arts & entertainment

Shigeto@The Max

Musician brings electronic sounds to the Max M.
Fisher Music Center.

Suzanne Chessler
I Contributing Writer

achary Shigeto Saginaw, at a very
early age, found a use for pots
and pans that was very different
from what had been done with them at
Zingerman's, the Ann Arbor deli co-owned
by his dad.
The kitchenware was used for drum-
ming, a talent that grew as he experiment-
ed with actual percussion instruments and
added electronic sounds.
Both skills have been recognized
through stage performances near and far,
as well as recordings.
As electronic music gained attention,
the use of "Shigeto" alone seemed to be
distinctive for a stage name. The musi-
cian heads the billing for a performance
Thursday evening, Oct. 23, at the Max M.
Fisher Music Center in Detroit.
Mix@TheMax starts at 9 p.m. with food
and drinks. The performance starts at 10
p.m.
"I usually do solo performances with
drums and electronic equipment:' says
Shigeto, 31, single and living in Detroit.
"For this show, because it is in such a
beautiful theater rather than a nightclub, I
thought it would be a great idea to try out
an ensemble setup:"
Charles Tillinghast will be at guitar, syn-
thesizers and electronics. Brennan Andes
will play electric bass, and Josef Deas will
join in with keyboard, upright bass and
synthesizers.

Z

"It will be a mixture of songs from
past recordings and original mate-
rial:' says Shigeto, whose label, Ghostly
International, describes his lyric-free
sounds as "richly textured, rhythmically
fractured and melodically sumptuous:'
Shigeto, who often gets classified as a DJ
or music producer, developed instrumen-
tal talents drumming the beats of jazz.
"There's a spectrum of moods that my
music can represent:' he says. "Because it's
instrumental, I think it's up to listeners as
to how it makes them feel.
"I think music without lyrics is more
open in that way because lyrics tell a story
while music alone lets listeners decide
what a song means.
"My music tends to be more on the mel-
ancholy side, a lot more minor keys and
chord progressions. There are some happy
sounds, too. It all depends who's listening
and what they feel."
Shigeto, whose parents encouraged his
singing along to records and beating out
rhythms, was not traditionally trained.
He appeared with high school friends and
became serious while studying jazz with
Vincent York in Ann Arbor.
After moving to New York and study-
ing at the New School for Jazz and
Contemporary Music, Shigeto felt boxed
in despite finding work with bands. He left
school after three semesters.
Paul Saginaw, his dad, suggested a break
and connected him with a job at a farm-
ers market in London, England. Although
Shigeto had worked at Zingerman's, he had

been responsible for mail orders,
not food preparation and distri-
Shigeto: For the first time ever, his performance
bution.
will involve live instrumentation of his
"I had wanted to separate
compositions.
myself from the deli and do
something on my own:' says
Shigeto, who also continued with
Shigeto, whose heritage is Japanese on
his music. "I loved what I was doing at the
his mother's side and Jewish on his dad's,
market but developed tendonitis in my
did not have a bar mitzvah but celebrates
forearms while handling large wheels of
Rosh Hashanah and Passover.
cheese.
"I like taking pictures, but I don't con-
"I couldn't play drums so my younger
sider myself a photographer; he says.
brother, Ben, suggested electronic music:'
"When I was a kid, I used to draw all the
Although Shigeto had listened to elec-
time, and my brother is encouraging me to
tronic music, he had not tried it. Once at
get back into that:'
the computer, he found a satisfying cre-
Shigeto's three main interests have been
ative outlet while still in physical therapy
music, food and traveling. His favorite
to return to drums.
Zingerman's sandwich is the Reuben.
Shigeto, who has appeared at the Detroit
"I have a lot of ideas for the future
Jazz Festival, composes in a studio.
says Shigeto, whose music can be heard
"I had been writing music for a long
on Motorola and GoPro commercials and
time as a hobby, but I never really thought
will be scored into a documentary now in
that anything would happen with it:' he
production.
says. "Slowly, I started putting out music
"A long-term goal is having a studio
with a scale found in blues and jazz.
where kids can record and learn how to
"I start out by incorporating a lot of live
use equipment. A short-term goal is hav-
ing the Mix@TheMax go well:'
instruments and recording myself playing
them. Then I go to those recordings and
find bits that I like and build ideas off that:'
Shigeto will perform at 10 p.m.
Full Circle, released in 2010, was Shigeto's
Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Max M.
first full-length album, although he had
Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward,
done singles, remixes and EPs. No Better
in Detroit. Mix@TheMax starts at
Time Than Now was released in 2013.
"The bulk of my income comes from
9 p.m. with food and drinks. $15 in
advance/$25 at the door. (313) 576-
performing:' he says. "I'm on the road a
5111; dso.org .
lot. In the last three years, I probably spent
a year and a half traveling:'

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+I I Nate Bloom

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Special to the Jewish News

At The Movies:

Opening Friday, Oct. 10:
In The Judge, Hank Palmer (Robert
Downey Jr.) has long been estranged
from his father (Robert Duvall) and
the rest of his family. He returns
to his hometown when his father, a
judge, is suspected of murder. David
Krumholtz, 36, has a supporting role
as Mike Kattan, a young prosecutor
who challenges Hank's moral views.
Much lighter is
the Disney flick

Krumholtz

38

October 9 • 2014

another. Newcomer Ed Oxenbould
plays Alex, with Jennifer Garner and
Steve Carell playing his parents. Two
other newcomers play Alexander's
older brother and sister.
The film is based on the 1972
children's book of the same name,
written by Judith Viorst, now 83.
The book sold 2 million copies and
has already been the subject of a TV
movie and hit stage musical.
In the book, Alex is 5 years old
and has two older brothers (Nick and
Anthony). Viorst and her husband, well-
known journalist Milton Viorst, now 84,
have three sons — you guessed right —
named Alex, Nick and Anthony.

Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day.

Jewish NFL Players

It follows 11-year-old
Alexander as one
calamity (like gum
in his hair) follows

The following players were on an NFL
roster as of Oct. 1:
Gabe Carimi, 26, guard/tackle,
Atlanta Falcons. An outstanding col-

lege player, Carimi was severely injured
in his 2011 rookie season with Chicago,
was traded to Tampa Bay in 2013 and
only started three games last season.
Released in February, he was quickly
signed by Atlanta and has played in
the first four 2014 season games.
Nate Ebner, 25, free safety, New
England Patriots. Ebner made the
Ohio State University team as a walk-
on and excelled in special team play.
"Barely drafted" in 2012, he shocked
pundits with outstanding play on spe-
cial teams during his
first two seasons.
Erik Lorig, 27, full-
back, New Orleans
Saints. After four
years with Tampa
Bay (2010-13), Lorig
signed a four-year,
i $4.8 million contract
4
Lorig
with the Saints.

Taylor Mays, 25, strong safety,
Cincinnati Bengals. 2014 is Mays'
fourth season with the Bengals. If he
stays healthy, this may be his first
really good season.
Geoff Schwartz, 28, offensive
guard, New York Giants. Schwartz,
a six-year veteran, signed a $16.8
million, four-year contract in the off
season. In 2013, with Kansas City, he
started seven games. He was injured
in early September, and is not
expected back until
late this month.

Mitchell Schwartz,

Mitchell
Schwartz

25, offensive guard,
Cleveland Browns.
Mitchell is Geoff's
brother. In his rookie
2012 season, he
started all 16 games
and repeated this
stat in 2013.

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