Masahiro Takahashi -- Sweltering Drive

 

I've been hearing about the torrid temperatures and humidity plaguing much of Japan, including my old stomping grounds of Tokyo and Chiba. My student told me that things were definitely burning out there. Toronto hasn't been nearly as bad (although we do get our own heat waves at least twice a summer) and actually with a good amount of rain forecast for much of this week, we may only be seeing highs in the low 20s Celsius.

Yep, I've kept my connection between Tokyo and Toronto alive for the past decade or so after returning to the latter, my hometown. And I'm certainly not the only one. Musician and songwriter Masahiro Takahashi has created his own connection in that Tokyo is his origin but he currently makes Toronto his base of operations. His timing was unfortunate in that he and his partner had come over in late 2019, just a few months before the pandemic made its body slam against humanity, but his creativity and work were still able to go ahead at full steam.

His most recent and seventh album was released in March this year, "Humid Sun" and from it, I'm featuring the track "Sweltering Drive". Now, I'm usually not so much for ambient music but this one does actually hit me a little more happily and differently. The synths are indeed in there; at the same time, though, I also hear some exotica percussion percolating away which has me thinking of peak Tin Pan Alley and late-stage Yellow Magic Orchestra. Then, the boozy and bluesy saxophone makes its appearance. The Japan Times article on Takahashi has described it as "...a blend of jazz and ambient skewed toward cityscapes and bright lights". Nope, I wouldn't say that it is Neo-City Pop by any means, but it makes for a nice aural accompaniment to a midnight taxi ride home from downtown (via the Don Valley Parkway) with the windows open for some nice breeze, despite the title.

I guess I'm also attracted to that title of "Sweltering Drive" because I remember a lot of times getting into the back seat of our family car as a child in the dog days of summer, and having to suffer through the first few minutes of heat before the AC finally clicked on. Now in 2023, it's just me sweltering in my own apartment with the ancient fan blowing away behind me.