Joji Ai & Chinami Shima/Frank Nagai & Kazuko Matsuo -- Akai Glass （赤いグラス）

Another song I gleaned from a recent episode from NHK's "Kayo Concert"（歌謡コンサート） "Akai Glass"(Red Glass) is another in the long line of boozy and bluesy Mood Kayo duet tunes that depict the theme of "two ships passing in the night". Written by Hachiro Kadoi（門井八郎） and composed by Shoichi Makino（牧野昭一）, "Akai Glass" was first released in 1965 and originally sung by Joji Ai（アイ・ジョージ） and Chinami Shima（志摩ちなみ）.

The Hong Kong-born Ai started life as Joji Ishimatsu（石松譲治） but when he entered the music business in 1953, he took on the name Haruo Kuroda（黒田春夫） before switching to Joji Ai in 1959 (the new stage name is just his original first name with the initial of his family name). Ai sang in the genres of Latin, Mood Kayo, enka and popular music, but one of his biggest hits came with the 1965 "Akai Glass" with his recording partner, Chinami Shima. The original recording had this feeling of 12 midnight in the bar with both man and woman woozily wondering what could have been if the tryst had been allowed to go on. The brass and the mournful saxes are there for that Mood Kayo feel, but there is also an organ which adds a further bittersweet tone.

Ai was a regular fixture on the Kohaku Utagassen during its grand heyday of the 1960s, having appeared on the special for 12 years in a row from 1960 to 1971, including his performance of "Akai Glass" on the 1965 show. He also has the distinction of being the very first Japanese singer to perform at New York City's Carnegie Hall.

I'm not sure when the cover by Frank Nagai（フランク永井） and Kazuko Matsuo（松尾和子） came out, but listening to this version, I got the impression that the hour was quite a bit earlier than the one in the original song by Ai and Shima. The instruments are brassier and more forceful without the organ, and there is just this feeling of a Ginza nightclub in the arrangement. Considering that Nagai & Matsuo are the ones behind the classic "Tokyo Nightclub"(1959), I guess there should be no surprise. In a way, the Nagai & Matsuo cover comes off as if the couple singing it are very much still together but are doing a bit of play acting, and instead are showing their devotion to each other through the lyrics. And not surprisingly, the song has been a duet favourite for those of a certain age at the karaoke booths.