Great Leap and Bindu Records present

"To All Relations 97"

Great Leap collaborated with Bindu Records to create the first annual "TO ALL RELATIONS" concert, the July 19 maiden voyage of Bindu Records at the John Anson Ford Theatre in Hollywood, was a night to remember.

Nestled in the mountains and under a full moon, Nobuko sang "Mountain Moving Day Is Coming" and master drummer Francis Awe answered with his talking drum. This conversation set the tone for the exciting weaving of cultures that followed.

The Nigerian Talking Drum Ensemble danced their way through the nearly full 1,200 seat house with the traditional greeting song ... "Ekabo!" Storyteller Charlie Chin used a simple fan and a commanding voice to captivate with his Chinese folktale.

With Derek Nakamoto at the musical helm, Nobuko's songs took us from the burning streets of L.A. in '92 to the treeless plains of Brazil and back home with her call "Mitakuye Oyasin" (to all relations).

Looking at the audience that night it felt like all the relations were there. Three hundred youth came from Occidental College and the USC Upward Bound Program, singing "Mitakuye Oyasin" in the rousing finale. Families with children, lovers and elders all moved in the swirl of color and rhythm - and the message was heard, taken home to remember.

This performance was made possible in part by the California Arts Council, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the ARCO Foundation, Hitachi, KCBS-TV, Princeton Graphic Systems, Sony Pictures and Mervyn's California. Special thanks to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for their continued support of Summer Nights at the Ford.

Updated: July 2000