Daiei Jidou Gasshodan -- Gamera March (ガメラマーチ)

A few years back, I was writing about Akira Ifukube's（伊福部昭）iconic theme for "Godzilla" (ゴジラ) and mentioned about all those viewings of Japanese monster movies that I'd caught on the Buffalo affiliate WGR-TV (now known as WGRZ) as a kid. Got to know Godzilla and his buddies, Rodan, Mothra and Ghidrah The Three-Headed Monster through those Monster Week showings in the afternoon.

Well, it wasn't just the TV station across Lake Ontario in the US where I got to know my kaiju. Also in the 1970s, I sometimes watched those movies on Saturday night on the local Toronto affiliate City-TV when they featured horror movies during the summer. I actually had to look pretty long and deep on the Net before I finally re-acquainted myself with the name Gene Taylor, an American comedian who hosted that show (and a few others in Canada); he's the sinister-looking fellow above playing the piano. "Monsters We Know And Love" didn't take itself too seriously as you can see.

I only found out today that Taylor had passed away many years ago in 2001 so this article is partially in tribute to him since thanks to his show, I was able to discover that other wonderful giant reptile from Japan, Gamera (ガメラ), produced by Daiei Studios. The first such movie I remember seeing was "Gamera vs. Barugon" which had originally been released in 1966 as the franchise's 2nd movie. There were the scenes that are still planted in my long-term memory such as Gamera flying about and the birth of Barugon from that opal.

Of course, I saw a few more Gamera movies but then one night when I was watching "Monsters We Know and Love" yet again for another feature performance by Japan's favourite terrapin, there was this instrumental introduction for the big lug. I certainly knew Godzilla's theme song as this urgent song of dread but this "Gamera March" sounded like something to be played during the semi-annual high school baseball championships at Koshien Stadium. It was that jaunty and heroic.

The "Gamera March" first made its presence known apparently for the 4th entry in the series, "Gamera vs. Viras" which was released in March 1968. Its cheerful happy-happy-joy-joy way about it was certainly assisted by the fact that it was sung by the Daiei Jidou Gasshodan（大映児童合唱団...The Daiei Children's Chorus）. Kenjiro Hirose（廣瀬健次郎）, who created the soundtrack for the movie, also composed the march while Hidemasa Nagata（永田秀雄）wrote the words.

It strikes me as ironic that Gamera got such a happy theme song. The turtle always impressed me as this rather stoic defender of justice (destroyed Tokyo tenements and their residents aside). Meanwhile Godzilla got the serious theme while the giant lizard became more and more of a ham on the level of William Shatner.

Apparently there was a trailer that had come out a few years ago boasting about a new Gamera movie in 2016. With all of the Godzilla hype the last little while, yep, I think it would be time for Gamera to come back to the big screen but so far there hasn't been any follow-up in the form of a bona fide motion picture. If it does come back, I simply have one request: bring back the march!

Midori Karashima -- Emerald Dream

Always nice to find a hidden gem here and there and now and then. In this case, this is an emerald; an emerald dream, to be exact.

"Emerald Dream" was singer-songwriter Midori Karashima's（辛島美登里）4th single under the Fun House label (her 7th overall) released in May 1990. Karashima-sensei came up with a really nice, light and bubbly tune of happiness, although that intro has some late-80s City Pop undertones. But then the music quickly changes into territory that has been covered by her contemporaries such as Akiko Kobayashi（小林明子）and Reimy（麗美）. It sounds downright Smooth Jazz-y right down to the flugelhorn...only needs some Perrier to complete the image.

The song got as high as No. 79 on Oricon and has been placed on at least a few of her BEST compilations such as "Zinc White" which was released in October 1991. Overall, it's very nice to listen to when the winter is blowing away out there.

Toshi Ito and Happy & Blue -- Ite-za no Onna （射手座の女）

Another Friday night in the big city and I got to have my annual Winterlicious meal in Toronto. The restaurant du nuit was 5 Doors North, a fairly casual Italian place in midtown. Pretty hearty fare especially with some juicy broiled pork tenderloin; that was just the thing when the wind chill factor was about minus 300 degrees. Well...perhaps I'm exaggerating that temperature a tad but it was indeed quite frosty out there tonight.

Since it was a Friday night there over 12 hours ago, I'm sure folks in Tokyo were out enjoying themselves as well at the karaoke boxes, bars or wherever. Having my usual Showa Kayo on the brain, I often think of ol' Mood Kayo out in the ritzy areas of town, and I managed to find one by Mood Kayo group Toshi Ito and Happy & Blue（敏いとうとハッピー&ブルー）.

This one was their 25th release from August 1985, "Ite-za no Onna" (Woman of Sagittarius). It stood out to me since along with the usual tropes of Mood Kayo including the Latin-infused melody and the resonant backup singers, there was some added modern keyboard work back there and even a shotgun blast or two. Written and composed by Masanuki Kato（加藤将貫...I hope I got that given name OK）, it's all about the romantic and flirtatious give-and-take between a woman born under that titular sign of the zodiac and a head-over-heels guy. I'm assuming the courtship is taking place in either Ginza or Akasaka. Also would like to give my compliments to Kato for the cha-cha-like beat in the intro.

Here are the Happy & Blue with Catherine performing "Ite-za no Onna". As they say in Japanese, "the neon is calling".

Kazuo Funaki -- Odorou Boku to （踊ろうぼくと）

For those in the know about 1960s kayo singers, when one mentions Kazuo Funaki's（舟木一夫）name, "Koukou Sannen-sei"（高校三年生）will be the song that usually pops up. My image of him will always be that of the earnest high school senior looking all serious and handsome in his black uniform as he exhorts that song as if it were an official anthem.

"Koukou Sannen-sei" was released back in June 1963. Well, a few years later, Funaki sang this other song titled "Odorou Boku to" (Dance With Me) which came out in 1966, and that image of the all-Japanese high school kid was gone for this ditty. The kid grew up some more and in his place, was a more confident young man beckoning a nervous young lady to trip the light fantastic on the dance floor.

Well, that's the image I got from listening to "Odorou Boku to". Written by Ikue Obayashi（大林郁恵）and Tetsuya Yoshino（吉野哲哉）and composed by Toru Funamura（船村徹）, the song stands out for me since it has enka and tango elements in there, and then there is Funaki's own delivery, which I would describe as somewhat velvety and soothing. However, I can also compare it to "Trust In Me", the song performed by Kaa the python in Walt Disney's "The Jungle Book" from 1967, although I couldn't ever really see Funaki as a predatory presence in the dance hall.

Japan Times Article: Justin Miller

Actually I would say that this is more of a notice than an article. However, earlier this morning, I came across this Japan Times piece published today titled "Justin Miller brings an American touch to one of Japan’s richest musical genres: Showa pop", and it features this fellow from New York City who started his life in Japan about a decade ago along with his blossoming love for the older music.

In fact, he's been holding monthly Kayo Nights at a place called Rhythm Cafe in Shibuya which has attracted fans within and beyond Japan. And Miller is going to be having a large version of his party at a different venue on February 9th this year. If any of you readers are actually in Tokyo right now or will be there over the next week, it might be interesting to catch. There is a website for the party and there you can also watch a YouTube video which was posted at the end of 2014 (actually now a 2018 video) featuring Miller and the Rhythm Cafe. But I will post it here as well.

Wonderful to see another fellow spreading the word around about kayo kyoku. 💗

Ms.OOJA -- Baby Don't Know Why

Tenderloin frying up on a rock

In a couple of days, I will be meeting up with a couple of my dining friends to take part in the foodie festival of Winterlicious in Toronto that usually starts up around the end of January and goes on for a couple of weeks. Its seasonal counterpart is Summerlicious which is held this year smack dab in the middle of July. JTM has told me that New York City has had a similar festival called Restaurant Week.

The last time I met up with my friends about a month ago was to try out the newest branch of the Guu izakaya franchise. It turned out to be located in an area of Toronto that has its share of trendy and tainted patches, and this particular restaurant was in the middle of a pretty desolate street. But considering it was so frostbite-cold that Sunday night, I wasn't surprised that there was no one on Queen Street outside of us Japanese food lovers. Anyways, one of my friends was showing me his latest listening list on his cellphone and one of the names that he recommended was a rather odd one: Ms.OOJA.

I had never heard of this singer before but according to J-Wiki, she was born in 1982 in Mie Prefecture and began singing at the age of 17. Her genres are listed as club, hip-hop and R&B. After spending a few years as an indies artist, she made her major debut with her first album "VOICE" in June 2011.

Giving a few of her songs a try on YouTube, the one tune that got my ears was a particular track on "VOICE" called "Baby Don't Know Why" which is a bouncy number that kinda straddles the line between R&B and straight pop. Written by Ms.OOJA and composed by her and TAZZ, I was also struck by how much she sounded like Hikaru Utada（宇多田ヒカル）in the first minute before her voice went a bit lower. I will have to explore some more of her discography.

So far, J-Wiki doesn't have a clue about what her real name is. However, it does list her favourite foods which seem to be rebasashi (liver sashimi) and beer. Therefore, Ms.OOJA would probably be quite appreciative of how izakaya have become a mainstay in the Toronto culinary scene. But to be honest, I can't stand liver and I don't drink copious amounts.

Mari Henmi -- Keiken （経験）

http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/kusukutu/diary/200908250003/

Yamete~!（やめて...Stop!）....breath flies away like a vapour trail

Yup, I do remember that one sung word although I hadn't known who was responsible for singing that, let alone know the title, until last night's "Uta Kon" (うたコン).

It turns out that sexy purr belongs to singer/tarento/actress Mari Henmi（辺見マリ）and she appeared last night on the NHK show to perform one of her biggest hits, "Keiken" (Experience). Her now-former husband, Teruhiko Saigo（西郷輝彦）, and her daughter, Emiri Henmi（辺見えみり）are already represented elsewhere on the blog so I figure it was time to feature the mother.

"Keiken" was Henmi's 2nd single which was released in May 1970 when she was only 19 years old. It turned out to be one of her biggest hits due to the supposedly racy lyrics provided by Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）, especially when she breathed out that lyric shown at the top of the article, and her hand gestures. The protagonist just can't seem to bear her partner's constant affection but neither can she push him away either. The melody by Kunihiko Murai（村井邦彦）also has that steam with the horns, saxophone and guitar.

The song peaked at No. 2 on Oricon and became the 13th-ranked single for the year. It also won Henmi a Newcomer's Prize at the Japan Record Awards. She also got her lone invitation to the Kohaku Utagassen but due to the racy lyrics and the hand gestures by the singer, she wasn't able to actually sing "Keiken" on the national broadcaster. Instead she sang her 3rd single, "Shiseikatsu"（私生活...Private Life）.

I guess things must have been much more puritan way back when since I didn't feel the least bit scandalized from listening to the song. Still can't see how those hand gestures would have been too sexy for the tube even back in the 1970s.