Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden
Music is a prism in which we view and navigate the world. It’s a fixture in our relationships, our gatherings, our way of being. We begin this month in conversation with two luminous beams, in celebration of their debut as a duo, who’ve posed the album-length question: How do we imbue our music with this sense of emotional cartography? How can instrumental music document the range of our human experience — worry and camaraderie, hope and frustration, tenderness and absurdity?
A weekend before the official release with Domino, we’re honored to host the premiere album listening session of Croz Boyce with Dave Portner (Avey Tare) and Brian Weitz (Geologist) of Animal Collective. Croz Boyce is the first-time duo of Dave and Brian and over 9 instrumental pieces the self-titled album explores two longtime friends in dialogue. You can pre-order the album here.
A patient path for the listener unfolding through effected guitar, percussion, and synthesizer we’re enormously looking forward to sharing time inhabiting this album at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden. Bring a blanket and a picnic, lay underneath a tree, sit by a stream and watch the koi, and choose your own adventure in navigating this porous music.
We’ll have tea available for you upon arrival & offer the gentle reminder that there are no animals allowed at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden aside from our critter friends who nest, rest, and digest throughout the koi ponds and tree canopies.
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Croz Boyce’s self-titled debut album is a series of nine tracks featuring a blend of electric and acoustic string instruments, synthesizers, and percussion, with additional mixing by Animal Collective’s Josh Dibb (Deakin) and mastering by Taylor Deupree. The album is set for release on May 8, and its opening track “Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop” is out now via a video (above) created by the snorkeler/explorer/filmographer Joseph Ricketts.
The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was created by landscape designer & craftsman Kinzuchi Fujii between 1935 – 1940 for Charles and Ellamae Storrier Stearns. It is the only intact example of a major Japanese-style garden created before World War II for a residence in Southern California.
The teahouse which we gather alongside is named Niko-an, meaning Abode at Two Ponds. The original teahouse was built in Japan to Kinzuchi Fujii’s exacting specifications, then disassembled and shipped to Los Angeles for reassembly in the garden. The twelve tatami mats covering the floor signified a teahouse of great importance.
Kinzuchi Fujii’s son possessed his father’s original plans and many photographs taken during the garden’s first construction. These were an invaluable resource during the garden’s recent restoration.
Though the original teahouse burned down in 1981, it has been rebuilt. Dr. Takeo Uesugi, an accomplished landscape architect and designer, worked closely with the current owners, Jim and Connie Haddad, to restore the teahouse, faithfully adhering to Kinzuchi’s original drawings, photographs and architectural plans.
We’re very grateful to Jim, Connie, Virginia, and Heidi for welcoming Living Earth to the breathtaking Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden.