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.
Commenter YMOfan04 and I were conversing a bit on the melding of different genres for positive effect, and our observation was that Japanese composers and arrangers seemed to be especially enthusiastic. Anyone who has been a longtime reader of KKP has probably learned that I sometimes have trouble categorizing some songs here because the blend has been just that smooth.
Latin jazz, which wasn't invented by the Japanese by the way, has been one nice and tasty cocktail for decades upon decades. I found another fine example as recorded by jazz singer Yasuko Agawa（阿川泰子）on her 1981 5th album"Sunglow". The songwriters for "She ~ Senior Dreams" were Claudio Amaral and Jay Anthony Wagner and the result was this lovely classy tune which comes straight from Brazil but they couldn't decide on whether to have it come out as a slow bossa nova ballad or as something on the level of a fairly fast samba. So, they just opted to have it arranged into both modes. I kinda had to hold onto my desk when I heard the transition for the first time.
Since J-Canuck did a list of New York themed songs, its only fair I do one for Los Angeles. Being an LA native I have a pretty good ear for what captures the essence of LA (the good and the bad lol).
L.A. Night by Yasuko Agawa (佐藤康子)
This is what we like to call a "certified hood classic". Recorded in 1984 for jazz singer Yasuko Agawa's album Gravy, this was written and produced by Augie Johnson, who also wrote Light of the World's 'London Town'. If it wasn't for a few key differences, their practically the same song. but L.A. Night is definitely better out of the two, with stronger bass & drums and a catchier hook. LA Night captures the laidback G-funk energy perfectly all while taking a snapshot of an LA that no longer exists, she even gives a shout out to the Raiders!
Streets Are Hot by Miho Fujiwara (藤原美穂)
The very appropriate theme from the obscure OVA movie California Crisis. Super funky, upbeat with some soulful singing from Fujiwara, this a great song for riding your bike down Manhattan Beach.
Hollywood Illusion by Himiko Kikuchi (菊池 ひみこ)
As someone who used to work in Hollywood as an intern for a few big studios, I cant definitely say that Hollywood is in fact an illusion. But this song captures the idea of Hollywood perfectly. Kikuchi manages to capture the glamourous veil of tinsel town perfectly, to the point where this would be the perfect intro to an 80s sitcom filmed in front of a live studio audience. If Hollywood had a theme song... well to be fair I think it already has a few. But I think this song should be it.
Painted Woman by Eric Tagg & Masaki Matsubara (松原正樹)
This one was another tough choice, but I think Painted Woman the euphoniums album is another great choice for a Hollywood anthem. on top of that it's also a peak specimen of West Coast AOR sound.
The final song in my list deserves its own article. In the meantime, enjoy my Los Angeles themed City-Pop mix.
I have probably mentioned this somewhere in the blog over the past dozen years or so, but I think jazz and Christmas have made a natural fit. I've got Xmas albums with Frank Sinatra, the Manhattan Transfer and Diana Krall, and they've all got their razzle-dazzle thrills.
A few months ago in September, I was lucky enough to hear Scott's podcast "Holly Jolly X'masu" when he focused on jazz chanteuse Yasuko Agawa（阿川泰子）and her 1990 seasonal album "Come In Christmas". Whenever a mighty swing jazz band gets started on those Xmas songs, call me a happy camper, and such was indeed the case when I heard Agawa put out those dulcet tones with the backing of that orchestra. After listening to the podcast, I searched YouTube for any of those songs, and sure enough, I was able to track down with some ease a couple of my favourites from the album.
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" has always been a favourite when given the jazz treatment and again Agawa doesn't disappoint. I've not been the biggest fan of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" since it's often given the kid-glove treatment but over here, the singer and brass give it that stylish and sophisticated touch that makes one put on the tuxedo and head over to the top of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for the special Christmas concert.
I threw "Moon over Casablanca in Art Deco style" into the Bing AI art generator last night and I got a pretty good image, but then I saw those huge skyscrapers in the background and went "What?". Don't ever recall seeing concrete towers over Rick and Ilsa in the legendary "Casablanca". But then again, my mind was returning to 1942 instead of staying anchored firmly in 2024. The Moroccan city now has skyscrapers including the Casablanca Twin Center. No idea whether there is a Rick's Café Américain in there.
Now as for why I'm mooning over Casablanca at the start of this work week is that yesterday, NHK had its usual episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた）, and a couple of singers performed a cover of Ichiro Toba's（鳥羽一郎）"Casablanca Goodbye" (カサブランカ・グッバイ). Realizing that I've gone over a couple of other kayo kyoku with the famous city in their title, I decided that perhaps I can highlight those Casablanca songs. By no means is the word Casablanca as ubiquitous in Japanese song titles as the words "ai"（愛...love） or "haru"（春...spring）, but considering the city's pedigree in pop culture everywhere, I just thought it was good enough for an Author's Pick.
Since the list isn't too extensive, I thought I would finish things off with a rendition of the immortal "As Time Goes By" from "Casablanca" by jazz singer Yasuko Agawa（阿川泰子）from her 1978 album"Flyin' Over". Also, just to let you know, the movie will be celebrating its 82nd birthday at the end of next month.
As it says up there, Happy Canada Day! How's it going, eh? Everything is closed today which means I get to have lots of time to figure out how to commemorate the occasion on our humble little blog. But first off, a little aside here regarding another old interest of mine.
The most recent episode of the latest "Star Trek" entry, "Strange New Worlds" showed off its third episode this season, and it involves time travel which is not a new thing at all for the franchise. But this time, a couple of characters end up in 21st-century Toronto, and this time around, Toronto isn't sitting in for another metropolis. La'an Noonien-Singh actually pegs it as my hometown right in the middle of Yonge-Dundas Square (mind you, it helps that the show is actually filmed in the Toronto area)! And who da thunk it?! James T. Kirk actually loves hot dogs and poutine. Get this guy a Timmies Double-Double!
Anyways, the soft tradition that I've had around July 1st is putting up a Canada-affiliated kayo kyoku or J-Pop song. Nope, it's not easy to do but I've tried my best over the years. And I finally decided to make this Canada Day's edition on KKP an Author's Pick compilation bringing together those relevant songs that I've mentioned. So, without further ado, here we go! And by the way, I also have the "America" tunes up and running as well.
One of the things that Larry and I were talking about earlier today over lunch was whether there were any Japanese bookstores here in Toronto. Unfortunately, I had to reply in the negative to him. But of course over in Tokyo, there are plenty of opportunities including the above Yaesu Book Center across from Tokyo Station. Because I did enjoy my browsing, this was one of my favourite places to hit and in the summer, it was an absolute relief thanks to air conditioning. The design was rather intriguing through; the ground floor had a very high ceiling so that ride up the escalator rather felt like going up on a ski lift to the top of the mountain.
No smooth segue from that first paragraph to this one, except just to introduce jazz singer Yasuko Agawa's（阿川泰子）"You and I" from her 1982 album"Fine!". I'm still digesting my copious amounts of food and drink today so it's pleasant listening to the bossa nova imbued into this track created by songwriters Claudio Amaral and Jay Antony Wagner. The arrangement is such that "You and I" sounds timeless as if it could have been produced today rather than 40 years ago.
I've been hearing that getting through our local Pearson Airport has been absolute hell due to the increasing number of travelers desperate to get that vacation and the lack of security staff. Also, I'm not sure about anywhere else, but the lineups have been incredibly long to apply for passports, so I will not be planning any journeys myself for the next little while. However at least I can vicariously enjoy some exotic climes through music like this tune.
Last week, I read Marcos V's"Special Selection: Love Letter to Brazil Part II" and enjoyed it very much since I've had a predilection for bossa nova and samba in my music since I was a kid and that includes the liberal infusion of the genres into kayo kyoku. The Japanese have also had a love affair with Brazilian music for decades according to what I've been remembering.
Jazz and City Pop singerYasuko Agawa（阿川泰子）provided her own cover of "Skindo-Le-Le", originally by the band Viva Brasil, in her 1981 album"Sunglow". It's a steady-on rendition with the good dollops of samba and fusion, and it feels like something to be played one evening in a nightclub in Shinjuku or Roppongi.
It took some digging since Viva Brasil doesn't have a Wikipedia entry but I was able to track down the site "Bay Area Bands" and finally get some information on the band. I'd initially assumed that Viva Brasil was from Brazil but actually it was born in San Francisco thanks to musician Claudio Amaral who had come up from his country to the Bay Area in 1972.
At the time, Amaral was more into the rock and pop scene and not so much into the music of Brazil since he hadn't seen it as anything special in his native land, but during that decade, he got to know the music environment and some of the local musicians. Even more importantly, he began to realize and appreciate the music from his own country. The various associations and gigs eventually led to the formation of Viva Brasil and a self-titled 1980 debut album which included "Skindo-Le-Le", their most famous number created by Amaral and Jay Wagner. Since then, Viva Brasil has been pioneering the Brazilian music scene and folding some of that into the jazz world within the San Francisco area.
From what I've seen on YouTube, "Skindo-Le-Le" has become a standard of the genre and has been covered by a number of other musical acts including Agawa, and here she is in concert performing the song. I have to admit that "Skindo-Le-Le" has gotten into my head and heart, and I almost can get up and dance but I will save your minds from that horrifying image. However, the whole thing about this classic is that I do remember one time in Japan when a group of us were at a karaoke box in Tokyo, and one of our number was a young Japanese-Brazilian woman. When one samba song got put up onto the speakers, she immediately stood up and went into a frenzied dance as if the spirit of Carnaval took hold of her. Very charming performance!
Almost a year ago, I first featured jazz singer Yasuko Agawa（阿川泰子）through her "Canadian Star" and she was a chanteuse that I'd wanted to get up onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for some time so I was glad to finally do so. Of course, it would take a year to get a second article about her onto the blog.😬
Well, in any case, here we are...and here she is. Once again, it's not about the jazz this time but more of her dalliance with R&B of the early 1980s and City Pop and all that. This is "The Music (Is The Way I Live)", a track from her 1984 album"Gravy". Rather interesting title for an album of hers.
Compared with the dreamy Steely Dan-penned but Eagles-sounding "Canadian Star", "The Music" takes things into a far funkier direction with images of Los Angeles rather than Tokyo in the arrangement, although with that electric guitar banging away there, maybe there is even a touch of rock. It took a bit of doing trying to figure out who created "The Music" in the first place but after checking out the images of the original LP on Yahoo Japan, it was the duo of Gerald Lee and Marti Sharron who was behind the mighty R&B strut delivered by Agawa.
I also tried to see whether "The Music" was a cover for an original rendition in the United States but I couldn't find anyone there who had recorded it, so I can assume that Agawa is indeed the original singer. She does a pretty bang-up job with the song and it makes me wonder how long she continued with R&B until she made the switch to jazz. In any case, I can imagine folks of the decade listening to this on their Sony Walkmans.
Welcome to July 1st and Canada Day! Our nation is celebrating its 153rd birthday today and though there will be no fireworks displays or parades this year, hopefully everyone in Canada is having a safe and happy day today.
As has been the case each year in tribute to the Maple Leaf, I've been trying to find a kayo or J-Pop song that would actually at least have Canada in the title. This has been a tradition of sorts since I first put up that old karaoke-friendly chestnut "Canada kara no Tegami"（カナダからの手紙）all the way back in KKP's inaugural year of 2012.
Furthermore, I've heard of jazz singerYasuko Agawa（阿川泰子）for years and was aware that she had even contributed songs in the City Pop/AOR genre early in her career, but it was always one thing or another that I never got around to putting any of her tunes onto the blog. Well, I'm killing two (snow)birds with one stone (from the Canadian Shield) on this Canada Day and putting up the first Agawa article with "Canadian Star".
"Canadian Star" is a track on her 1983 album"Night Line" and it's a nice way for me to start the Agawa file because I find it a soothing City Pop/AOR lullaby of sorts. The lady in the lyrics (provided by Ralph McCarthy) seems to be in some hotel in the Great White North writing a letter (not quite sure if there were some inspiration from "Canada kara no Tegami"...ha, ha) to that mystery man of love who swept her off her feet and then swept on out. I wouldn't be surprised if she were penning the letter in the middle of the night as her light is the only one on in the entire hotel.
I found out that Agawa's "Canadian Star" was a cover of an original instrumental track recorded by fusion group Dr. Strut for their 1979 self-titled album. Apparently, the band was once called The Legendary Groovadelics but when they joined up with Motown Records, Berry Gordy insisted that they change the name; perhaps not a bad idea.
Anyways, the big surprise actually happened earlier in my check on this song. Last night, when I wanted to find out who had been responsible for words and music, I did my usual due diligence at the JASRAC database and saw a name: BECKER WALTER CARL. Hm...OK, looks like an application for car insurance, I thought, but the name did ring with some familiarity. Then I looked further and saw the name: FAGEN DONALD JAY.
Wait a metric minute here! Steely Dan composed this tune?! The answer is an absolute yes. The band that provided plenty of inspiration and chords to City Pop artists in the late 70s and early 80s was indeed behind the composition of "Canadian Star" for Dr. Strut. And the interesting thing is that it doesn't really sound like the prototypical Steely Dan song to me, although even more devoted fans can probably indicate a tune of theirs that might illustrate a similar arrangement. In fact, when I heard Agawa's cover for the first time, I thought that there was something more Eagles' "Desperado" to it.
As for Agawa, her real name is Yasuko Sato（佐藤康子）and she hails from Kamakura City in Kanagawa Prefecture. According to a June 1981 issue of the journal "Shukan Asahi"（週刊朝日）via J-Wiki, she's also been given nicknames such as Sugar Voice, The Idol for the Necktie Crowd and The Idol for the Old Guys (not quite sure if that last one is particularly complimentary). She made her start in show business in the early 1970s and was also an actress at one point, appearing in movies and TV shows such as "Ultraman Leo"（ウルトラマンレオ）as an alien and the famous cop show "Taiyo ni Hoero!"（太陽にほえろ！）. The singing part of her career began in 1973 when she was introduced to jazz clarinetist Shoji Suzuki（鈴木章治）and then became part of his band Shoji Suzuki & The Rhythm Aces（鈴木章治とリズム・エース）. However, as I said up above, she did have her dabble in City Pop, and I would like to have a listen to her "L.A. Night".
To finally put a bow tie on this article, it's interesting to note that there is a famous train tour in the northern part of my province Ontario, and the region is actually called Agawa Canyon.
