Glenn Miller/The Boston Pops -- Moonlight Serenade

 

I think it's safe to say that people of a certain age and over, even those who aren't into jazz, have heard of "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller. Even if they don't know the title or the man behind it, they can recognize it. And even before I got into jazz wholeheartedly during my years in Japan, I remember hearing this all the time on radio and seeing performances of it on television. 

Coincidentally enough, I'm writing this ROY article just a couple of days shy of what would have been Miller's 121st birthday. Much has been made about his death, declared in absentia, after his plane had disappeared over the English Channel in December 1944 during World War II. But let's focus on "Moonlight Serenade" which made its premiere in 1939 with the clarinets in front and the horns backing them up. Considering that Miller purportedly wasn't the warmest person on the planet, one of his masterpieces apparently had listeners getting all lumpy in the throat.

As someone who attended his fair share of school dance parties, there was always a song at the end of those soirees which made for a far better way of saying that it was time to go home than having the janitor crankily switch the lights on and off repeatedly. It would always be a ballad of sorts to get lovers up for that final cheek-to-cheek and then everyone would slowly sashay off the floor and out of the building. I think "Moonlight Serenade" may have been the jazz equivalent of the last song of the party. Mind you, I never heard Miller's magnum opus ever played at the end of my own dance parties, but I could imagine it gently delivering folks up into the night sky under the moon before quietly depositing them out the door.

The Boston Pops is a pop orchestra that has been with me ever since I was a baby. Their contributions are included in that 5-LP set of "50 Years Of Hits In Stereo" by RCA that we got with our huge stereo. Led by Arthur Fiedler in my early years, the Pops always struck me as the coolest orchestra because they could handle not only classical music but also provide their own distinct classy touch to modern hits. Perhaps they are the one unit that managed to merge the jazz that had once been disdained as the devil's music and the more acceptable "beautiful music" of a century ago.

And then, in what would become one example of music's equivalent of bringing Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers together, maestro John Williams, the king of the blockbuster soundtrack, became the new conductor for the Boston Pops from 1980 to 1993. PBS used to have the summer weekly shows featuring the Pops which I remember watching quite a bit.

I recently discovered that Williams and the Pops had released an album covering some of the jazz classics titled "Unforgettable" back in 1993, and their take on "Moonlight Serenade" was indeed splendiferous. It still hews to the Miller original but the Pops' touches are there such as those shimmering strings. In a way, their take would be the ideal version to finish off a TV series or movie franchise with the main character walking off into the distance after having confessed to his love for "Moonlight Serenade" years or entries earlier. Not a bad way to go.

Well, when it comes to 1939 and 1993, I was obviously alive in only one of those two years, so let's go with what was winning the Japan Record Awards in the latter year.

Album of the Year: Mariya Takeuchi -- Quiet Life

Best Hit Single: THE TRA-BRYU -- Road

Best New Artist: Mari Kunitake -- Pokeberu ga Naranakute (ポケベルが鳴らなくて)

Airplay/The Manhattan Transfer -- Nothin' You Can Do About It

 

All these years, I knew about Canada's David Foster since the 1980s when he was coming up with these pop instrumentals such as "The Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" and "Winter Games", and also songs for acts such as Earth Wind & Fire and Kenny Loggins. Then much later, I discovered that he helped out Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）and Ami Ozaki（尾崎亜美）for their own albums. Finally, I realized that he was part of a band called Airplay that was around for just 1980. 

A Canadian songwriting legend was paired up with one of the great American guitar icons, Jay "Peg" Graydon, and according to Wikipedia, their backing band consisted of the members of Toto and other session musicians who have had their own connections to Japanese singers such as Jerry Hey and Gary Grant. This is the ultimate AOR grouping!

In the aim for total transparency, this week's Reminiscings of Youth is actually a bit of a misnomer because I never found out about Airplay or its arguably most famous track "Nothin' You Can Do About It" on their lone self-titled album when it came out in 1980. It was only within the years that I've been working on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" that I first discovered this really snazzy song via YouTube and it's been the eternal earworm ever since. For some reason, I don't ever recollect hearing "Nothin' You Can Do About It" on the radio when I was a kid, and yet it sounds like the type of song that would have gotten heavy rotational airplay (pun fully intended) considering what was being played on the stations back then. The horns and the keyboards are amazing, and who knew that Graydon could sound that good as a singer? I'm just glad that I was able to finally come across it in my older years (circa 2018) and that one song was enough for me to order the album from Amazon.

The thing is that the song created by Airplay and Steve Kipner was originally recorded by The Manhattan Transfer as a track from their 1979 "Extensions". And "Nothin' You Can Do About It" fit hand-in-glove with the Transfer's move into smooth classy pop that time. Still, when I think of the arrangement, I have to go with Airplay's cover.

I'm just lifting this brief excerpt from a 2014 interview with Graydon via Wikipedia:

Interviewer: Did you guys ever envision Airplay becoming a full-time, touring type of band? 

Graydon: David wanted to tour and I didn't. A dumb move on my part.

Well, no worries Jay! It looks like you made up for that oversight with the above performance in 1994!

I gave my compliments to Neo-AOR Norwegian singer-songwriter Ole Børud about a month ago for "Find a Way". Well, he and his band gave his own tribute to the song a year ago.

Going with the Manhattan Transfer's October 1979 release of "Extensions", what other songs were coming out in Japan at that time?

Saki Kubota -- Ihojin （異邦人）

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Technopolis

As a PS, I also read that Foster played for the band Skylark in the early 1970s. Me, I ate at Skylark! And the crazy thing was that the manager looked like a Japanese Jay Graydon!

Commuting to Work with City Pop (and more)

It’s Oliver Ebisuno, coming back to Kayo Kyoku Plus after a long break. For some time now, in spite of work and personal stuff, I wanted to make an update on the blog, but always felt either unmotivated or drained from strength when sitting in front of an open draft editor. I think the time is right for a special post; to be specific, an Author’s Pick text. Shamelessly, I admit that J-Canuck’s Driving to City Pop two-parter provided me with much needed dosage of inspiration.

Evidently, I do not live in Japan and there are no prospects of me visiting the country in the nearest future, but I thought it would be fun to mix my love for Japanese music with my personal experience, that is, commuting to work.

The city I live in is such a hole in the middle of nowhere (and forgotten by the Almighty) that basically right after finishing high school I had to get used to commuting. I had to undergo a one-hour trip by bus while studying for 5 years, the same applied to PhD studies, and my first employment. Last year, I switched jobs and now I also commute by bus, but this time to a different city, which is located roughly an hour away from my place of residence.

Being on the bus for two hours per day (please bear in mind that this is a “there and back again” route) gives me a lot of time to do various sorts of stuff like reading, browning the web, but also listening. For years, I was never that keen on the idea of listening to music outside of the comfort zone of my home, but I warmed up to the idea after the pandemic.

Now, en route to work (and most importantly coming back from it) I can’t help but listen to Tomoko Aran. Her albums Fuyuu Kuukan and Last Good-bye really calm me down and put me in a positive mood, especially in the morning. The same also goes for Toshiki Kadomatsu’s After 5 Clash and Hitomitoi’s City Dive albums.

When I am in a more adventurous mood, then I reach for music that is more charged with Synth-Pop or Rock. In such instances, Yoko Oginome’s Route 246 Connexion and Chisato Moritaka’s Mi-ha prove to be invaluable. Very rarely, when I feel deeply melancholic, I decide to desperately turn to Wink’s Best of selection or Naomi Akimoto’s Poison 21. Please refer to the selection of my favourite songs from the aforementioned albums here:

 1. Tomoko Aran -- Midnight Pretenders (1983)

 

2. Tomoko Aran -- Last Good-bye (1986)

 

3. Toshiki Kadomatsu -- Step into the Light (1984)

4. Hitomitoi -- Dive (2012)

5. Yoko Oginome -- 246 Planet Girls (1987)

6. Chisato Moritaka -- 47 Hard Nights (1988)

7. Naomi Akimoto -- Lion in My Pocket (1984)

8. Wink -- One Night in Heaven (1989)

That’s it for the moment, I sincerely hope that you enjoyed my list of suggestions. I should also add that apart from the aforemtioned songs/albums, I also tend to listen to either Pet Shop Boys or Animotion while commuting. Thank you for reading.

Image sources: The feature photograph at the top of the post was taken by me on a bus to work on wintery night at 5 AM. I usually sit at the back, so it was easier for me to make sure that the faces of other commuters won’t get caught by the phone camera. The image of Akina Nakamori next to Mercedes was found on Pinterest. All the hyperlinks lead to previous Kayo Kyoku Plus posts.

Minori Chihara -- Hare Hare Yukai (ハレ晴レユカイ)

 

“Hare Hare Yukai” is the ending theme song for the 2006 version of the classic anime series “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” made by Kyoto Animation. It is composed by anime music composer Satoru Kosaki.

We all know the sound of “J-pop”, but none of us can give the exact definition of it, because J-pop is not one genre. J-pop is a mixture of many styles of music over the years. It comprises all kinds of musical elements Japan has heard in the last century. 

“Hare Hare Yukai” is one of the “J-pop” songs. There are some EDM elements in it, some rock, and a little bit of influence from the 90s. However, every influence that is supposed to make this song identifiable exists in small fragments, which, in the end, results in a track that doesn’t distinguish itself from other songs.

But why is a song so featureless in arrangement attract me so much?

If it was four years ago, I definitely would not like it. At that time, I was just introduced to Toshiki and Tatsuro’s classic city pop tracks and I was busy exploring all the exciting bass slaps, horn sections, and guitar solos. This track would appear too bland for me. But now, four years later, I have seen everything. Funk is an everyday concept and no bass lines would get me as excited as I was when I first heard city pop. The dust of the funk has settled down, and it is now the pure appreciation of the music and the emotion that leads me to listen. 

And that leads me to this song. Yes, the arrangement is not distintive, but a distintive arrangement is no longer the attraction I look for. What really attracted me is the energy and the touch of melancholy it presents. It makes me think of the time I had during my middle school life. The study, assignments, food, and teachers were repetitive. No one had to worry about contagious diseases. Time seemed to be endless, and I had a lot of fun with my friends. I was familiar and comfortable with everything: people, grades, and responsibilities. These two years was the most carefree and joyful time of my life, and this song resonates with the memories I have.

“On a particular sunny day,

A happiness greater than magic

Will pour down endlessly. It's not impossible!

When we meet again tomorrow, we'll laugh and hum a tune.”

These lyrics from the song represent just what I feel about it. If I were to sum it up in one word, it would be “hope”. Hope that everything will remain easy and familiar; hope that good things can last; hope that the weather will always be sunny and people be happy; hope that covid never happened; hope that I will always see my friends tomorrow after tomorrow, until eternity.

But none of it happened. After I graduated middle school, I would end up transferring to an American high school, where people are unfamiliar and tests are stressful, Kyoto Animation would collapse under fire, and we would eventually hit the age of quarantine and masks.

“Hare Hare Yukai” is a reminder to me that time has changed, that I have grown up. Loving this song in the way I do means both my music taste and mentality have matured. I am no longer the high schooler who only loves the superficial rhythm of funk. I am now an adult who knows how to form my own understanding and taste the emotion in music. My carefree years were gone, and now, it is time to begin another adventure in my new phase of life.

Yoko Oginome -- This is Pop

Truth be told, I’m always a sucker for Yoko Oginome, especially when it comes to Laserdisc/DVD releases of her live performances. Needless to say, I was all the more surprised when I accidentally stumbled on YouTube upon Pop Liberation Force, a compilation of clips from Yoko’s concert tour in 1992.

After a quick investigation online, it becomes apparent that Pop Liberation Force was originally released on Laserdisc as well as VHS, but it also received a DVD edition in the late 2000s. In my opinion, the title itself and the artwork for this compilation are simply awesome. You really get the feeling you are in for military-themed entertainment delivered by Yoko.

Indeed, Yoko wears a military uniform, but unfortunately only for the first four songs of the compilation, which is a shame. Another downer is the shoddy editing, which is certainly not suitable for people suffering from epilepsy. It is almost as if the editors wanted to go full 90s and show how edgy they were with their craft, but the end result is a fast-paced mess that takes you out of the viewing experience.

This is very much evident in the opening song called "This is Pop". The song itself is incredibly catchy. I love how the beat remains constant during the chorus, and all of a sudden, everything goes into overdrive towards the concluding section. Still again, the editing of the performance is painfully insufferable. Yet, I found myself constantly rewatching this clip time and time again, just to make out the dance choreography. It is clear that Yoko put a lot of effort into it, and it must have looked amazing on a stage, but then again… the editing gets in the way!

All in all, I love the song and it’s up there together with "Stranger Tonight" and "Hot Summer Night" as my fave Yoko Oginome’s songs. It really motivated me to study for my university exams which I had to take just recently. Interestingly, Yoko did an updated version of the song for another music video compilation called New Fashioned Love Songs. Evidently, this version is more… hip/techno(?) It is hard for me to describe it. It is longer but low-key at the same time. The concluding section is not that epic anymore. Judge for yourselves and thank you for reading.

 Image sources: 1, 2, 3

5 More Private Press/Rare Albums I Bought (That Are Actually Kind of Good)

It has been a long time since I last posted on this blog. I've been quite busy with school work and college applications, but I am finally back. I am here to share 10 more rare or self-released albums that I encountered on my way of randomly buying stuff from the disc market. This article is a continuation of a previous one I wrote for this blog last year. You can see it here.

So, without further to do, let's get to these rare albums.

1. Minobu Takahasi - Restart 

Year: 1998

Label: Not On Label

Upon seeing this album cover, I knew it is a self-released album. The bad image quality as well as the serif typography used on the cover art all just screams private press. I had no idea what kind of album this is, but looking at the cover art, my experience tells me that this album is likely to align with what I dig for. 

And boy does it align well. Despite the low sound quality and the cheap synth sound on everything, "Restart" is actually a very well-composed and well-arranged album. Highlights on the album include upbeat city pop arrangement "あの空を忘れない", instrumental mid-tempo jazz-funk "City Lights", and "Simulation Lovers", which probably took some inspiration from Tatsuro Yamashita's "Someday". Other tracks are not bad too. Most ballad tracks are groovy and would fit in the city pop realm. Some even reminded me of Toshiki Kadomatsu's ballad works. 

The album's packaging is very crude. You do have all of the lyrics and credits in the album booklet, but it looks like it was printed by a cheap home printer on recycled paper. The disc is plain white with a sticker that states "Restart Minobu Takahashi". The back cover is just a photo of Takahashi walking on the beach with his email and website below. The tray also includes an advertisement for the company that presumably helped to press the disc. 

Minobu Takahashi's website was archived by the Way Back Machine, you can see it here.

2. C. Moon - Current

Year: 1998

Label: Alpha Agency STMY-0001

I picked this one up for a little bit more: about 300 yen. The album cover looks right. It feels fuzzy and somehow reminds me of the term "light mellow", which is why I bought it. 

My predictions were correct. Most of the songs did turn out to be light and mellow, but they were ballads that are too slow to be enjoyable. The only good song is "Silence", which is actually what I thought this album would mostly contain. "Silence" is a mid-tempo funky pop song that reminds me of Momoko Kikuchi's works, though "Silence" does not feel as airy. If Momoko Kikuchi's albums feel like sitting on the windy deck of a cruiseliner staring at the ocean, this song feels like sitting in the couch in your living room and looking at a picture of the ocean.

3. Mo' Better - Sea of Love

Year: 1997

Label: Garage One GOMB-0001

According to the album insert, "Mo' Better" is a five-piece chorus group consisting of "BOSS", "KAZZ", "ATSUSHI", "KATSUHIRO", and "KOUDAI". The album is very chorus-heavy. "Mo Groove" is the only good song from this album. I can really see the effort of the group to merge their chorus into the funk arrangement of this song. 

4. V.A. - Girls Meeting Compilation Vol.1

Year: 2002

Label: Girls Meeting Label GMCP-1001

"Girls Meeting" seems to be some sort of contest to find potential female singers. However, it probably did not attract any attention, because I literally cannot find any information on this CD online except for the original archived official page.

The album was produced by Muneo Teruya, and the linked song is composed by 大竹智勇. The album includes songs of various styles, but if I were to sum it up, it is a crossover of R&B and early 2000s electronic music. 

5. Kenji Ise - Together

Year: 2012

Label: On Brace OB-0001

Kenji Ise is a Japanese saxophonist who studied under Japanese saxophone master Hidefumi Toki. This is his first album. 

This one is probably the least rare album on this list, but it is definitely the hottest and the one I definitely do not want to miss. From hot fusion jams to city pop-like tunes to romantic ballads, Kenji Ise demonstrated just how versatile he is as a composer and an arranger. All tracks on this album are of extraordinary quality, both in terms of arrangement and instrumental performance. 

Of the 8 tracks recorded, M1, M2, M5, and M7 are funky fusion jams with no vocal. M3 is a song with a vocal that has city pop flavors, but the arrangement is simpler than M1 and M2. M4 and M6 are ballads. M8 is a slower, rock-like arrangement.

Generally speaking, "Together" is a fusion album. There are lots of solos here and there, but some songs are definitely produced with the style of AOR and city pop in mind. The result is an album that oozes funk from start to finish. It is an album that gave me goosebumps when I first heard it because it is way better than I expected. I would definitely recommend it to J-fusion fans.

Kenji Ise actually has a working website. You can check the credits for this album there. He also seems to have a new album coming out soon, titled "Burnout", which is mentioned in this tweet from him.