfelt '39' message [because, in Japanese, three is san and nine is kyu, which is phonetically 'thank you']," Tokyo-born percussionist, composer and performing director Naoki Ishikawa declared with passion.
"Blast!" is a Broadway-style performance centered on a version of a drum-and-bugle corps from the American Civil War (1861-65), together with brass and other percussion instruments and a color guard. The show, which also features dancers, was created in the early 1980s by an Indiana-based, business-minded aficionado named James Mason, though it only really took off worldwide after its 1999 premiere at the Apollo Theatre in London.
Following that, "Blast!" launched on Broadway and won Tony and Emmy awards in 2001. Then it toured further afield, triumphing in Japan in 2003 before being performed here every year from 2004 to '09. It then returned in 2012 to play in all the country's 47 prefectures — a feat it is now set to repeat through Sept. 7.