I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
Showing posts with label Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Show all posts
On a recent Friday episode of NHK's "Asaichi"（あさイチ）, the morning information variety show got a whole lot livelier with longtime band Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra getting on the floor for some very exciting music. Not surprisingly, the faxes and email were flowing in like water at the spectacle of party time just after 9 am in the morning.
I forgot who was the subject of the "Premium Talk" segment that usually comes on those Fridays but another actor did show up to help TSPO. And he was definitely essential since he helped write and perform the song. I may have seen Tsuyoshi Muro（ムロツヨシ）in a few dramas but at this point, his performance headlining "Medetashi Song"(Congratulatory Song) will be my highlight of him.
With TSPO baritone sax player Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦）and Muro behind lyrics, and TSPO trumpeter NARGO taking care of the melody, "Medetashi Song" is a splash-bang ska tune with some surf rock thrown in there. It's all well and good as a tune about getting through the bad stuff and celebrating the good stuff. With these guys, it's all too easy to doff off the blues and hit the dance floor. The song was placed onto the band's 4th mini-album"S.O.S. ［Share One Sorrow]" from November 2021; the album peaked at No. 13.
Man, am I glad that I got to see NHK's morning talk show "Asaichi"（あさイチ）today. Usually, I don't stick around to watch the Friday morning version because it has their Premium Talk segment which usually focuses on actors and actresses, and I've never been much for the Japanese thespian element. However, the guests this time around was Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）...all nine of them filled up the set and kinda intimidated the hosts with their charisma...and of course, their music. From the old-fashioned faxes that were probably flooding the floor to the Twitter tweets, today's episode definitely got everyone up and at 'em and the morning was unusually wild with the music of Ska-Para.
Personally, my thrill was seeing Original Love himself, Takao Tajima（田島貴男）, make a rare TV guest appearance on "Asaichi" to perform his 2001 collaboration with Ska-Para, "Mekureta Orange"(めくれたオレンジ).
One of the many other songs that perked up "Asaichi" was the title track from the band's 20th original album, "Paradise Has NO BORDER" from March 2017. Composed by NARGO, the ska is of course in there but it also starts out with a bit of salsa and then mixes it with a comely layer of surf rock. It's the type of song that will get everyone bopping about on the dance floor.
Even this song originally had some collaboration, too, with none other than popular pop ichthyologist Sakana-kun（さかなクン...Mr. Fish） helping out in the brief music video with another bass saxophone. No idea how those two got together but "Paradise Has NO BORDER" was used for a Kirin commercial starring them.
No "Uta Con"（うたコン）tonight due to probably the fact that Japan is celebrating yet another national holiday in the form of the first day of spring today. However, going back to an episode a couple of weeks ago which had more than the usual number of interesting songs, I've got yet another here.
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra has always been fun to have on a show for something that's bouncy and bopping. On "Uta Con", for instance, whenever there is a heartrending enka ballad leaving folks in tears, then maybe TSPO can be the one to liven up those happy thoughts once more. Indeed, they showed up on the March 7th show but they had an extra member on loan for their new song.
Vocalist Haruko Nagaya（長屋晴子）of the pop band Ryokuoushoku Shakai（緑黄色社会）has made a guest vocal (and extra trombone [she used to play it in junior high school]) appearance alongside TSPO to perform the band's collaborative digital download single "Aoi Haru no Etude"(Green/Blue Spring Etude). To be frank, I've always wondered about the colours aoi（青い...blue） and midori（緑...green） as they apply to nature. I've heard that aoi can also mean to be green for those first signs of spring on the trees and other flora. As it is, though, I did see a translation of the title (but not the lyrics) show up on "Lyrical Nonsense": "Etude of Adolescence", and that suits me fine because saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka's（谷中敦）lyrics talk about a teen struggling through their feelings of love for someone...an existential rubber band, so to speak.
But obviously there's nothing maudlin about "Aoi Haru no Etude" since bassist Tsuyoshi Kawakami（川上つよし）keeps the TSPO tradition of keeping things jumping and lively. Hey, spring is coming...nothing should be sad or depressing at this time. The single came out a couple of weeks ago and it's also on the band's mini-album which came out on the 15th titled "Junk or Gem".
I heard about this terrifying movie about a shark called "JAWS" when I wasn't even a teenager yet at the time, and I knew that this wasn't a movie that I was going to see or even want to see. The poster and John Williams' genius minimalist two notes were enough to keep me and millions of viewers out of the water for years to come. I finally did see it on VHS tape much later (accompanied by a cushion) and I still shiver at that infamous scene of "something" popping out to greet Richard Dreyfuss underwater.
So iconic was the "JAWS" theme that Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra lifted those two famous notes and injected them into their creation "HAMMERHEAD", a track on their 30th anniversary album"Tsugihagi Colorful"（ツギハギカラフル...Patchwork Colorful） released in November 2019. Yup, I know that it wasn't a hammerhead shark that was attacking the citizenry in the waters off of Amity Island, but hey, it's still a shark.
A feisty instrumental number created by band trumpeter NARGO, there's nothing horror about "HAMMERHEAD". It's simply another dance-friendly and hit-the-floor running song with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra leading the way, and a lot of the members have their solo time on the instruments. It even sounds like a theme tune for a secret agent with that very name. As for "Tsugihagi Colorful", it peaked at No. 5 on Oricon.
It was rather sweet the other night on a previous "Uta Con"（うたコン）episode when I saw Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）bass saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦）getting a little misty-eyed. Nope, TSPO wasn't breaking up or anything like that. It was actually tears of joy.
To explain, on that night, there was a reunion of sorts between Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and a past collaborator: the Narashino High School Brass Band（習志野高校吹奏楽部）from Chiba Prefecture. After all of the isolation that COVID-19 has wrought on society all over the world, it was good to have a couple of musical groups come back to perform a song that was originally recorded in 2019.
From TSPO's 22nd original album"Tsukibaki Colourful"（ツギハギカラフル...Cobbling Together Colourful） of November 2019, I give you "Kaze no Profile" (Wind Profile). Written by Yanaka and composed by trumpeter NARGO, I'd initially thought that the Narashino band was simply joining in on a cover of a past TSPO hit, but in actuality, it was a totally new song. It's got the usual playful ska arrangement but then it's given some measure of that proud and anthemic feeling by the NHSBB.
I additionally thought that "Kaze no Profile" had been created for some sort of festival or other major event, but it was used for a commercial regarding a Kirin drink.
Yep, the cover does say it all: a trumpet with fire blasting out of it like a volley from The Human Torch. This belongs to Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）3rd compilation of BEST hits, "BEST OF TOKYO SKA 1998-2007" that was first released in March 2007. If you're looking for some Saturday-night partying at home with that ska beat, this can help.
I don't think that I ever gave a proper introduction about TSPO so I will import this edited quote from the Wikipedia article on this group that has been around since 1985: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ), commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene. At the time, the band's sound was unlike that of any of its contemporaries in the then fledgling Japanese ska scene, and over the course of the past 31 years, they have been influential on Japanese music as a whole. Its sound, the product of the musical influences of its members, is a mix of traditional ska, jazz, and rock. In the vein of many other more traditional ska acts, many of Skapara's songs are purely instrumental.
The first time I heard and heard about ska was in the early 1980s when all this great music was flowing in from the United Kingdom which included this particular genre and its proponents such as The Specials and Madness. For that latter band, "Our House" was a huge hit in Canada, although perhaps the song was more of a mix of ska, pop and New Wave. Little did I know that Japan would be another birthplace of one ska-happy group of guys.
Anyways, here is the list for Disc 1 of "BEST OF TOKYO SKA 1998-2007":
Well, let's get the party started with the first track "DOWN BEAT STOMP" which was originally from TSPO's May 2002 album"Stompin' On DOWN BEAT ALLEY". The album hit No. 1 on Oricon and "DOWN BEAT STOMP" pretty much has everybody getting onto the dance floor with an increased number of TSPO members getting behind the mike. The video certainly reflects the atmosphere of fun of booze and dancing. TSPO bassist Tsuyoshi Kawakami（川上つよし）was the composer while baritone saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦）took care of the lyrics.
Also from "Stompin' On DOWN BEAT ALLEY" is "Mekureta Orange" (Peeled Orange). As well, this was actually TSPO's 20th single from August 2001 that peaked at No. 35 on the charts. Over the years, I've been enjoying the band's work with other cool artists. For example, there is their collaboration with happily zany Hiroto Komoto（甲本ヒロト）of The Blue Hearts for "Hoshi Furu Yoru ni"（星降る夜に）that is also included on Disc 1. And then there is "Mekureta Orange" which has special guest Takao Tajima（田島貴男）, aka Original Love（オリジナル・ラヴ）, helping out on this mix of ska and swing jazz. It was also Kawakami and Yanaka behind words and music here. I tried looking at the lyrics and I think the story sounds as if a couple of guys were greeting the sunrise with a mix of bleary-eyed exhaustion and possibly some scars. Would you like a brawl with your boilermaker, sir? Not sure where the orange peel comes in...except as a garnish in a cocktail glass.
The instrumental "Hi no Tama Jive" translates into "Fireball Jive" which is a great title for this song which was the band's 17th single from May 1999. TSPO multi-instrumentalist (bass, saxophone) Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta（冷牟田竜之）was responsible for this true fireball which not reminds me of the swing/jazz revival sometime in the 1990s but also of the orchestra that was providing the great music in Jim Carrey's"The Mask". Despite all of the action and flame, there is also some poignancy to "Hi no Tama Jive" since this was drummer Tatsuyuki Aoki's（青木達之）final single with TSPO before his untimely death. He passed away only 10 days before its release.
Hiyamuta and TSPO trumpeter NARGO were on words and music respectively for "SKA ME CRAZY" which has been described in J-Wiki as having a skinhead reggae arrangement in its recorded form. Sounds a bit scary there so I've put up their live version which is apparently a little different. It's another jump-and-dance-and-headbang number, and judging from the above video, you will believe a pianica can rock. "SKA ME CRAZY" was also the coupling song for the band's 22nd single from February 2002, "Utsukushiku Moeru Mori"（美しく燃える森）, another duet this time with Tamio Okuda（奥田民生）from the rock band Unicorn.
"Ginga to Meiro" (Galaxy and Labyrinth), TSPO's 23rd single from February 2003, is a familiar song to me and that's probably because I heard it on the various music shows. It was used as the theme tune for the Fuji-TV drama "Bijo ka Yajuu"（美女か野獣...Beauty or Beast） so I gather that its commercials were also playing the song as well. Still a lot of fun ska to be experienced here, too, but it's also noticeably mellower than some of TSPO's other party favourites, maybe along the lines of the aforementioned "Mekureta Orange". Yanaka and NARGO were behind words and music respectively with drummer Kin'ichi Motegi（茂木欣一）on vocals as the single broke into the Top 10 at No. 9.
One more track that I will throw in is an instrumental cover of Donald Fagen's"Walk Between Raindrops" from his 1982 classic album"The Nightfly" for which I've already covered "I.G.Y." in a ROY article. Listening to this version, I can understand why TSPO decided to tackle it because that original shuffle beat works so well with these guys. Heck, I swear that the band even borrowed the same organ from Fagen that starts the song off.
I'll have to cover Disc 2 sometime in the near future but as it is, there's lots to enjoy in Disc 1. "BEST OF TOKYO SKA 1998-2007" peaked at No. 2 on the charts.
Heh, heh. To be honest, I remember the music video for this song more than I do for the song itself (since it's been parodied on TV) but I've been rectifying this as I listen to it. However, kudos to the folks behind that video; it's a good one and I'm surprised that there has been no mention about it on the J-Wiki article for "Tsuukai Uki Uki Doori" (Street of Exhilaration).
The song is by fun-loving 90s popster and songwriter Kenji Ozawa（小沢健二）and it was his 11th single from December 1995. The video indeed has those Christmas images and Ozawa's lyrics talk about a fellow getting that request from his girlfriend to buy some Prada shoes for her, so he heads on down to what must be a truly happening shopping street and ends up enjoying himself far more than he expected in the hoopla. In fact, he ends up forgetting to get the shoes...and most likely losing his girlfriend in the bargain.
My first choice for that street the protagonist was on was Takeshita Street in Harajuku with all of the young folks and the variety of stores, but when the lyrics mentioned Prada shoes, I thought maybe this was Ginza. I know that neighbourhood better than I do Takeshita (although I can most likely afford the latter more than the former).
Still, the comical adventure in shopping and what-not is accompanied by Ozawa's merrily-as-we-go-along melody whose horn arrangement was provided by members of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）:Gamou, Nargo and Masahiko Kitahara（北原雅彦）. Those horns provide some more of that lovely marshmallow to the cocoa that is "Tsuukai Uki Uki Doori".
The song hit No. 4 on Oricon and sold a little under 300,000 copies, and it's also a track on Ozawa's BEST collection"Setsuna"（刹那）from December 2003 which peaked at No. 29 on the album charts. One interesting piece of trivia about "Tsuukai Uki Uki Doori" from J-Wiki is that originally, lyricist Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）had requested Ozawa to come up with a song for the comedy team The Tunnels. Thinking that it was going to be for a duo, the songwriter felt that a Wham!-type song would do and so he whipped up a tune that was inspired by "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" which had been titled for Japanese audiences as "Uki Uki Wake Me Up"（ウキウキ・ウェイク・ミー・アップ）. But Ozawa just loved the sound of that uki uki so much that he ended up taking the song for his own. 😜
With COVID-19 disrupting regular TV Japan broadcasting since last weekend, the only source for our Japanese television in our family has now been feeding straight in from NHK World Japan which means no more variety programs or other shows from the commercial networks such as NTV or Fuji-TV. Initially, I thought it was a problem with TV Japan itself since it's based in New York, the epicentre of the outbreak in the United States, but now I think that variety shows themselves in Japan have been disrupted. For one thing, there are no more studio audiences allowed and the plethora of tarentooften crowding in front of the cameras may now be a thing of the past. So, I can imagine that those shows are probably on hiatus or will have to undergo serious retooling.
Thankfully, "Chiko-chan ni Shikarareru"（チコちゃんに叱られる！）, being an NHK show, is still going on. In fact, we got the most recent episode for April 10th right on April 10th, although maybe the social distancing among co-host Okamura and the guests could have been better. One of the two guests happened to be Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦）, the baritone sax player for the cool veteran band Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Strangely enough, earlier this morning, the NHK music show "SONGS" featured TSPO in all their ska-kicking glory.
These fellows can probably take any song and oomph it up with their ska. It's like taking a tenderloin steak and instead of sprinkling the usual salt and pepper, TSPO throws on a special spice mix and the former cow becomes this even more wonderful culinary creation from the grill. And that is what they did with the Russian folk song "Korobeiniki" as it was transformed into the short but potent "Peddlers". It first showed up on the band's November 1989 mini-album, "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra", and I think it's been a frequent inclusion in subsequent releases.
The reason for the title "Peddlers" is probably because the song itself deals with a peddler and a girl, according to the Wikipedia article. And the reason that it got highlighted on "SONGS" was that it was a favourite of none other than former 80s aidoru-turned-actress Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子）.
When I heard the ska version, I wondered why it sounded so familiar. Well, for a certain generation, the game Tetris was all the rage, and yep, I was also one of the millions who had his/her copy of the game with the computer music version of "Korobeiniki" placed as the theme song. If TSPO's version had been used, I can guarantee that those various Tetris blocks and segments would have been dancing instead of strutting down the screen.
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.
I discovered this single by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）some weeks ago titled "Tsuioku no Lilac" (Lilacs of Reminiscence) that came out back in December 2005.
With the smooth stylings of Hanaregumi（ハナレグミ）as the guest vocalist, TSPO's 28th single still had the band's usual cool ska strut, but there seemed to be a bit more of a subdued feeling to the arrangement. Plus, despite Hanaregumi's high-toned delivery, the video itself was done in a more solemn tone with the band members all sporting dark suits and countenances while playing in a more dimly-lit setting.
I was reading some of the comments underneath this YouTube video, and apparently the song created by baritone saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦）and keyboardist Yuuichi Oki（沖祐市）was meant to be a tribute to a former member of Tokyo Sky Paradise Orchestra who had passed away. I did some checking about that, and I found out that vocalist Cleanhead Gimura（クリーンヘッド・ギムラ）and drummer Tatsuyuki Aoki（青木達之）had died in the 1990s, both at the age of 32. Perhaps the song, as the title hints at, was made as a memorial to Gimura and Aoki.
"Tsuioku no Lilac" peaked at No. 23 on Oricon. It was also a track on the band's 12th album"Wild Peace" which came out in June 2006 that went as high as No. 2 on the charts.
It's been a while since I've posted anything by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）so I've forgotten how much these guys can swing. Time to rectify that matter.
So I offer you "Utsukushiku Moeru Mori" (The Beautifully Flaming Woods) which is TSPO's 22nd single from February 2002. Written by saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦）and composed by bassist Tsuyoshi Kawakami（川上つよし）, I'm not sure what the title and the lyrics are quite talking about but I can't deny the kakkoii bounciness of the beat. Plus, they get some smoothly raspy (a weird description, I know) vocals from singer-songwriter Tamio Okuda（奥田民生）from Unicorn. The ska beat is indeed in there but there is also a good dollop of pop to keep things nice and mellow. I like the video as well...nothing too fancy; just all of the performers showing off what they do best.
"Utsukushiku Moeru Mori" went as high as No. 4 on Oricon and ended 2002 ranked at No. 60 going Gold. The single also made it onto the Orchestra's 9th album"Stompin' On DOWN BEAT ALLEY" from May 2002 which hit No. 1 and became the 42nd-ranked album of the year. Pretty nice way to finish a Saturday night.
Last night, I saw on my Twitter account that dandy duo Puffy with Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura（大貫亜美・吉村由美）is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new album. Good heavens! It's been 2 decades since the ELO-like "Asia no Junshin"（アジアの純真）.
Well, never let it be said that I'm going to miss out on an anniversary regarding Japanese pop music if I can help it. So, here is "Boogie-Woogie No. 5", Puffy's 12th single from September 2000. I think by the turn of the century, the Puffy phenomenon was kinda waning after their first big heyday in the mid-90s with all of those hits and their late-night variety show on TV Asahi, "PA PA PA PA PUFFY"（パパパパパフィー）. However, I do remember this particular song because of this mix of Big Band and rockabilly by creator Tamio Okuda（奥田民生）and for the music video showcasing the ladies in Bowling Night gear and a bunch of guys who looked like they were recruited just off Koen Dori in Shibuya. Of course, there are also lots of goofy choreography to enjoy.
Seeing the video, I hadn't realized that the entire horn section for Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra came on board to join in on the hilarity, and anytime those guys come for an assist, it's gonna be a fun time in a concert. "Boogie-Woogie No. 5" went as high as No. 22...perhaps not quite like the old days but it did have another interesting payoff. According to J-Wiki and Wikipedia, an executive on America's Cartoon Network saw the video for the song and then heard it on radio after which he just had to track Puffy down. Ami and Yumi ended up doing the theme song for superhero cartoon "Teen Titans" and even got their own animated adventures on the network. Although I don't think the one door was closed shut for the ladies, another door definitely opened up. The single was also a track on their 5th album, "SPIKE" from October 2000 which peaked at No. 10 on the Oricon album charts.
And to finish off, here is an episode from "PA PA PA PA PUFFY" .
Perhaps I can invent a new J-Pop genre right here: skayo (ska + kayo). Not sure if some enterprising journalist has already come up with the name but I think Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's"Sapphire no Hoshi" (The Star of Sapphire) could become a representative entry. For some reason, listening to TSPO's 29th single from February 2006 just has this feeling for me of ska overlaying an old-fashioned 60s Japanese pop song.
That's some breathiness by guest vocalist CHARA for "Sapphire no Hoshi". She sounds like skates gliding on ice while the Orchestra provides some fine mellow music for a Monday night. No matter the venue...in an intimate underground nightclub or a huge stadium under a night sky, the song sounds just like you want keep on sipping on a cocktail for the rest of the evening with a significant other.
Band keyboardist Yuichi Oki（沖祐市）composed the song with saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦） providing the lyrics. "Sapphire no Hoshi" managed to get as high as No. 16 on Oricon and is included on Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's 12th album, "Wild Peace" from June 2006 which peaked at No. 2 on the album charts. The single was also the 2nd of a trio of duets of which the finale was TSPO's duet with Hiroto Komoto（甲本ヒロト）, "Hoshi Furu Yoru ni"（星降る夜に）.
I was watching the latest "Kayo Concert" tonight and it was particularly interesting since the host, Tetsuya Takayama（高山哲哉）, introduced the show's theme as Rhythm Kayo. I know about Mood Kayo and Techno Kayo but it was the first time to hear about this new old genre of kayo, and Takayama and the guests explained it as that part of Japanese music from yesteryear which has a danceable beat. I've already covered at least a couple of the songs that are included in the genre (and were sung tonight): Shizuko Kasagi's（笠置シヅ子）snappy "Tokyo Boogie Woogie"（東京ブギウギ）and the hip-swiveling "Koi no Mexican Rock"（恋のメキシカン・ロック）by Yukio Hashi（橋幸夫）.
The remarkable thing about this Rhythm Kayo is how the Japanese songwriters back in the early postwar period were more than happy to incorporate at least some hint of the exotic song stylings from other countries and bring in the names of dances into the titles such as "rock", "flamenco" or "boogie". And yet, there was still that baseline of kayo in the songs. But of course, that borrowing of outside styles would continue later into the century through New Music and City Pop and the like.
Of course, "Tokyo Boogie Woogie" would lead things off on NHK's Shibuya stage but then the guests went into another one of Kasagi's numbers that I hadn't ever heard before. Titled "Jungle Boogie" (no relation whatsoever to Kool & The Gang's namesake song from the 70s), the original was sung by Japan's boogie queen back in 1948 for the movie "Yoidore Tenshi"（醉いどれ天使...Drunken Angel）, the first collaboration between legendary director Akira Kurosawa（黒澤明）and famed actor Toshiro Mifune（三船敏郎）. In fact, it was Kurosawa who was behind the lyrics of the song which Kasagi lunged into like a hungry cheetah. There were certain points where I thought she was going to channel a really ecstatic Louis Armstrong. Ryoichi Hattori（服部良一）took care of the melody; he was also the composer behind the more famous "Tokyo Boogie Woogie".
Here is a brief excerpt from "Yoidore Tenshi".
As I was looking for any original video with Kasagi for "Jungle Boogie", I found out that Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra covered the old chestnut back in 1991 for their album, "World Famous". I love the video and their version certainly has that jive brio that also makes me wonder whether Kome Kome Club had ever covered it. Considering the brief neo-swing fad that popped up later in the decade, TSPO's take on the song had me musing that it beat bands like Squirrel Nut Zippers to the punch by a few years.
I've come across that striking red cover of Chu Kosaka's (小坂忠) "Horo" (ほうろう...Wandering) album pop up in a number of critics' lists featuring important Japanese releases of yesteryear, so eventually I decided to find out what this piece of work is all about. I first found out about it through "Japanese City Pop" and then read some more in "Record Collectors' Magazine" Special Issue about Japan's top Pop/Rock/Folk albums from 1960-1989. I ended up acquiring the actual album last year shortly after leaving Japan.
One of the reasons why "Horo" is considered important is because of the position it occupies in the development of Japanese pop music in the 70's, namely with how it successfully bridges the Western pop and R&B traditions that local songwriters started embracing at the time. Yuming, the originator of New Music, really pushed this trend forward in 1973 when she teamed up with Caramel Mama (who renamed themselves to Tin Pan Alley the following year) to record the founding albums of the genre. In January 1975, Tin Pan Alley would then contribute to Kosaka's "Horo" to bring forward another self-coined genre Wasei R&B (和製R&B). A number of early magazine and radio adverts for the album mention that term, though in the modern days it's referred to as an example of early City Pop, though we would wait another three months before Sugar Babe would fully embrace urban sounds through "Songs". Speaking of Sugar Babe, Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎) and Taeko Onuki (大貫妙子) both participated in the backing chorus for "Horo", joined by Minako Yoshida (吉田美奈子), who would also embrace her R&B side later that year with "Minako". And as an icing on a cake, the strings and horn arranger on "Horo" is Akiko Suzuki (鈴木晶子), who debuted in 1976 as Akiko Yano (矢野顕子) when she married Makoto Yano (矢野誠), also a member of this album's personnel.
As for Kosaka himself, he's been an old friend of Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) since 1969 when they were band mates in Apryl Fool (エイプリル・フール). Once the band split up and Kosaka went solo in 1971, Hosono would support his music by inviting fellow musicians to play on his albums: Happy End for the first two and Tin Pan Alley for "Horo". Kosaka does look rather intriguing on that cover, a bit like an established middle-class immigrant in 1940's America. "Horo" was one of the last secular releases he put out, as later that year he decided to convert to Christianity after his daughter survived a massive burn. So for much of his career, Kosaka has associated with the Gospel side of things, but because of a revived critical interest in "Horo" over the last decade or so, he recently re-recorded the album in the form of "Horo 2010", this time with blue cover art.
After all this extensive background information, perhaps I should actually provide an example of this singer's music. I decided go with the cool "Shirakechimauze" (しらけちまうぜ), a lushly crafted tune with breezy strings, slightly jazzy piano and laid-back groove that were arranged by Hosono and Makoto Yano. According to the article in "Record Collectors", a number of album's tracks including this one were inspired by then-emerging Philadelphia Soul genre. I can hear the influence thanks to the light disco feel, though the song still retains Kosaka's folksy roots, especially with that distinct delivery of his. The train whistle-like vocals of Yoshida, Yamashita and Onuki in the refrain also contribute to that impression because they make me think of a smaller town rather than a glowing urban centre. I think that's what the critics meant by "Horo" bridging the gap between folk-influenced New Music and urban City Pop. Hosono was responsible for composing the carefree melody that perfectly matches Takashi Matsumoto's (松本隆) lyrics about the protagonist's apathetic attitude towards his recent break-up where he casually sends off his guilt-driven ex and admits that he's bad at crying. The melody makes you picture him strolling through the neighborhood and enjoying everyday life regardless of what has happened.
Kenji Ozawa (小沢健二) provided his own take on "Shirakechimauze" in 1995 through a guest appearance track on Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's "Grand Prix" album. This version is pretty jazzy with the added brass section and also has more pronounced drums. I especially like the trumpet solo in the opening.
I just came across the song and the video a few minutes ago. Enjoyed it so up it goes. And may I say that the melding of Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵） of Ego-Wrappin' and the lads of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra was pretty much a foregone conclusion. But it isn't just for the music. Both of these entities love to bop around on the stage, so I can imagine any concert appearances by them will be fun.
"Tasogare wo Asobu Neko" (The Sunset Cat) is one of the tracks on SkaPara's 17th album from November 2012, "Yokubou"（欲望...Desire）. The ska is in there but when I listen to it with Nakano's vocals, I just get taken back to some of those old-style Latin Jazz bands from way back. And there's a part of the song that harkens back to a Keiko Maruyama（丸山圭子） classic, "Douzo Kono Mama"（どうぞこのまま）, so a bit of the kayo kyoku is in there, too. The song was written by Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦）,TSPO's baritone saxophonist and composed by the band's bassist, Tsuyoshi Kawakami（川上つよし）.
Would love to hear some more collaborations by Nakano and the Orchestra in the future.
By the time I got to Gunma in the late 80s, I'd seen Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子） more as an actress than as an aidoru due to all those trendy dramas, although she was a regular presence on the Kohaku Utagassen earlier in that decade. So, it was a bit of a surprise when I caught the original video one night. There was Kyon-Kyon walking through some residential streets leading a motley young crew of musicians singing a nice little ambling ska tune.
I had first heard "Oka wo Koete"(Getting Over That Hill) as the campaign song for a Mazda car commercial before I saw the video, and if I remember correctly, the commercial tried to show the particular brand of Mazda as a good one for taking that leisurely ride through the countryside. I think Mazda Marketing picked the right song. Kyon-Kyon takes her voice down from those aidoru heights to a more relaxing register and sings about getting over that hill to finally meet that special someone.
Released in September 1990 as her 31st single, the song was written by Koizumi herself and composed by a couple of members (at the time) from Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Masayuki Hayashi（林昌幸）and Tatsuyuki Aoki（青木達之）. It got as high as No. 10 on the charts. The single is also on the album, "No. 17" which had been released a few months earlier. I like the video since it and the singer are so down-to-earth. As far as I know, she could've just been walking over to the local conbini for a bento.
At times, it can be as hard to find an original YouTube video of Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎） as it is to track down one by Kazumasa Oda（小田和正）. And I really wanted to find the original music video for her oh-so-cool 7th single, "Mayonaka no Junketsu"(Midnight Chastity). I did find one alongside a parody video but no problems...but that's now gone!😞
Thanks to her father, Shiina, along with the rock/punk side to her, also inherited a love for jazz which she has brought into this song. Along with her writing and composing it, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra arranged "Mayonaka no Junketsu" to become this tune that sounds like the theme for some 60s TV spy caper taking place in Havana. And I think the singer was well aware of this fact, since the video has her...and her beloved cat, Goethe...taking part in an animated series of derring-do of intrigue. Actually, she was to have participated in a live-action video, but her pregnancy at the time nixed that thought. However, the shift to this old animation style was a blessing in disguise.
Released in March 2001, the single peaked at No. 2 on Oricon and was the 51st-ranked song of the year, selling a little over 350,000 copies. In addition to "Mayonaka no Junketsu", there is also a very lively Big Band version of Shiina's"Sid to Hakuchumu" (from the "Muzai Moratorium" album) arranged by Takayuki Hattori（服部隆之） that I've enjoyed listening to. The version below is more of a Burt Bacharach-esque cover.
I kept seeing one small clip of this video that made me wanna get this song: Hiroto Komoto（甲本ヒロト） of The Blue Hearts looking like a snazzily dressed middle-aged Gilligan from "Gilligan's Island" accompanied by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and doing a heartwarmingly goofy "Hey, Ma, it's me!" greeting from a window frame.
Listening to the song (especially the great intro and Komoto's mellow rasp) is fantastic as well, but the video also provides plenty of entertainment. Just seeing Komoto looking as if he were Popeye chewing on a Jawbreaker while his legs go spastic is worth the price of admission. And there's nothing better than seeing talented well-dressed professional musicians plainly enjoying themselves.
"Hoshi Furu Yoru ni"(On The Night of Falling Stars) was released in May 2006 as the band's 30th single since the first one was released in 1990. It got as high as No. 13 on the Oricon singles chart, and was also a track on TSPO's 12th original album, "Wild Peace" (June 2006) which peaked at No. 2. It is also on "Best of Tokyo Ska 1998-2007" which also got as far as No. 2, and is the album that I got to hear this gem. The song itself was written by the band's baritone saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka（谷中敦） and composed by the man on trumpet, NARGO.
The only thing I can say is to Komoto to lay off the multiple carafes of coffee before filming.
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Best of Tokyo Ska 1998-2007
Looking back to the very first album of the Yellow Magic Orchestra from 1978, I realized that the band was trying a number of different musical styles. Along with the two computer game songs that bracket the album, there was "Firecracker" and "Tong Poo" which was going for that Asian motif while "Cosmic Surfin'"was a techno tribute to The Ventures.
Then there was the third song, "Simoon". I read a number of the comments for this song on YouTube, and they remark that it sounded like something played at a 40s/50s tropical nightclub with lots of cocktails. I heartily agree. It was YMO filtering a score from an old Hollywood movie set in Africa. And yet, the actual origins behind "Simoon" came from much farther away. Let's say "Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away".
According to the liner notes for the song in the album, "YMO GO HOME"(1999), composer Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）and lyricist Chris Mosdell were inspired by the Tatooine desert featured in the original "Star Wars" where poor ol' C-3PO and R2-D2 had to trudge through before getting snatched up by the Jawas. "Simoon", according to those same notes, apparently means "heat wave". Yep, I wouldn't mind having one of those tropical cocktails with the umbrellas right now.
In 2001, there was an NHK satellite broadcast called "The Yellow Magic Show" which included a more organic performance of "Simoon" by The Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra with YMO drummer Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）. This rendition brings the tropical flavour even more to the fore. The mysterious lyrics, originally crooned through the vocoder by Shunichi "Tyrone" Hashimoto（橋本俊一） (according to k2ymo3 the uploader of the top video), are now revealed on this video. But in the case that the video is taken down, here they are right under the paragraph:
Hot starlight Where a blue moon dreams On the sheik and she Steal a night kiss Baby's a belly dance Mirage romancer in Casablanca Frankincence in the Tressles of her hair They ride the night On his white mare Her perfume drifts On the Arabian air From the heart of the harem He carries her off Down to palm-breeze oasis Behind a sand dune croons She with her Eastern promise And secrets in the sand Oh, she's only a desert song
(from the liner notes of "YMO GO HOME")
Ah, if only Luke, Obi-Wan and Han had stayed at the Mos Eisley cantina a little bit longer, the band may have played this classic.
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