Ironically, for a fellow who has been writing about Japanese popular music almost daily for 11 1/2 years, concerts haven't been events that I have visited with any great frequency. Price may be one thing but there's also the observation that though I have been willing to entertain the shared experience of watching a movie, I don't seem to get the same level of enjoyment from the shared experience of seeing singers or bands performing their craft on stage or for that matter, sports teams fight it out for the win. Having said that, I slightly regret that I had missed out on Akiko Yano's（矢野顕子）joint concert with Skoop on Somebody at Toronto's Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre earlier in March, having only found out about it by that chance encounter with a poster weeks after it had already taken place. Them's the breaks, I guess.
Usually the Sunday-at-1:00 pm slot on TV Japan is held by NHK's "Nodo Jiman"（のど自慢）the long-running and popular amateur singing contest but for whatever reason, it wasn't shown today. Instead, it was replaced by another NHK show that has often appeared on the channel, "Minyo Damashii ~ Furusato no Uta"（民謡魂 ふるさとの歌...The Soul of Minyo: Songs of Home）. As the title indicates, the show which has TOKIO's former leader Shigeru Joushima（城島茂）as the co-host features the traditional folk genre of minyo from all over the nation via various talented singers and groups.
It just so happened that the aforementioned Yano appeared on the show with shamisen artist Hiromitsu Agatsuma（上妻宏光）under the duo name of Yano to Agatsuma（やのとあがつま...Yano & Agatsuma）. The theme of today's episode was the evolution of minyo into the 21st century, and the duo was one fine example showing off their small group performing their version of the Kumamoto Prefecture minyo "Otemoyan". Having made its original debut some time in the mid-1930s, it's been performed by countless other musicians over the decades according to the JASRAC database.
Via NHK's other show for the traditional music, "Uta Con"（うたコン）, I've known that enka, Mood Kayo and just good old-fashioned kayo kyoku have been getting their brush-ups over the years. But Yano to Agatsuma illustrated their "Otemoyan" with some subtle technopop elements in their arrangement while the two main performers were at home on their own instruments (there are even English lyrics added). So, perhaps we now have some techno minyo. The song was part of the duo's debut album "Asteroid and Butterfly" that was released in March 2020.
The realization of the evolution and technology behind the new "Otemoyan" wasn't lost on anybody involved in the production. The music video even had a couple of robots in the roles of a happily married couple from many years ago. I also have to point out that Yano's long-famous vocal flexibility works well in the world of minyo.
The song does not sound techno to me, but I do like the sound of the shamisen. So 和風 (wafū).
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd say it's quite wafu and Yano-esque as well.
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