Takenaka, Hata in Concert Aug. 11 at Higashi Honganji

Makoto Takenaka

Jazz pianist Makoto Takenaka will be joined by guest guitarist Peter Hata for a special concert on Saturday, Aug. 11, at Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, 505 E. Third St. (at Central Avenue) in Little Tokyo.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 general, $10 for ages 12 and under, with free parking at the temple. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door, as space permits. RVSP requested by Aug. 5 to revpeterhata@gmail.com.

Takenaka was born in Connecticut and raised in Kyoto. He acquired a BA and MA in Tokyo, then came to the U.S. to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating magna cum laude, he became the first Japanese assistant professor in Berklee, and was promoted to associate professor.

Peter Hata

He has appeared on TV, radio, and in many concerts, including the Berklee Performance Center, Harvard, MIT, Brandeis, Wellesley, U-Mass, and many others. He also integrates Japanese traditional tunes into jazz-fusion.

Guest artist Peter Hata is one of the original members of the jazz-fusion group Hiroshima. Later, he left the group to pursue traditional jazz, earned a Master of Music degree from Cal State L.A. and, upon graduating, taught a wide variety of graduate and undergraduate music courses there.

In 2011, he received ordination as a Shin Buddhist priest and is currently assigned to Higashi Honganji.

For information, call (213) 626-4200.

Takenaka will also give a concert at Orange County Buddhist Church, 909 S. Dale Ave. in Anaheim, on the same day at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 general, $10 for youth. For more information, contact Carol Sakamoto at jncsak@gmail.com.