Patrick Shiroishi's music moves a Japanese American saga forward
Family dinner frightened the saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi.
It was late August 2022, and Shiroishi was due in Europe in exactly a month to open for the experimental metal trio Sumac, not only his first tour there but also one of his first tours ever. He had so many shows and sessions booked for the rest of the year, in fact, he would rarely be in Rosemead, the Los Angeles County town where he's lived his entire life, for much of the year. Now, at a family dinner to celebrate his aunt's birthday, Shiroishi, 35, just had to tell his parents.
"For the longest time, my parents fought me on music — 'When are you not going to go to shows or play shows? When are you just going to come home after work and relax?' " Shiroishi remembers, flashing a toothy grin. He folds his legs beneath himself on a park bench outside of his favorite Rosemead ramen spot.
"I definitely yelled at them about it," he continues with an uncomfortable sigh. "I said I'd quit when I was 30. Until then, don't bother me."
His parents, Allen and Uzuko, had indeed asked about that vow the month he turned 30. Shiroishi, however, had not quit. Instead, he doubled down on his own music during the next five years, releasing several dozen albums of roaring free jazz, warped instrumental metal and feather-light bop so luxurious it feels like a West Coast sunset. He became, in turn,
