Several years ago, I was privileged to hear the Nubian musician Hamza El Din play at Enkaku-ji temple in Kita Kamakura. The space in which he played was open to the elements, and the sound of rain falling provided an accompaniment to the notes of his instrument, the oud, in a way that still resonates.
Hamza El Din, who traveled the world entrancing audiences with a rich fusion of Nubian and Arabic sounds, died in a hospital in Berkeley, Calif. last year. He was 76.
Meet Kazuko Asaba who is busy organizing a memorial concert in his name in Yokohama. "Hamza was a great ambassador for his country's music and culture and made a lot of friends here. I helped organize that event in Kita-Kamakura. Maybe we even sat beside one another. Life's like that, isn't it?"