Yoshie Nakano, Yu Sakai & Shuri -- Happy Boogie（ハッピー☆ブギ）

 

A few days ago, another NHK morning serial was launched and has been the case in the past, "Boogie Woogie"（ブギウギ）is based on a fictionalized account of a real-life celebrity (with the names changed to prevent any complaints). During the pandemic, there was the drama "Yell"（エール）which was based on the kayo kyoku songwriter Yuuji Koseki（古関裕而）.

"Boogie Woogie" shows the life and times of the brassy singer Shizuko Kasagi（笠置シヅ子）whose trademark song was "Tokyo Boogie Woogie"（東京ブギウギ）, and as you can see above, the production staff didn't waste any time making that point clear right from Episode 1. That is indeed Shizuko Kasagi Suzuko Fukurai（福来スズ子）performing the famous upbeat kayo kyoku from 1947. Pretty darn happy way to start one's day.

(not the opening credits but a good video nonetheless)

I also saw the opening credits to "Boogie Woogie" and I was impressed with the different animation styles being used. Even the design of the title looking like four people cutting up the rug is fantastic. And the wonderful thing is that the music for the series is created by Takayuki Hattori（服部隆之）, the grandson of the composer of "Tokyo Boogie Woogie", Ryoichi Hattori（服部良一）.

Grandson Hattori was also responsible for the theme song "Happy Boogie" and it fulfills both words very well in the sound. I was automatically attracted of course by the jazz but also by the three singers behind it: Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵）of bohemian jazz and indies group Ego-Wrappin', Yu Sakai（さかいゆう） who's often collaborated with Tomita Lab（冨田ラボ）, and actress/singer Shuri（趣里）. Could get people dancing from the breakfast table.

The Hattoris aren't the only intergenerational celebrity association in "Boogie Woogie". Main actress Shuri happens to be the daughter of Candies' Ran Ito（伊藤蘭）and actor/singer Yutaka Mizutani（水谷豊）whose character has continued to solve crimes in the long-running "Aibou"（相棒）.

Sandra Hohn/Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five featuring Yoshie Nakano -- Love Squall（ラヴ・スコール）

 

Hope your weekend is getting off to a great start. Unfortunately, my province has had to be locked down for the next 28 days once more due to skyrocketing cases. Over 3000 and change in each of the past couple of days so I'm hoping that there is some light coming over the horizon eventually. 

On a happier note, it also looks like the blog's "Lupin III"（ルパン三世）file is growing as well. I found one of the ending themes for the second series of the legendary anime which had its run between October 1977 and October 1980. This is "Love Squall" that premiered from the 52nd episode so I'm surmising that this may have been in late 1978. This was sung by Sandra Hohn, which was another alias for Sandii of Sandii & The Sunsetz fame.

Sounding like a jazzy and snazzy accompaniment to a lazy cruise down the Riviera, the whimsical "Love Squall" is just the song that the title character would appreciate playing with a successful wooing of the buxom Fujiko. The horns including the saxophone and the silky strings all enhance the atmosphere of one classy caper somewhere in the south of France. Yuji Ohno（大野雄二）, the master behind the music of "Lupin III" was once again behind the music here with Sanaho Maki（槇小奈帆）providing the lyrics. "Love Squall" also made its presence known on the 1984 "Lupin the 3rd ~ Perfect Collection" album.

In 2011, there was another entry in the "Lupin III" franchise with "Lupin III ~ Chi no Kokuin - Eien no Māmeido"（ルパン三世 血の刻印 〜永遠のMermaid〜...Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid）, a TV special that was originally broadcast in December 2011, and with it came a cover of "Love Squall". This time, it was performed by Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵）, vocalist for the jazz/avant-pop group Ego-Wrappin', with Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five, and although there is a good dollop of jazz in this version, too, the arrangement this time has more of a funky disco sheen, and there's even a repeated riff that has been lifted from Julio Iglesias' Spanish take on Cole Porter's "Begin The Beguine" from 1981.

Nakano and Ohno have collaborated before via "Lupin III". In fact, it was the actual iconic theme.

Fantastic Plastic Machine -- Beautiful Days

After a weird and not particularly pleasant week, I'm happy to relax a bit and blow off some steam. This is somewhat ironic since today it seems as if a telecommunications glitch managed to leave a wide swath of houses without TV or Internet across Southern Ontario (at least) for a few hours (my problem over the past week) and yet, my network has been holding the fort (knocking furiously on wood). I'm not an especially optimistic person by nature so I have been glaring at the new modem and receiver whenever I get a chance to ensure that they comply with my wishes.

Hopefully, many beautiful days are on their way, despite the threatening weather outside. Strangely enough, here is "Beautiful Days" by that club-mastering clone of mine, Tomoyuki Tanaka（田中知之）, aka Fantastic Plastic Machine.

One of the tracks on his January 2001 album "beautiful.", "Beautiful Days" was written by FPM and composed by him and Dan Miyakawa. Considering that these are now the late stages of 2019, it's very nostalgic hearing even these sunny and comforting groovy beats while Haven L. Clayborne and Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵）from Ego-Wrappin' croon about the wistful dreams and hopes of the past versus the present. Nice music video as well about a couple of kids enjoying their suburban weekend. Meanwhile, FPM is looking over them like a distant babysitter.

If you're seeking to listen to something happy and calming but with some kick, here you go.

Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five featuring Yoshie Nakano -- Lupin The 3rd （ルパン三世）

Well, ring-a-ding-ding to you folks!

I'm pretty convinced that the famed theme song for the anime "Lupin The 3rd" is one of those rare creations that cannot be ruined no matter what the arrangement (although I may grow a bit antsy at a heavy metal version).

And happily that record has held thanks to the man who created the song, Yuji Ohno（大野雄二）, and his jazz group of the Lupintic Five with an updated version of "Lupin The 3rd". This take was a track on the May 2011 album "Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five: Let's Dance", and it has a swinging 1960s jazz arrangement that would get the attention of Austin Powers and Don Draper. Brylcreem and martinis for all!

But what makes the song really sing here is the sexy and sultry vocals of Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵）from Ego-Wrappin'. She isn't merely singing to the audience but seducing it like a Japanese Brigitte Bardot for most of the song while unleashing her full volume at certain parts.

The above has Ohno and the Lupintic Six performing that same song, although without Nakano. It's a more standard but no less cool version.

Just in the last couple of months, Toronto has had a couple of visitations by Japanese pop artists: Babymetal and the lead singer of Kome Kome Club（米米クラブ）, Tatsuya Ishii (although I'm not sure whether the latter came to sing specifically) just down the street from my place at the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre. It's a pity that I missed them but if I ever hear of a one-night performance by Nakano somewhere in my burg, I am grabbing that ticket!

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra & Yoshie Nakano -- Tasogare wo Asobu Neko （黄昏を遊ぶ猫）

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.