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I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Friday, January 20, 2023

Haruomi Hosono -- Jamaica Ginger

 

The shot above is from our 2017 Caribbean cruise with that one day in Jamaica. I wonder how Royal Caribbean is faring these days.

Well, last week, I made an article based on Ryuichi Sakamoto's(坂本龍一)contribution, "Dragoon" to the February 1979 compilation album "Hi-phonics, Hi-phonics", and so I've decided to also happily tackle one more track here from the LP today. "Jamaica Ginger" is Haruomi Hosono's(細野晴臣)gift to the record and it seems to hearken back to his earlier solo days when he recorded "Tropical Dandy". At the same time though, Hosono has also thrown some AOR into the cocktail shaker and what has come out is a very pleasant and refreshing tune that would also make for an actual tasty cocktail.

Unlike the YouTube video for Sakamoto's "Dragoon", there is no other information on who was involved instrumentally in "Jamaica Ginger", and I haven't been able to find out anything else at any other site mentioning the album. That's a pity since I'd like to know who was playing those steel drums although I'm pretty sure that Sakamoto was on the keyboards.

Well, whaddaya know? There is an actual cocktail called the Jamaica Ginger. Good ol' Jamaican rum in it as well (as there should be).🍸

5 comments:

  1. This about as much as I can find at the moment too

    From the album "Hi-Phonics Hi-Phonics" Released 2/25/1979 LX-7061

    Composed and Arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto 坂本龍一
    Yuichi Togasiki 渡嘉敷祐一 : Drums
    Akira Okazawa 岡沢章 : Bass
    Kiyoshi Sugimoto 杉本喜代志 : Electric Guitar
    Kazumi Watanabe 渡辺香津美 : Electric Guitar solo
    Ryuichi Sakamoto 坂本龍一 : Keyboards
    Tadaomi Anai 穴井忠臣 : Percussion
    Shigeharu Mukai 向井滋春 : Trombone

    ReplyDelete
  2. A面がビッグ・バンド形式、B面が人気の高いミュージシャン達によるオリジナル楽曲の提供となっています。

    気になる参加メンバーを見ると。。。
    細野晴臣(el-b,g,steel pan)
    ミッキー吉野(el-p,org)
    坂本龍一(el-p,p,syn)
    大野雄二(el-p)
    数原晋(tp)
    Jake H. Concepcion(as)
    佐藤博(p,syn)
    吉川忠英(g)
    鈴木茂(g)
    岡沢章(el-b)
    高水健司(el-b)
    渡嘉敷祐一(ds)
    渡辺香津美(g)
    などの名前が見受けられます。https://ameblo.jp/layhishead/entry-12538883038.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. [Jamaica Ginger 参加ミュージシャン]
    Bass、Steel Drums、Gut Guitar:細野晴臣
    Guitar:鈴木茂
    Keyboards:坂本龍一 佐藤博
    Drums:渡嘉敷祐一
    Latin percussion:穴井忠臣

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Brian. Wow! Hosono took care of those steel drums, eh?

    ReplyDelete

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