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Portland Observer

Minidoka Swing Band Concert

Music of The Harmonaires

The Minidoka Swing Band


The Minidoka Swing Band was formed in 2007 to remember the music and big bands that were popular inside World War II Japanese American incarceration camps to help make life more normal for the imprisoned incarcerees. The Oregon Historical Society is thrilled to host the Minidoka Swing Band for a concert on Pearl Harbor Day in our pavilion at noon. Admission is free and all are welcome. The Minidoka Swing Band was formed by the late Roberta (Robbie) Tsuboi for a 2008 pilgrimage to the Minidoka Internment Camp. The band consists of 17 musicians and two vocalists, three of whom were incarcerated during WWII. Relatives of several bandmembers were also incarcerated. The band connects audiences to the time when all internees needed something to uplift them and help them feel typically American. The Minidoka Swing Band continues to play the music of The Harmonaires, a Seattle-based band formally known as the Mikados of Swing, as a tribute to Minidoka and all the internees who suffered a great loss during those difficult years. This performance will include narration between songs by Nola Sugai Bogle, who was incarcerated with her family at Minidoka. The Minidoka Swing Band Concert is Thursday, December 7, 12pm to 1pm.

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