Those Late Summer to Fall Songs by "Uta Con"（うたコン）

 

Yes, believe it or not, we are in September. It's still too early to speak of fall though since not only is it officially three weeks away, the weather will be getting steamy here as we enter the weekend. Yet, NHK's "Uta Con" opted to use the theme of transitioning from the hot and torrid summer to the calmer and cooler autumn for its return to the airwaves after being away for most of August.

I thought there were some nice picks by the "Uta Con" people, and at first, I thought about combining their picks with my own picks of those transitioning songs from late summer into early fall, but the amount would have become unwieldy for Labels at the very least. Therefore, I'll just put up the five that were featured on Tuesday night. Also, since this was "Uta Con" picking them and not any of us on KKP, this won't be an Author's Picks article per se, although I will put up my own list in the next article.

(1970) Toi et Moi -- Dare mo Inai Umi (誰もいない海）

I was most grateful for Leon Niihama（新浜レオン）and Fuyumi Sakamoto（坂本冬美）for performing this chestnut on NHK, since I very rarely hear it anywhere else. And yet, Toi et Moi's "Dare mo Inai Umi" would have been one of my own choices for my own list of moving between the seasons. I realize that it is a cover by late chanson singer Yasuko Ouki（大木康子）, but I think that this version by Emiko Shiratori and Sumio Akutagawa（白鳥英美子・芥川澄夫）is the definitive one for me.

(1971) Saori Minami -- Juu-nana Sai （17 才）

"Juu-nana Sai" was actually given its tribute by some of the old videotape footage of Saori Minami（南沙織）, but it's always nice to hear her sing this one. After over fifty years, it still sounds pretty fresh to me. I hadn't been aware that it was a trans-seasonal kayo but perhaps pining for love can be considered to be a summer-to-fall thing in the music industry.

(1978) Circus -- Mr. Summertime

It was also nice to hear this one get its due a couple of nights ago, especially with the footage of Circus（サーカス）appearing on the Kohaku Utagassen for their first of two times. A nice touch of jazzy class can be had by listeners while enjoying that glass of Aperol Spritz on the Riviera.

(1986) Masayuki Suzuki -- Glass Goshi ni Kieta Natsu （ガラス越しに消えた夏）

Yup, Martin（鈴木雅之）was the first batter up on "Uta Con" so he performed "Glass Goshi ni Kieta Natsu", his debut single as a solo artist. At the time when I was simply not listening to the lyrics or paying attention to the title all that much, I wouldn't have pegged this as a late summer tune, but of course, looking at those words now, I realize that it is one of the most suitable songs for the seasonal transition as a man realizes that someone he cares about is now going off on a different path.

(1991) Tatsuro Yamashita -- Sayonara Natsu no Hi（さよなら夏の日)

Actor/singer Kohei Matsushita（松下洸平）performed Tatsuro Yamashita's（山下達郎）paean to the end of summer, and yeah, I figured that this would be a sure fire pick for any such list. It feels just like what a move from August to September would feel like. It's time to head back home to hit the books or work the computer but wow what a nice musical way to finish off the hot season.

Well, I guess I'll get my own list started up.