Kaze Chorus Dan -- Ai Iro no Kisetsu（愛色の季節）

When I first heard this song (or maybe I should say when I second heard this song), it somehow sounded familiar, and it turned out that it was a ballad that Junko Yagami（八神純子）had performed early in her career in 1975.

"Ai Iro no Kisetsu" (Season of Love Colours) was penned by Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）and Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）, and apparently there was another singer who also recorded it. Kyoto-born singer-composer Kyoko Kimura（木村恭子）had started up a band called Aundo（亜雲土）with Takashi Mizuno（水野隆司）, but then in 1973, they brought together members from other bands to form the group Kaze Chorus Dan（風コーラス団...Wind Chorus Group） to enter the 5th Yamaha Popular Song Contest with Kimura as the main vocalist. They ended up winning something called the Canyon Prize.

In 1975, Kaze Chorus Dan released an album titled "Ai Iro no Kisetsu". The title track comes across as very wholesome with the string-and-brass arrangement reminiscent of what I used to hear from pop chorus groups when I was a mere tadpole. Kimura herself also sounds a lot like an even more smoky-voiced Junko Yamamoto（山本潤子）from Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）, another vocal group known for its harmonies. There is more of a soulful regality with the Kaze Chorus Dan version when compared to Yagami's romantic take. I have to admit that the latter version can still launch chills up my spine, but I'm a huge Yagami fan after all.

Kaze Chorus Dan broke up the following year and Kimura went solo. She also pursued a career as a vocal trainer, even instructing at the famous Takarazuka Revue Company. According to her J-Wiki article, Kimura also created more than 3,000 commercial jingles during her career. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 61.