Ashkenazy who? Yep, that wasn't only a query from me but also the title of this track from Akiko Yano's（矢野顕子）5th album "Tadaima."（ただいま。）from 1981.
The only time that I heard anything resembling that first word was also a part of a title of one of the more vital episodes of the original "X-Files". However, the truth out there is actually much more grounded on Earth, since singer-songwriter Yano's aim was to devote her song to pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, originally from Russia but now an Icelandic resident.
I couldn't find out the inspiration for the song although the lyrics point to some love for the man's talent. In any case, if someone who had never heard of Yano before but was interested in her work asked me about her, then this would be one song that I would introduce since for me, Yano will forever be that singer who had her own corner of technopop in the early 1980s. Moreover, "Ashkenazy Who?" has those Yano tropes: a melody going its own whimsical way and her breathy voice peppered with her vocal effects. I think it almost strays into Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）territory from that time.
Listening to "Ashkenazy Who?", I wonder whether there will ever be anything like this sort of music again as I realized that there would only ever be one Akiko Yano. Still, wouldn't it be interesting to have this sort of technopop again which doesn't need to be played at an EDM rave?
Where can I find an English translation of this song? I'm currently obsessed with Akiko Yano's work, which I got to know in a Kate Bush Facebook fangroup.
ReplyDeleteHello there. No surprise on hearing about Yano in a Kate Bush Facebook group; there have been comparisons between the two for years.
DeleteAs for the English translation, I don't think mine is particularly masterful but if you want to give it a go, you can take a look at it below:
The left hand is selfish, the right hand tends to bite,
To make you smile for me
With my fingertips,
I caress the keyboard
I fasten the belt around my heart that will sink if left alone
For those nightly parties,
In my room,
I exhaust myself on Mozart
Gloomy irritable Ashkenazy
Play it for me
The left hand is rhythmical, the right hand is dreamy,
To get your love
I quietly
Tear into the keyboard
The left eye is a distant sea, the right hand is ebonite,
To forget the tears
I bash my forehead
Into the keyboard
It seems like Ashkenazy was a rather intense fellow.
Oops, I forgot the last couple of lines:
DeleteCrumply, mumbly Ashkenazy
Play it for me
Thank you very much, I guess I know employ her songs much in the same way she employs Ashkenazy playing Mozart
DeleteSorry to drive-by comment years after you posted this, but: "Ashkenazi" (literally "Germanic") is a Jewish ethnic subgroup that comprises the majority of Jewish people in most of Europe, as well as the U.S., Canada, Australia, etc. Some Ashkenazim use it (or alternate spellings such as "Ashkenazy") as a surname.
ReplyDeleteNo problems with the comment. Any time is OK, and thanks very much for the additional information.
Delete