Fusako Amachi/Shizuko Kasagi/Aya Matsuura/Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra -- Rappa to Musume（ラッパと娘）

After I discovered Fusako Amachi's（天地総子）ode to Mitsuya Cider a few days ago, I also found this other contribution by the late singer. A swinging jazz number that brought to mind "Sing Sing Sing", her "Rappa to Musume" (The Trumpet & The Girl) is an example of how and why I got into jazz of nearly a century ago. Actually, her version was a track on her 1974 album "Amachi Fusako to Tokyo Boogie-Woogie"（天地総子と東京ブギウギ...Fusako Amachi & Tokyo Boogie-Woogie）, and it actually had me swinging in my chair (don't try to imagine this...you just had to be there...or here).

The original "Rappa to Musume", according to J-Wiki, was recorded by Shizuko Kasagi（笠置シヅ子）in 1939 with Ryoichi Hattori（服部良一）writing and composing about this story of a girl in love with that sweet sound of a trumpeter in a band. It was nice to find this chestnut since I've only known Kasagi primarily for "Tokyo Boogie-Woogie". I'm not sure whether the authorities in Japan had banned jazz in the country shortly after the release of "Rappa to Musume", but I'm glad that it has survived over the decades.

I'm pretty sure that "Rappa to Musume" has been further covered by a lot of other musicians and singers, but one simmering cover was by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）for their 1993 album "PIONEERS". The ska is indeed in there but I can also imagine the guys wearing zoot suits from the 1940s.

Then in 2007, there was a release of an album covering the old hits by Hattori titled "Hattori Ryoichi ~ Seitan Hyaku-shuu Nen Kinen Tribute Album ~"（服部良一 〜生誕100周年記念トリビュート・アルバム〜...Ryoichi Hattori's 100th-Year Commemorative Tribute Album）with songs selected and arranged by his son, Katsuhisa（服部克久）, and his grandson, Takayuki（服部隆之）. Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）and trumpeter Terumasa Hino（日野皓正）provided their cover of "Rappa to Musume". Not sure if that is indeed Hino giving that magnificent solo in the performance above for NHK, but whoever he is, he's got one hot horn.

Looking at that lineup on J-Wiki, the Hattori tribute album might be worth getting. It actually peaked at No. 10.

Fusako Amachi -- Mitsuya Cider no Uta（三ツ矢サイダーのうた）

Happy Monday! I'm sure everyone knows about the soft drink Sprite. Intriguingly enough, I had known about the drink but didn't actually start appreciating it until my 1981 trip to Japan. My uncle, whose family I had stayed with in downtown Osaka, was a huge fan of Sprite and drank a glass for dinner each night. By that point, I had already been well versed with cola, 7-Up and Fanta but I got to know Sprite very well during my stay with them.

It's been a long time since I had Mitsuya Cider, and I consider that Asahi drink a more moe form of Sprite basically it tastes a bit sweeter than Sprite. And yep, that is indeed a very boyish-looking Ichiro Suzuki in the commercial.

I came across "Mitsuya Cider no Uta" (The Mitsuya Cider Song) during my browsings through YouTube a couple of nights ago. This was sung by singer, seiyuu and actress Fusako Amachi（天地総子）back in 1969 (although this fact doesn't show up in her J-Wiki profile) and composed by the most prolific Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）and written by Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）. And it is a most pleasant little jingle for the titular drink which I was stunned to realize had been first created all the way back in 1884...two years before Coke was born!

The Tokyo-born Amachi had a very wide repertoire with songs meant for both kids and grownups, but it seems like commercial tunes were her specialty (more than 2000). It came to the point where she was even tagged as The Queen of Commercial Jingles. Amachi passed away a little over a week ago at the age of 78.