Katsumi Horii Project -- Blue Waters

Wikimedia Commons
 via Simon_sees

 

Now, wouldn't the above be a sight for sore eyes? Have a view like this at your next vacation...hopefully sooner rather than later.

The last time I posted anything by the fusion band Katsumi Horii Project（堀井勝美PROJECT）, it was back in the pre-pandemic days. Well, allow me to rectify that. I couldn't quite believe it when I read that this titular track from his "Blue Waters" album was actually released in July 1998 because from the way it sounds, especially with that Fender Rhodes in there, "Blue Waters" sounds like something from the 1980s, perhaps during Japan's Bubble Era.

I think what has gotten me to think that way is that along with the Fender Rhodes, the main piano sounds perfectly attuned to anything used for the soundtrack of Seizo Watase's（わたせせいぞう）"Heart Cocktail"（ハートカクテル） series of anime vignettes. You may be listening to this from the comfort of your own home, but you might still be existentially pressured to yell out for an Orange Mimosa! In any case, this is one really relaxing number for a Sunday brunch.

Katsumi Horii Project -- Hot Is Cool

The subject song for this article had me reminded of that McDonalds variation from my university days, the McDLT. Particularly, there was the catchphrase "You get the HOT side HOT, you get the COOL side COOL". I gather that the McDLT ended up on the gastronomic heap of history along with New Coke and deep-fried butter balls (oh, I hope that last one has indeed died).

Well, later on in the decade, the Katsumi Horii Project（堀井勝美PROJECT）came up with a funky strut (so Dazz Band) that could have made for a nice musical accompaniment to the 80s creation by the Golden Arches. This would be the title track from Horii's debut album "Hot Is Cool", released in March 1987.

I'm getting this shiver up my back as I start to remember 80s things such as spandex pants, wide-shouldered jackets and tons of hair as I'm listening to "Hot Is Cool". That Seinfeldian bass is back in good measure as a vocoder-esque vocal trips the light fantastic. I figure that if that Mos Eisley cantina from the original "Star Wars" had decided to hire a spacey R&B band instead of the swing jazz unit that played away while Obi-Wan and Han Solo were negotiating that flight to Alderaan, this would have been the right song. Future funk, indeed!

Ah, and speaking about "Seinfeld", I did find another McDLT ad with a fellow who was right from that show. Incidentally, it looks like I'm treating the Katsumi Horii Project as an annual affair. Last year, I wrote about "Through The Sky".

Katsumi Horii Project -- Through The Sky

Looks like this will be my second sophomore article for another City Pop musician tonight. The inaugural article was just a little over a year ago for the Katsumi Horii Project's（堀井勝美PROJECT）"Skyscraper" from 1993, a musical tribute to the hustle and bustle of downtown in the city.

A few nights ago, I found an earlier number created by Horii from his June 1988 3rd album "Ocean Drive" called "Through The Sky" that's also quite a treat to hear. It starts out dreamily enough but then jumps like an enthusiastic diver flying from a cliff into the sea into a guitar riff and smacking drumbeats reminiscent of Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）which ought to garner some appreciation from his fans.

But then comes this elegant piano-and-harmonica combo which takes things from the ocean and back to the outdoor hotel lounge for some refreshing drinks. However, the electric guitar isn't cowed by this and is more than happy to come back along with the piano and harmonica. As you can imagine, compared to the later "Skyscraper", this is more of a Resort Pop tune. I've always had a soft spot for a well-placed harmonica ever since I first heard the late Toots Thielemans.

Katsumi Horii Project -- Skyscraper

One of my favourite areas of Tokyo is West Shinjuku since it has that spectacular grouping of skyscrapers. I used to teach a group of employees in that neighbourhood on Monday afternoons so I would usually walk among the towers including the Keio Plaza Hotel, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (always struck me as resembling the SDF-1 from "Macross"), the Shinjuku I-Land Tower and the newest addition, the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (which is the tallest structure seen in the photo although the TMG Building is taller). For that last one, though, as I was walking past it, I noticed that there were a couple of large geodesic spheres bracketing the Cocoon which had me wondering whether the architect was compensating for something.

During one of my browsings last night on YouTube, I discovered this nice and funky instrumental tune in the fusion realm called "Skyscraper". It was concocted by music master Katsumi Horii（堀井勝美）under his title of the Katsumi Horii Project as a track for one of his albums "Lovers" back in August 1993. Between 1987 and 1998, he put out 12 albums and 1 single under his project banner. "Skyscraper" has that sunny image of life in the big city, and although I think Horii was looking at New York City for his inspiration, I was just as happy to envision West Shinjuku while I was listening to the song.

According to his J-Wiki profile, he's listed as a composer, an arranger, a producer and a university lecturer who has created music for movies, TV dramas, anime, commercials and stage productions. In fact, he even provided the soundtracks for several of the "Doraemon"（ドラえもん）movie series in the early 2000s.