Hi-Fi Set -- Koi no Nikki （恋の日記）

Just like the famed vocal group, The Manhattan Transfer, that was getting off the ground in America and Europe in the 70s (and eventually gaining tons of fans in Japan as well), Hi-Fi Set dabbled in a number of genres at the same time. The latter group sang New Music, folk, pop and covered a number of Yuming's（ユーミン） classics.

However, what connected The Manhattan Transfer and Hi-Fi Set in my eyes was this song, "Koi no Nikki"(The Diary of Love), their 10th single released in October 1977. It's straight away jazz vocal that The Transfer could sing just as smoothly. I'd have to put this along with the country version of "Tsumetai Ame"（冷たい雨....A Cold Rain) as my favourite tunes by the trio, since I love the mellow horn section and the languid strumming of the electric guitar accompanying the vocal harmonies.

The single was also a track on the group's 4th album, "The Diary", released a month earlier in September. Have this one with a whiskey on the rocks.

The crazy thing is that this jazzy ballad was originally a 50s R&B tune by none other than Neil Sedaka who composed the music while Howard Greenfield came up with the lyrics. Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）provided the Japanese words for Hi-Fi Set's version.