This talk will examine contemporary songs with strikingly Buddhistic lyrics, instrumental examples drawn from world music, classical music, and jazz which exemplify core aspects of the Buddha’s teachings, music as a Buddhist practice, and an interactive workshop with the goal of getting into the “creative flow."
Our special speaker, Rev. Peter Hata, is a minister at the Higashi Honganji Los Angeles Betsuin. He brings with him a wide variety of interests, including Buddhist chanting music and our American cultural traditions. Rev. Peter was an original member of the jazz-fusion group Hiroshima with whom he played guitar in the 1970s and 80s. He later left the group to pursue more traditional jazz, which led to his writing a book entitled “Speaking Jazz: The Natural Way to Jazz Improvisation.” He has taught graduate and undergraduate music courses at California State University and continues to perform jazz.