"Jazz Poetry Month: Norihide Nakajima Quintet" at City of Asylum, (online) on September 14.

The City of Asylum will present "Jazz Poetry Month: Norihide Nakajima Quintet" in an online concert on September 14.

This concert marks the first time Jazz Poetry reaches Japan. A concert filmed for fans in Pittsburgh inside the top jazz club in Kyoto, Rag Jazz.

The program features original compositions, with Japanese poetry woven throughout as lyrics, as well as Japanese Jazz standards. Featuring musicians Utako Yamauchi (vocals), Tsutomu Takei (saxophone), Kiyoshi Takeshita (piano), Norihide Nakajima (bass), and Takehiro Shimizu (drums).

It runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, and those interested should register in advance.

"Jazz Poetry Month: Bad Activist," September 20 at Alphabet City.

The City of Asylum will host Mai Khoi and Bad Activist on September 20 as part of its Jazz Poetry Month.

Bad Activist is an autobiographical performance piece, combining storytelling with state-of-the-art music performance. The narrative charts the extraordinary trajectory of Mai Khoi’s life—from renowned to Vietnamese pop star to dissident activist, fighting for artistic freedom in Vietnam and pitting herself against the strong arm of the communist government. Within this crucible of political titans, international powers, and constant surveillance and threat, Khoi develops a personal and unique art form. Her new sound is rooted in forgotten Vietnamese musical traditions fused with jazz and ripe with political song lyrics. Bad Activist explores both the actual historic events of the artist’s life, as well as the subconscious dream worlds that have fueled her work.

Unable to safely live and work in Vietnam, Mai Khoi is currently an Artist Protection Fund Fellow at City of Asylum and the University of Pittsburgh. This performance of Bad Activist features collaborators from the University of Pittsburgh’s PhD in jazz, and all new arrangements for larger bands.

The event runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and will be held both in person and online. Please visit the website for ticket information and for safety protocols. Alphabet City is located at 40 W. North Ave. on the North Side (map).

Hong Kong short film Chen Chen (陳陳) at ReelAbilities Film Festival, September 9 - 12.

The 22-minute short film Chen Chen (陳陳) from Kargo Chen will play at the ReelAbilities Film Festival, scheduled for the Carnegie Museum of Art and online from September 8 through 12.

In this heartfelt docudrama, Chen takes his home-ridden brother with cerebral palsy out for some real-world experiences, leading to a day neither will soon forget. (Adult content: sex, nudity)

This short film precedes the feature-length documentary, Re-Inventing the Wheel.

This set of films will play online from the 9th through the 12th, and tickets are now available.

Panda Supermarket (熊猫超市) to open at new location, September 1, with expanded hours.

Panda Supermarket (熊猫超市), an Asian grocery store in Squirrel Hill, will open at its new location at 5816-5818 Forbes Ave. (map) on September 1. According to Facebook:

MOVING! Our store will be moving to 5816-5818 Forbes Ave. (next to PNC Bank) on 30-31 August 2021. We will reopen at 5816-5818 on September 1. New store hours at the new spot: Monday - Thursday: 10am - 9pm Friday - Saturday: 10am - 9pm Sunday: 11am - 7pm Sorry for the inconvenience! We will stay open at our current spot through the 29th. See you here (and there)!!

Panda opened in 2017 and purchased the new spot in 2019. Work has been underway since last summer. It switched to limited hours---11 am to 7 pm---when COVID hit, and is moving to the hours it kept for most of its life.

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo hits third home run, becomes new home run king among Japanese Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo hit his third home run of the season on Monday, and his third home run of his Pittsburgh Pirates career, setting a new high mark among Japanese-born players in team history. Tsutsugo was signed on August 15th, and is the fourth Japanese player in team history after pitcher Masumi Kuwata in 2007, infielder Akinori Iwamura in 2010, and pitcher Hisanori Takahashi for nine games in 2012.

SCREENSHOT:ASIA Film Festival, October 6 - 10 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host the first SCREENSHOT:ASIA Film Festival from October 6 through 10th. It has already announced a screening of Who Killed Vincent Chin? and a discussion of Asian horror.

A brief summary of the festival and its ambitions:

The Festival brings together students, faculty, long-term Pittsburghers, and recently arrived residents. By screening films from across Asia, we hope to create a dialog based on shared cinematic experiences, letting our audiences learn about and embrace different cultures, peoples, and ways of being in the world. Asian residents are the fastest-growing ethnic community in Pittsburgh; new arrivals include Asian and Asian American students who stay after graduation; professionals brought in by tech, biomedical, and other emerging industries, and refugee communities from Bhutan, Iraq, and Syria. By partnering with community groups—including nationality rooms and other local festivals—we will encourage on and off-campus investment in the success of the events. Additionally, screenings will bring new populations to campus, giving residents who may not know the University their first on-campus experience.

The project is also a way to engage students in practical, professional arts programming experience. Through internships, participation in the ‘Film Festivals’ course, and volunteering, students will learn how to create and execute a high level, city-wide programming event. Students will be part of all committees and areas of engagement. They will help decide which films should be screened, make decisions on graphics and marketing, and work with filmmakers, distributors, and theaters. The project allows students to learn on the ground project management.

By screening films by lesser-known artists from overseas and emerging Asian American film professionals, the Screenshot: Asia Film Festival will impact our participants and audiences in several crucial ways: firstly, it will help our audiences understand marginalized experiences inside and outside of the United States and consider the unique challenges to minority filmmakers. Secondly Screenshot: Asia will provide a space for Asian and other minority film students to meet and learn from underrepresented filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad. We know that representation matters and learning about minority professionals encourages students of color to participate in the industry. By creating networking sessions and filmmaker discussions with students, the program will help bridge the gap between potential women and minority filmmakers and the industry.

The festival was supposed to debut last fall but COVID cancelled those plans. It will succeed and expand upon the long-running Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, which ceased operations in 2018 after rampant sexual harassment by its director was exposed.

2019 Japanese film Lupin III: The First (ルパン三世 THE FIRST) in Pittsburgh, August 29 and 31.

The 2019 Japanese film Lupin III: The First (ルパン三世 THE FIRST) will play in Pittsburgh on August 29 and 31. From the distributor:

The iconic “gentleman thief” Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich. The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that have made LUPIN THE 3RD one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and the North Hills, and tickets are available online. The shows on the 29th are dubbed in English while the shows on the 31st are in Japanese with English subtitles.

McKnight Road's SB Hair Salon (미용실).

Signage recently went up on McKnight Road for SB Hair Salon 미용실. It looks to be a new name for Adore Salon (아도레 미용실), a Korean-owned hair salon that opened earlier this year. The Adore sign remains above the space and on a small sign placed along the road.

It is operated by Elliot Choi (최승규), who boasts 25+ years of experience in Seoul, New York, and New Jersey. Those interested in an appointment can contact 412-318-4210 or adoresalon4814 at gmail.com, though a sign outside says walk-ins are welcomed. It is located at 4814 McKnight Road (map), in a small strip mall next to Sushi Tomo.

Fantuan / Just Order Enterprises Corp. (饭团) hiring Mandarin-speaking Operations Manager (送餐部经理).

Just Order Enterprises (also known as Fantuan), is a delivery service catering to Asian restaurants and groceries that expanded to Pittsburgh last summer, is still hiring a Mandarin-speaking Operations Manager.

Fantuan was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2014. With a mission of “life made easier,” the company is a one-stop platform providing food delivery (Fantuan Delivery), reviews (Fantuan Reviews), an errand service (Fantuan Rush), e-commerce and marketing services. Fantuan is one of the top Asian life-services platforms in North America, currently operating across Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and other metropolitan areas in Canada and the US.

For more positions, please click https://fantuan.ca/en/jobs/

Responsibilities

· Assist recruitment, training, performance appraisal of the delivery team

· Analyze and statistic data to improve the efficiency of the delivery team and user experience

· Dealing with unexpected situations during daily operations

· Complete tasks assigned by other supervisors

Requirements:

· Good at innovation and manage team

· Strong communication, coordination and organizational skills

· Strong executive and promotion ability

· Responsible and purposeful, able to suffer from pressure and challenges

饭团是一家北美互联网生活服务公司,主要业务包括饭团外卖、饭团点评、饭团跑腿,结合中式优质服务与北美先进大数据技术,以互联网思维推动生活服务行业变革。 目前,饭团已覆盖温哥华、多伦多、卡尔加里、蒙特利尔,西雅图,洛杉矶,纽约等加拿大及美国主要城市,为海外华人乃至所有海外消费者提供更加便捷、高效、智能的生活服务

Pittsburgh-based GNC hiring China Joint Venture Project Manager.

Pittsburgh-based GNC is hiring a China Joint Venture Project Manager. From the job ad:

Responsible for supporting the ongoing operations of the GNC China Joint Venture (JV). The position involves leading, coordinating, and communicating with multiple functional areas and applying best practices of project management. The China PM will be expected to support the relationship between the China HQ team and the Pittsburgh HQ support. Candidate is responsible for supporting the JV business plan and long term goals to include the reporting and analysis of the JV performance. This individual will need to possess strong interpersonal skills as he/she will have frequent interaction with Senior Leaders. In addition, he/she will need to develop strong relationships in order to influence Pittsburgh functional teams to ensure that the JV receives the appropriate level of support to reach its goals.