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.

Minyo Crusaders -- Kaigara Bushi（貝殻節）

 

Over the dozen years that "Kayo Kyoku Plus" has been in existence, we've been able to amass quite a few examples of minyo or the traditional folk songs of Japan. However, I have to admit that probably among the genres represented in Labels, minyo is probably one of the smallest in number of articles. Usually known for their usage at the many annual festivals across the country, there are minyo associations which have been trying to keep those songs alive and I know that there is a monthly show on NHK, hosted by former TOKIO leader Shigeru Joshima（城島茂）, which showcases minyo through many bands.

One such folk song that I've learned about recently is "Kaigara Bushi" (The Shell Song). As is often the case, when the minyo originated has been lost to antiquity but according to Wikipedia, it did come from Tottori Prefecture and was the work song for fishermen in the area as you can hear above.

Another way that people have been trying to spread the appeal of minyo further is through putting in other music elements into the genre. Maybe it would be like adding that spritz of vodka into orange juice to make a screwdriver. In this case, our bartender here is the group Minyo Crusaders（民謡クルセイダーズ）who have shaken jazz and Latin into minyo to create this new take on "Kaigara Bushi", and although I can imagine there may be people who feel that this reworking invalidates minyo, I feel that vocalist Freddie Tsukamoto（フレディ塚本）and his band have made a pretty refreshing cocktail here. In a way, it sounds like Orquesta de la Luz jumped into a summer festival's musical offerings. Perhaps hearing this version could have the new converts looking back at the originals.

Minyo Crusaders first formed in 2012 with their debut album, "Echoes of Japan" coming out in 2017. Their version of "Kaigara Bushi" can be found in their latest release, the album "Tour of Japan" which hit the shelves last month. 

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