Akira Kurosawa & Los Primos -- Namida to Tomo ni（涙とともに)

 

Well, it's a hot and steamy Monday out there and Toronto will be facing at least one more 3H day before things finally start cooling down on Hump Day. But I've got a feeling that this summer will be made up of a series of alternating heat waves and cool downs going well into September.

Working folks downtown will most likely want to grab a nice cold drink or two once work is done for the day, so I figure that it's good to have a Mood Kayo to break the ice. So, why not have the premium band Akira Kurosawa & Los Primos（黒澤明とロスプリモス）provide some old-fashioned kayo classiness to the proceedings? Their 1966 debut single, "Love You, Tokyo" (ラブユー東京）, probably remains as their most recognized hit.

However, when they first premiered, that debut single had as its A-side "Namida no Tomo ni"（Together with the Tears) with "Love You, Tokyo" as the B-side. But as I mentioned in the article for the latter over a decade ago, "Love You, Tokyo" got the bigger accolades so some time down the line, record company Crown Records flipped the sides and the rest is history as the new release sold around 2.5 million records. 

As it is though, "Namida no Tomo ni", which follows the Mood Kayo trope of having that final dance before breaking up for good (supposedly having that affair isn't particularly good for a marriage), is a perfectly fine example of the genre with the soft Latin rhythm, the tender vocals and the mournful backup chorus. Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）, as he did for "Love You, Tokyo" provided the melody and arrangement but this time, Shin Kimura（木村伸）was the lyricist.

Kenichi Mikawa -- O-kane wo Choudai（お金をちょうだい）

 

On the most recent episode of NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた...Songs of Japanese Spirit）, veteran singer Kenichi Mikawa（美川憲一）appeared to sing a song titled "O-kane wo Choudai" (Please Give Me the Money) and from the arrangement, I figured that it must have been created decades ago. 

And as it turns out, it was indeed made decades ago. It was released in November 1971 as Mikawa's 21st single and written by Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composed by Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）. Based on conversations that lyricist Hoshino had overheard among hostesses (and perhaps clients) at a cabaret, the song deals with one hostess' final reluctant goodbye talk with a soon-to-be former paramour. The lady asks for money to deal with the expenses racked up because of her relationship with him, and the way Mikawa sings it, it sounds like her imploring him rather than threatening him, although in the end, she hints that's the only way he'll finally be rid of her.

My mother had never heard of the song either before that episode so she reacted with a bit of surprise and disgust at the title, and apparently "O-kane wo Choudai" did cause some controversy at the time that it was released. For one thing, because of the lyrics, it hadn't been allowed to be performed on NHK although over the decades, the network finally relented. Women had also complained to Mikawa or his representatives about showcasing such a supposedly grubby hostess but somehow the singer was able to convince the detractors that it wasn't the woman who was the villain here. "O-kane wo Choudai" reached No. 40 on Oricon.

Yujiro Ishihara -- Ai Suredo Kanashiku（愛すれど哀しく）

 

It's been a little more than 35 years following the death of one of the biggest postwar entertainers, Yujiro Ishihara（石原裕次郎）. He would have been 87 years old this year, but his music and his roles on TV and movies still seem to resonate with folks. I'm pretty sure that even in the karaoke boxes, there are at least seniors who are more than happy to sing some of his old hits.

My information on when this particular song first saw the light of day is a bit sketchy. I could only find a sliver of a statement through the search engine results that "Ai Suredo Kanashiku" (Loving But Sad) had been released in August 1974 but neither his J-Wiki articles nor his website (which isn't working, at least in his discography section) could give confirmation. But at least, I did find out via the JASRAC database that the lyrics were provided by Junko Takabatake（髙畠じゅん子）and the melody was by Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）.

"Ai Suredo Kanashiku" is a sweet bar-friendly enka ballad about the popular trope of parting is such sweet sorrow. Hearing that plucking guitar and the silky strings almost materialized a tumbler of scotch in my hand, and The Tough Guy's velvety crooning had me thinking about the lit streets of nighttime Akasaka or Ginza in Tokyo. Methinks wherever Ishihara is now, he's probably enjoying that Old Parr in very comfortable surroundings.

Akira Kurosawa & Los Primos -- Koi no Ginza（恋の銀座）

 

I always keep forgetting the name of that building in Ginza with the warped appearance, but to make it official, it is known as the DeBeers Building. And yep, it looks like a structure after I've had too many DeBeers at the bar (har de har har).

Well, if it's Ginza that I'm talking about here, then the Mood Kayo group Akira Kurosawa & Los Primos（黒沢明とロス・プリモス）have to come into the picture. I swear that considering how many songs in their repertoire that they've sung about one of the Earth's most expensive patches of real estate, Kurosawa and the guys should have already received keys to the neighbourhood by the governor of Tokyo. "Kayo Kyoku Plus" has already had four Ginza-based kayo attributed to them: "Ame no Ginza"（雨の銀座）, "Tasogare no Ginza" (たそがれの銀座), "Ginza Blues"（銀座ブルース）, and "Itsumade mo Ginza"（いつまでも銀座）. They could at least get gift certificates to some of the stores on the main street such as Yamano Music, Ito-Ya or Mitsukoshi.

Enough ersatz griping from me, however. I'm now adding a fifth Ginza-based Mood Kayo by Los Primos, "Koi no Ginza" (Ginza In Love) which was released in January 1968, only two months after "Ame no Ginza" and a few months before "Tasogare no Ginza". Tetsuro Hoshino and Hiroyuki Nakagawa（星野哲郎・中川博之）were behind words and music respectively.

It's some classic Mood Kayo with the nightclub jazz atmosphere including the bluesy sax, the classy marimba and the somewhat mournful back chorus of Los Primos. The lyrics don't fail the genre format, either, as they relate the story of a couple who have to fight the battle of their irresistible trysting among the evening background of the bars, large and small. Love can be so tastefully and poignantly painful.

Los Primos -- Itsumade mo Ginza（いつまでも銀座）

 

I took this shot of Ginza Tanaka back when I was making that quixotic walk from Asakusa to Shibuya in 6 hours (the one where my feet almost sued me for divorce). Didn't quite know what this company was up to, but I did find the website and it focuses on jewelry and other metal accessories. I'm sure that none of the products are within my disposable income range.

Additionally, little did I know that the Mood Kayo group, Los Primos（ロス・プリモス）, was still at it even into the 1990s, but their discography shows that they were still releasing the old-style music of the bars and other drinking establishments as recently as 2006. In fact in 1996, to commemorate their 30th anniversary of the release of their first single, they released their 70th single, "Itsumade mo Ginza" (Ginza Forever) in September.

Los Primos were releasing plenty of songs celebrating one of the richest neighbourhoods on the planet including their famous "Ame no Ginza"（雨の銀座） from 1967, and "Itsumade mo Ginza" still possesses that old-fashioned classy Mood Kayo arrangement of strings, bluesy guitar, marimba and chorus as the late Shoji Mori（森聖二）gives his love letter to Ginza. "Itsumade mo Ginza" still feels like that old nightclub back in the swinging Economic Miracle days of the 60s and 70s. Lyricist Junko Takabatake（高畑じゅん子）and composer Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）were behind this particular entry.

Yuji Mori and Southern Cross -- Twilight Sapporo（トゥワイライト サッポロ）

Earlier tonight, my student and I were debating the situation regarding the moving of the marathon events from Tokyo to Sapporo. I think it's a pity that one of the major events for the 2020 Olympics will have to head over north, and I know that fans and shop owners along the former marathon path are heartbroken. But ultimately considering the heat and humidity that make up a Tokyo summer (something that I know all too well) and that the athletes' health is paramount, this was probably the prudent decision although there are a lot of us who wondered why this hadn't been decided upon earlier.

In any event, my final song for tonight on the blog is "Twilight Sapporo" by the Mood Kayo group Yuji Mori and Southern Cross（森雄二とサザンクロス）. Released back in 1977, this is a song of frustration and potential heartbreak created by lyricist Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composer Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）as a woman turns into that green-eyed monster when the target of her affections is simply focusing on another woman instead of her. Part of that sorrow comes through the mournful chorus although the Latin-sounding arrangement keeps things lively in the image of neon signs and bright lights.

Speaking of which, when I visited Sapporo many years ago, I did take an evening walk though the downtown district of Susukino which is the equivalent of Shinjuku in Tokyo. But it was just a quick walk along the outskirts. Kinda wished I could have explored some more but didn't want to risk being dragged in by a tout into one of those deceptively expensive joints. Perhaps a number of establishments were karaoke in nature with customers perhaps singing a Southern Cross tune or two. Sapporo seems to be their city considering that the group would also sing another similarly-themed number some years later.

Yuji Mori and Southern Cross -- Suki desu Sapporo（好きですサッポロ）

Though I did make that one trip to Sapporo on the northernmost major island of Hokkaido many years ago, that was in June since I was trying to make some attempt to escape some of the humidity of Tokyo. I loved the city but one thing that I've regretted is that I never got to attend the annual Sapporo Snow Festival in February. My experience with it has merely been through news highlights with the festival highlights being the massive and expertly carved ice sculptures. I can only imagine that reservations are scarce and prices are pretty high during that time which has fairly blunted any keen desire to attend it.

Apparently this song was used as the theme song for the Sapporo Snow Festival way back when and became a huge hit for the Mood Kayo group Yuji Mori and Southern Cross（森雄二とサザンクロス）. Released in 1981, "Suki desu Sapporo" (I Love You, Sapporo) is a pretty jaunty example of the genre. Often when I think of Mood Kayo numbers with famous place names in the titles, the music is somewhat languid introspective and even sorrowful, but "Suki desu Sapporo" has a beat and a boss horn section which remind me of some theme songs for tokusatsu shows. Indeed it works as something advertising the merits of a festival.

Written by lyricist Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composed by Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）, "Suki desu Sapporo" has become one of the trademark songs for Southern Cross. You can also take a look at one other song by the band, "Ashide Matoi"（足手まとい）which had also been created by Nakagawa a few years earlier.

Yuji Mori and Southern Cross/Toshi Ito & Happy and Blue -- Ashide Matoi（足手まとい）

I was kinda feeling that it was a while since I put up a Mood Kayo tune, and I realized that it has been about 6 weeks. Being a Monday night, I kinda figure that there are probably workers out there who want to get their first nighttime drink of the week, so perhaps it was off to the favourite watering hole after work. That would make for a Mood Kayo atmosphere.

While rummaging through YouTube for an appropriate song, I found this one titled "Ashide Matoi" (A Burden) by a group that I had never heard before, Yuji Mori and Southern Cross（森雄二とサザンクロス）. The group debuted in 1975 and performed for a decade before breaking up in 1985.

"Ashide Matoi", the tearful story of a man who decides to break up with his mistress because he feels that he is just dragging her down, has got all of the enjoyable Mood Kayo tropes: a bit of that Latin guitar, the chorus work, the sorrowful lead vocal, and those strings and alto sax which sound plenty clean and crisp, like a sip of good sake. On the odd occasion that I do drink sake, I usually like it dry. Listening to this, I can only envision the high-flying areas of Ginza and Akasaka.

The lyrics were provided by Junko Takabatake（高畠諄子）and the music was by Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）. "Ashide Matoi" was released in 1977.

In July 1983, the Mood Kayo group Toshi Ito & Happy and Blue（敏いとうとハッピー&ブルー）performed a cover of "Ashide Matoi" as their 23rd single. I couldn't find the original recorded version but the above performed version on TV doesn't sound too different from the Southern Cross take although there seems to be some more musical flourishes added.

Interestingly enough, former members from both Southern Cross and Happy and Blue along with one other Mood Kayo singer got together in 2002 to form Happy Southern Arrow（ハッピー・サザンアロー）. But earlier in 1995, Southern Cross had decided to re-form and entertain again until earlier this year in April when Mori passed away at the age of 75.

Shiro Saijo/Shinichiro Hakozaki -- Yoru no Gingitsune（夜の銀狐）

I've heard the various versions a few times now and I always get that urge to order something on the rocks (most likely for me it will be a Brown Cow).

Most of the article will deal with a couple of Mood Kayo singers that I had not heard of before. But with "Yoru no Gingitsune" (Silver Fox of the Night), the sound is so romantically Mood Kayo on the Latin side of things that I was slightly surprised that it was actually a solo singer instead of the usual quartet or quintet of the genre that got the ball rolling on this ballad.

There's barely anything on singer Shiro Saijo（斉条史朗）aside from the fact that his "Yoru no Gingitsune" which is the original version became a huge hit for him when it was released in 1969. I had to dig deep into the search engines but all I could find was one Japanese blog entry about the song in which the author indicated that Saijo had been a nightclub singer in his early 20s when this ballad came out so he would most likely be in his early 70s by now.

The above video has Saijo singing on some TV show and it's the perfect setting with him in his tuxedo while the orchestra is playing that Latin-spiced song and the white lacy curtains behind him. Daisaburo Nakayama（中山大三郎）wrote the lyrics of a woman pining for what I am assuming is a grey-haired Lothario while Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）came up with the sweeping melody.

At least, there is a J-Wiki entry for the late Shinichiro Hakozaki（箱崎晋一朗）who sadly passed away at the young age of 43 from liver cancer in 1988. The native from Iwate Prefecture made his debut in 1969 with the hit "Atami no Yoru"（熱海の夜...A Night in Atami）, and he became notable for his falsetto. Unfortunately, aside from perhaps one other song in his repertoire, he never really became a household name in music. His cover of "Yoru no Gingitsune" came out on a 1980 LP titled "Onnagokoro wo Utaimasu"（女心を歌います...Singing of the Woman's Heart） with the arrangement including that French accordion, another Mood Kayo instrumental trope. I guess that that particular instrument had its heyday in the 70s and 80s perhaps.

(13:05)

Although I couldn't find out whether or when the Mood Kayo group Los Indios（ロス・インディオス）had officially recorded "Yoru no Gingitsune", they nonetheless covered it on stage. The above has them and Alicia who was their 7th female vocalist. I'm pretty sure that the other Mood Kayo units have probably given their tribute to the 1969 tune since it seems tailored made for them.

Toshi Ito and Happy & Blue -- Watashi Inottemasu（わたし祈ってます）/Naoki Matsudaira & Blue Roman -- Shiawase ni Natte ne（幸せになってね）

Well it is a Sunday and Sundays used to be the night for "Enka no Hanamichi"（演歌の花道）on TV Tokyo way back when. However, considering some of the lovely sets of bars and nightclubs which appeared as settings for singers to ply their wares, I did wonder whether the show could have stood a title change to "Mood Kayo no Hanamichi". There was no way that I could ever find myself in one of those places without financial generosity (which was the only way that I was able to get into the few that I did get into) so Sunday nights were the time for me to live somewhat vicariously while listening to the music.

I don't know whether the Mood Kayo group Toshi Ito and Happy & Blue（敏いとうとハッピー&ブルー）ever managed to get onto "Enka no Hanamichi" in the show's glory days but I think their 4th single "Watashi Inottemasu" (I'm Praying For You) would be the perfect ticket. With that boozy sax and the nightclub piano, it's the ideal Mood Kayo to be set in an old-fashioned Ginza club.

Released in July 1974, it was composed and written by the late Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）under his pseudonym Satoru Igarashi（五十嵐悟）as a tearful but adamant lament from a female lover to her soon-to-be ex-paramour to get away from her and live a happy life (and don't drink too much). I mean, how Mood Kayo can you get? During those years when enka and Mood Kayo could regularly break into the Top 10 of Oricon, "Watashi Inottemasu" was a bit hit for Ito and Happy & Blue by not only peaking at No. 4 but also staying in the Top 20 for 15 straight weeks while selling a little over 440,000 records.

However, what I found out on the uploader's page and the footnotes for the J-Wiki article on Happy & Blue is that there was an original version of the song under the title "Shiawase ni Natte ne" (Be Happy). This was released in September 1970 after its recording by another Mood Kayo group called Naoki Matsudaira & Blue Roman（松平直樹とブルーロマン）. The video above uploaded by shego50s includes a recording of a rehearsal by the group at some nightclub. At this point, I don't know what the original recording sounds like but it was placed as a B-side although in April 1972, the song came out again as an A-side.

As for Matsudaira, he happened to be one of the members of Hiroshi Wada & Mahina Stars（和田弘とマヒナスターズ）before striking out on his own in 1970 with his own Mood Kayo group. He and Blue Roman broke up in 1983.

Apparently, the song is still performed on the kayo shows under its original title of "Shiawase ni Natte ne". For example, here is Yuuki Seguchi（瀬口侑希）, an enka singer who is a familiar face on those shows giving her cover of the song. Her version was also released as a single in January 2008.

Yutaka Akiba & Arrow Knights -- Yuwaku （誘惑）

Ikebukuro

It's a cool Sunday night here. Most likely, most folks in Japan at this point in time would just be resting up after a hearty dinner and watching TV before heading back out into the rat race on Monday. So, they would probably not be too enthused about hitting the bars or karaoke boxes as may be the case on a Friday or Saturday night.

My family and I enjoyed a good round of tempura tonight. And yes, I kept things homebound as well, not that there is anything remotely resembling a friendly neighbourhood nomiya or karaoke box in my neck of the woods at all. Still for today's second entry on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I felt more in a Mood Kayo mood so I settled on searching for something appropriate.

Well, I came across a tune by Yutaka Akiba & Arrow Knights（秋庭豊とアローナイツ）. Now, Noelle has already written on this Mood Kayo group in some good detail so you can check out her write-up on "Nakanoshima Blues"（中の島ブルース）which the Arrow Knights debuted with in 1973. However, my contribution concerning the Hokkaido-based band is one of their later songs, "Yuwaku" (Temptation) which was actually released in 1990.

Although enka has been coming out steadily up to the present day, I think its cousin genre of Mood Kayo hasn't been quite as prevalent so I was initially surprised to hear this example of the old stuff being released at the beginning of the final decade of the last century. But "Yuwaku" has got that classic sound (with a bit of modern arrangement) for enjoying a glass at some swanky bar or club in Ginza or Akasaka. And I do like whoever is handling the electric guitar.

I had to do some research to find out how to read the lyricist's name but it is Akira Saketani（酒谷明良）, and he does a marvelous job in setting up the Mood of two ships passing in the night and tripping the light fantastic. Composer Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）, as I intimated above, brings back those sweeping sounds to accompany those clinking ice cubes and the smell of cigarette smoke.

The release of the song must have come with some sorrow since the original leader, Yutaka Akiba passed away at the age of 44 during the summer of 1990. Along with that point, I can further add to Noelle's information on the Arrow Knights by saying that most of the members came from the city of Utashinai in Hokkaido Prefecture, which is currently the smallest city in terms of population in the nation. Also, the group formed while they were working as coal miners!

Yujiro Ishihara -- Sayonara Yokohama (サヨナラ横浜 )

As to how I found "Sayonara Yokohama" by Yujiro Ishihara (石原裕次郎) that I didn't even know existed: I was bored.

Sundays tend to be a lazy day for me and half of me is willing to just kick back, relax and vegetate and let my brain temporarily become a piece of tofu. The other half of me, on the other hand, adamantly refuses to let the last day of the weekend go to waste and insists I get up off my seat and do something. Anything. This often puts me in the uncomfortable position of being caught between being bored because I'm not being productive and wanting to do something but being too lazy to do whatever it is. This Sunday in particular, I couldn't stand floating in that annoying limbo any longer and so I decided to go with doing something that satisfies the contradicting desires, and that was to listen to some enka.

I was in the mood for all things Hiroshi Itsuki (五木ひろし), which had me revisiting a few familiar tunes as well as a couple which I normally overlook. A number of songs in and with my boredom somewhat quelled, I noticed Tough Guy's "Sayonara Yokohama" in the suggestion column, and since it piqued my interest I put my exploration of Itsuki-songs on hold and went ahead to check it out.

It turned out to be another soothing, jazzy Mood Kayo number, and for some random YouTube pick, it was way better than what I expected. And I must say that Yujiro's usual boozy delivery feels more pained and forlorn in this one. From Rei Nakanishi's (なかにし礼) lyrics, I'm guessing that the fellow is setting off to foreign soil via a boat from Yokohama and so he's bidding both his lover and the city he loves an emotional farewell. Composing the music was Shiro Yuzuriha (ユズリハ・シロー).

"Sayonara Yokohama" was released in July 1971 and was apparently one of Ishihara's more successful singles, selling about 550 000 copies.

blogs.yahoo.co.jp/xqjng092/22874130

To round off the article, I'd like to briefly highlight another find. Soon after "Sayonara Yokohama", I picked Itsuki's "Aishitsuzukeru Bolero" (愛しつづけるボレロ). Next best decision of the day. Seeing the man suavely tapping on the piano while singing the upbeat, tango-esque tune had the jaw dropping and the heart flying out of the chest.

*Sigh* ~ Dang, he's sexy in this video... ... ~.~

(sorry but the video has been taken down and replaced)

Kenichi Mikawa/Akira Kurosawa & Los Primos -- Niigata Blues （新潟ブルース）

I never got to head into Niigata Prefecture although I lived pretty close to the province as a temporary resident in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture. And it wasn't too difficult to get there even a quarter of a century ago since there was the Joetsu Shinkansen that launched from Ueno Station in Tokyo and cut right through the middle of the country. My biggest impression of Niigata, though, is the huge amount of snow that it gets every year...enough to make those huge 3m-high walls alongside the roads. And here I thought Toronto gets whacked with the white stuff.

Kenichi Mikawa（美川憲一）and his associates made an impression of Niigata for everyone back in the 1960s with "Niigata Blues". Released in August 1967, it's about as bluesy as one can get. I practically crave for something alcoholic when I hear this one...preferably in a nice little nomiya in a narrow alley somewhere in Japan. Not only is the song one of Mikawa's "Blues" tunes but it's also categorized as one of his geographical songs alongside his earlier hit of "Yanagase Blues"（柳ヶ瀬ブルース）from 1966.

Written by Kazumi Yamagishi（山岸一二三...I'm not 100% sure about the first name since there are quite a few readings for it）and  Daisaburo Nakayama（中山大三郎）under his pseudonym of Keigo Mizusawa（水沢圭吾）with Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）composing it, the song is another one of reminiscing over a past love as would be fitting for a Mood Kayo with shoutouts to Niigata incorporating place names such as Niigata Station and Bandai Bridge.

About a month earlier from Mikawa's release, the Mood Kayo group, Los Primos（ロス・プリモス）, had released their version of "Niigata Blues" as the B-side to their 4th single, "Shinanogawa Bojou"（信濃川慕情...Yearning for Shinanogawa）. Strangely enough, Mikawa's B-side to "Niigata Blues" was that same song....maybe the producers had a confab at a nomiya about this. As for the video above, Los Primos' version comes in at the very end at the 5:07 mark following their other hits of "Love You, Tokyo" and "Tasogare Ginza".

(Sorry but the video has been taken down.)

Enka chanteuse Aki Yashiro（八代亜紀）also provided her own cover version of "Niigata Blues" although it wasn't an official single and I don't know when it was recorded. In any case, no matter who sings it, it makes for a nice accompaniment for barhopping.

Kenichi Mikawa -- Sasori-za no Onna （さそり座の女）

Ah, yes....the flamboyant Kenichi Mikawa（美川憲一） with the song that has made him the target of tons of impressionists, professional or amateur. "Sasori-za no Onna" (Scorpio Woman) is therefore not surprisingly his trademark tune when it comes to his appearances on TV. It's how I know him best....aside from the affected speech, the tart tongue and the over-the-top fashion.

And "Sasori-za no Onna" goes all the way back to December 1972 when it was released as his 25th single. Composed by Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之） and written by Ritsuko Saito（斎藤律子）, the lyrics talk of the titular woman, nonchalantly boasting of her Black Widow nature and ability to wrap her male victims around her little finger....elegantly manicured, I'm sure. Considering the Mood Kayo melody, I can only imagine her inhabiting the most exclusive hostess clubs in Ginza as perhaps the No. 1 woman.

It only got as high as No. 23 on Oricon, but in the years and decades hence, the song and singer have become permanently intertwined. Mikawa has sung "Sasori-za no Onna" 7 times amongst his appearances at the Kohaku Utagassen which is second only to Sayuri Ishikawa's（石川さゆり） 8 renditions of her classic "Amagi Goe" （天城越え）at the NHK year-end event.

Another case in point...as I pointed out at the top, Mikawa and this particular song have been a bountiful harvest for monomane tarento known in English as the professional impressionist. In North America, folks like Rich Little had their heyday in the 60s and 70s copying the popular celebs of the day such as Dean Martin, President Richard Nixon and Bing Crosby. Now, you might see that just on episodes of "Saturday Night Live" on NBC in the US or if Robin Williams or Jim Carrey are in the mood.

However, the monomane tarento in Japan are still popping up in routines all over TV, and there are even seasonal 2-hour monomane specials in which not only the professional impressionists, but even other types of tarento and TV announcers, mimic their favourite celeb targets through song. The most famous impressionist is Corocket （コロッケ）who's been entertaining folks since 1980. Amongst his impressions is the one for Mikawa and "Sasori-za no Onna"; in fact, he should be paying copyright fees to his buddy in gratitude. Fortunately for him, the singer has been quite generous. Woe betide Corocket if Mikawa hadn't.

Akira Kurosawa & Los Primos -- Love You, Tokyo (ラブユー東京）

Now, before anyone gets any preconceptions, this isn't the Akira Kurosawa who had directed "The Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon". Same name in romaji, but in kanji, the legendary director was 黒澤明, while the first leader of Los Primos was named 黒沢明. That being rectified, let us get to the song at hand.

Akira Kurosawa and Los Primos was created as this Latin-tinged Mood Kayo group in 1961. As with a number of similar chorus units during the 60s, Kurosawa and Los Primos evoked an attractive atmosphere of mood music to reflect life in urban and urbane Tokyo with its active nightlife centering on the various bar districts such as Ginza and Akasaka.

It wasn't until April 1966 though that they finally cut their first single, and it turned out that the B-side to "Namida to Tomo ni"（涙とともに...Together with the Tears) would become the far more remembered song. "Love You Tokyo" is the quintessential Mood Kayo ballad from way back when: a soft Latin jazz melody with somewhat mournful and wistful vocals reminiscent of that regret-filled and tipsy barfly slouching on that stool. Mind you, the listeners were probably enjoying their drinks while the record was playing.

For reasons that I still can't quite figure out from the J-Wiki article on "Love You Tokyo", the song was a delayed hit....at least, according to Oricon, which started up in 1968. It actually was a hit when it was first released but its No. 1 status didn't come until January 4 1968 when it became the first song in Oricon history to get the top rank. And back in the pre-Oricon days, the surprising hit, created by lyricist Nao Uehara（上原尚）and composer Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）, was such that the record label decided to re-release the 45" with the two songs flipped.

Although Kurosawa was the leader until his retirement in 1980, the lead vocal chores rested with the late Shoji Mori（森聖二）who became the 2nd leader. As was typical with a lot of these groups, the members of Los Primos wore formal wear....suits or tuxes as in the video above. The group is still going strong today but under the name of Koji Nagayama and Los Primos.