Minyo Crusaders -- Tankō Bushi（炭坑節）

 

Around Christmas last year, I noted a band known as Minyo Crusaders（民謡クルセイダーズ）that has been attempting to bring some more tabasco sauce into the traditional Japanese music dish known as min'yo for over a decade. Vocalist Freddie Tsukamoto（フレディ塚本）and his band oomphed up "Kaigara Bushi"（貝殻節）recently, for example.

Well, on a recent episode of "Uta Con"（うたコン）, Minyo Crusaders showed up to reveal what they could do with another min'yo chestnut, "Tanko Bushi" (Coal Mine Melody). Now, an article on my own personal connection with the song was posted all the way back in 2017 so you can take a look at that through the link above. But over here, I've got Minyo Crusaders adding their own salsa or some brand of Latin and jazz into the proceedings for the original 1932 min'yo.

Coincidentally, the Crusaders' take on "Tanko Bushi" was recorded onto their first album which was also released in 2017, "Echoes of Japan". The song about coal mining probably could have gotten the miners off their duffs to swivel them; kinda interesting how the keyboards sound so fuzzy, though. But the horns come in loud and clear. With festival season in Japan happening now (weather permitting, especially this year), maybe the Crusaders will also be coming in loud and clear. Also, in the full version below, you can even hear a little tribute to an old Gershwin classic.