MURORAN JAZZ CRUISE 2008
The object of this project
In 1966, Muroran was the most prosperous, and had a population of over180,000.
But it decreased sharply about 97,800 of that, and about 48,200of households in 2007
As the result of this, they've troubled about the business, so they have to change the way of it and create a new one though they'd made much more of the commercial gain.
Under this sever circumstance, we hold Muroran Jazz Cruise at the old Muroran Station in 2001, and succeeded there.
To produce new Muroran through our music, this success led us to plan the another concert connected with Water Front Project, staring the new one in 2002.
We hold the concert in the huge warehouse located in the central quay of Muroran Port.
The High School Big Band, which consisted of students at each senior high school in Muroran, played with the professional musicians.
Many people in and near Muronan take part in the concert as volunteers and its scale gets bigger every year.
There gather much audience all over Hokkaido, and it proves the concert to be one of the main jazz festivals in Hokkaido.
That year, 2008 was the 136th anniversary since we had opened Muroran Port by completing the pier in Tokikaramoi in 1872, so we look back on Muroran's history and learn it deeply and have a new understanding of it with the growing up Muroran Jazz Cruise.
We have a legend "Muroran was a jazz town" as people at ports love jazz like Otaru.
Jazz music was the beat for Muroran at the golden days and so were the people.
"The vivid beat of the town" is just the most we get back.
We'd like to be particular about "our port and jazz", and widely send this event, which is made the most of the natural environment in Muroran, by media and from mouth to mouth over Japan.
We hope many people get interested in it, and come here, and then we'd like to touch "the vivid beat and sound of our town".
Also we think "to create the town is to cultivate the people", so we sent the college students to America in 2002.
They went to Knoxville, Tennessee, which is a sister city of Muroran, and talked with the students there.
They visited the home of jazz, Newport, New Orleans, and so on, too.
We got an opportunity of studying to produce a new town through the young eyes.
And last year we invited the students at Tennessee University in Knoxville and tried to promote the exchange of two countries.
We positively practice the encouraging project which is appealed as the theme, "Bring up young people who take part in creating our town".
Moreover, on Muroran Jazz Cruise 2007 we invite amateur musicians all over Hokkaido to take part in this concert, and we try to widely exchange musicians beyond regions.
We hope our earnest idea to promote the starting plan, Water Front Plan, which creates a new town.
We're sure we can send the cultural message by jazz from Muroran Port and we challenge to produce our town as the representative of western Iburi ( a region of Hokkaido).
Translated by Eiko Yamashita
Muroran Jazz Cruise Executive Committee
Office: 1-13-3 Nakajimahon-cho, Muroran-shi 050-0075
c/o Muroran Ongaku Bunka Kyokai
TEL (0143) 44-9922 FAX (0143)44-9927
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