Eri Sugai -- Saigo no Vacation（最後のVacation）

 

I was going down Memory Lane via the "Light Mellow: Moment" album. It had been a while since I listened to any of the "Light Mellow" series and it was nice hearing the tracks again. I've written about some of the entries for "Moment" such as Naoki Watanabe's（渡辺直樹）"Veranda no Carib"（ベランダのカリブ）which became the final track.

However, when I found "Veranda no Carib" on YouTube a few years ago, there were many other tracks from "Moment" that weren't up on the video platform. I tried again after listening to the CD and I was delighted to see that there have been some additions. That includes the late Eri Sugai's（菅井えり）"Saigo no Vacation" (Last Vacation) originally from her 2nd album "Ring My Bell" (July 1987). It is certainly a pleasant pop tune but my mind kinda bounced around the topic on whether it would also apply as a City Pop song. The "Light Mellow" series would definitely include anything pop that was still light and mellow, and in the end, I felt that "Saigo no Vacation" can belong in Resort Pop which is a subset of City Pop.

Regardless, "Saigo no Vacation" is a grooving and summery tune that has hints of Kazuhito Murata（村田和人）although words and music were actually provided by Fumiko Hiratsuka and Takashi Shoji（平塚文子 & 小路隆）under Hiroshi Shinkawa's（新川博）arrangement. It's got those keyboards that I love from that time by Tom Keane and the guitar solo comes from Michael Landau. In fact, according to Discogs, the entirety of "Ring My Bell" was recorded at Sunset Sound, Sunset Sound Factory in Los Angeles with a non-Japanese staff of musicians including the always welcome Jerry Hey on the trumpet.

Leon Niihama -- Tsukamaete, Kon'ya（捕まえて、今夜。）

 

I sometimes think that ever since Da Pump got that hit with "U.S.A." half a decade ago, a lot of singers and bands including Da Pump have been attempting to grab choreographical glory with some dance that will become the pop cultural craze of the year. Da Pump tried to do that last night with their latest song on "Uta Con"（うたコン）and a few weeks ago, enka singer Leon Niihama（新浜レオン）had given it a go on the NHK show with some dance moves accompanying a single that he released last month in May. Basically, they look like a newfangled version of Mr. Miyagi's "Wax on, wax off" technique from the "Karate Kid", and Niihama was teaching the hosts and audience on how to pull it off during the performance.

The crazy thing is that "Tsukamaete, Kon'ya" (Catch Me, Tonight) was used as the opening theme for a short anime spinoff from the "Meitantei Conan"（名探偵コナン...Case Closed） series last fall. "Hannin no Hanzawa-san"（犯人の犯沢さん...The Culprit Hanzawa） had its run between October and December 2022, and this time, instead of the pint-sized genius detective having the spotlight, the focus this time was on the mystery villain who had always been shown as an androgynous figure all in black until their identity was finally revealed due to Conan's sleuthing prowess. Heck, the opening credits even had Ran Mohri and Ai Haibara waxing on and off.

"Tsukamaete, Kon'ya" also takes a tangent from the usual "Conan" themes of pop and rock and goes for a dynamic Latin Mood Kayo vibe with some dance beats added. EARSY provided the lyrics with Toshiya Kamada（鎌田俊哉）and Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）as co-composers. Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）arranged everything. 

Shigeharu Mukai & Astrud Gilberto -- Nos Dois

 

Rather sad news that I found out about from the Mixi news feed, but Brazilian singer-songwriter Astrud Gilberto, a lady for whom the Japanese reporter described as The Queen of Bossa Nova, passed away yesterday at the age of 83. Gilberto has a file here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" and deservedly so since I'm also a fan of bossa nova. 

Of course, one of the earliest songs that I got to listen to as a child was "The Girl from Ipanema". However, the first song that I provided regarding her came from her collaboration with Japanese jazz trombonist Shigeharu Mukai（向井滋春）, "Champagne And Caviar", from their 1983 album "SO & SO ~ Mukai Meets Gilberto".

In tribute, I'm providing another track from "SO & SO", "Nos Dois" (Both of Us) which was written by Gilberto and composed by Mukai. As with "Champagne and Caviar", "Nos Dois" is another honey-coated splendid combination of the lyricist's golden cooing voice and the composer's comfortable trombone. My compliments to the pianist as well. Of course, my condolences as well to Gilberto's family, friends and fans.

Young 101 -- Kaiju no Ballad（怪獣のバラード）

 

Earlier today, I wrote on Fuyumi Sakamoto's（坂本冬美）newest single, "Saikai Sakaba"（再会酒場）, and did a little mention of the expanded version of "Uta Con"（うたコン）tonight while wondering what the reason behind the special 70-minute show. Well, it turned out that a chunk of the broadcast was dedicated to commemorating the originating network NHK's 70th anniversary this year, and not surprisingly, the Kohaku Utagassen's first televised broadcast back at the end of 1953.

I've seen my fair share of music shows on NHK and the other commercial networks including "Uta Con" but there are many that I never got to see, and one of them which did get featured during the retrospective was "Stage 101"（ステージ101）on the national broadcaster. Although obviously, there were weekly music shows that came onto NHK dating back to the 1950s, "Stage 101", which lasted between 1970 and 1974, was touted as the first music show directly aimed at the younger audience. It was titled that way because the show took place at the network's CT-101 studio in Shibuya which had once boasted the largest such space in East Asia.

"Stage 101" had a changing group of hosts which included Tetsuko Kuroyanagi（黒柳徹子）, a former NHK announcer herself who would gain far more fame later as the host of TBS music ranking show "The Best 10"（ザ・ベストテン）. Plus, it had a group of dancing and singing men and women known as Young 101（ヤング101）who kinda looked like a massive group of The Partridge Family. Strangely enough, Young 101 had future soloists Hiromi Ohta（太田裕美）, Akira Kushida（串田アキラ）and Hiroko Taniyama（谷山浩子）as members.

A number of original songs came from "Stage 101", one of them being "Kaiju no Ballad" (Ballad of the Magic Dragon) which was written by Fumiko Okada（岡田富美子）and composed by Osamu Shouji（東海林修）as this Sunshine Pop feel-good tune which probably became a mainstay for high school glee clubs everywhere in Japan. The lyrics have a caravan of happy people inviting a dragon to not just lie in the desert but to join them for a trip to the wondrous ocean. The dragon apparently accepts. "Kaiju no Ballad" was released as a single in September 1972.

To finish off, "Stage 101" was replaced by "Let's Go Young"（レッツゴーヤング）the following month, another music show for the younger generation which had a much longer run.

Fuyumi Sakamoto -- Saikai Sakaba（再会酒場）

 

First off, let's point out this seasonal fact: Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of Toronto currently in Eastern Daylight Time. Last Tuesday night, TV Japan was going to broadcast NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン） as usual, but then on Wednesday morning over in East Asia, North Korea decided to lob over a missile or a satellite which pretty much stopped all normal programming for several hours due to live reporting on the situation. Therefore, the taped-delay "Uta Con" was cancelled last week. C'est dommage!

However, the compensation is that we get "Uta Con" two nights in a row this week. Last night, we actually got a rare Monday TV Japan broadcast of "Uta Con" and tonight we get the usual show (expanded for some reason).

The theme for the show broadcast last night was the annual tribute to the late Queen of Kayo Kyoku, Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）, and so everyone did their covers of her songs. But as usual, we did get some new stuff from the guests, one of whom was enka singer Fuyumi Sakamoto（坂本冬美）and her 53rd and most recent single as of this writing, "Saikai Sakaba" (Reunion Bar) which was just released early last month.

"Saikai Sakaba" was written by Ou Yoshida（吉田旺）and composed by Koji Tokuhisa（徳久広司）as a heartfelt enka about folks meeting up once more in their beloved watering holes after the years of the pandemic. Now that Japan has basically lifted virtually every COVID restriction, folks are free to meet up in the various commercial establishments once more although my friends have been informing me that half of the folks they see out on the streets of Tokyo have still been keeping their masks on. And yet, I'm sure that there have been some hearty reunions in restaurants and izakaya.

Tokuhisa's melody is one of joy and warmth while Yoshida's lyrics express the return of the camaraderie and excitement in the favourite bar, including a final hearty toast from Sakamoto. I'm sure that the libations and snacks have been flowing very rapidly. I can understand that sentiment since meeting up with some friends earlier in February for dinner for the first time in three years. Even earlier, my family got to have a special breakfast in our old neighbourhood diner after such a long period away. I also have to mention that it's the first time to have Sakamoto back on the byline in over three years as well.

Ichiro Mizuki and the Columbia Yurikago Kai -- Bokura no Mazinger Z（ぼくらのマジンガーＺ）

 

A little earlier today via Twitter, commenter Francium 11 was kind enough to show her vaunted Texas breakfast since she's from that area in the United States. Everything is big in the Lone Star State (I really have to try their Sweet Tea) so I professed my envy to her and noted that though I used to inhale breakfast buffets in the past, I can no longer do so. Going into my gastronomical nostalgia, a bunch of us from university went to a Szechuan hot pot place in Scarborough, one part of Toronto, one Monday night and six folks including myself managed to devour close to forty plates worth of beef in one sitting. That's a lot of protein!

Just around lunchtime today, the longtime NHK program "Sarameshi",（サラメシ）which whimsically focuses on what regular folks have for lunch, did their occasional feature at the end of the episode paying to a tribute to a recently departed celebrity and their favourite lunch. Today's celebrity was the Emperor of Anison, singer-songwriter Ichiro Mizuki（水木一郎）who had passed away on December 6th 2022 at the age of 74. He apparently was a great fancier for sukiyaki-style shabu-shabu at a Shibuya restaurant, so instead of swishing slices of beef in a clear flavourful stock, he preferred the dark sukiyaki tare.

So as such, I've decided to begin Tuesday's round of KKP songs with a Mizuki number. Last year, I wrote about what was arguably his most famous contribution to anime, the opening theme for the original "Mazinger Z"（マジンガーZ） which had its run between 1972 and 1974. The ending theme didn't have much change to the title with merely the addition of a first-person plural pronoun to create "Bokura no Mazinger Z" (Our Mazinger Z).

Once again, it was the powerful Mizuki joined by the children's chorus group Columbia Yurikago Kai（コロムビアゆりかご会）to sing this ending theme which not only sounded like a pretty boss downtown kayo but also something with a bit of samba swing. From what little I remember of the anime itself, Mazinger Z could do many amazing things; maybe doing the Watusi was one of them. As was the case with the opening theme, "Bokura no Mazinger Z" was also created by lyricist Kazuo Koike（小池一夫）and composer Chuumei Watanabe（渡辺宙明）.

It's Tuesday and it's Wednesday...doing the Watusi!

Sayuri Aso -- Candy Jazz

 

This could go down as one of the more intriguing albums that I've covered since Sayuri Aso's（麻生小百合）1982 debut album "Candy Jazz" was produced at Toshiba EMI/Eastworld which was actually under the purview of the entertainment conglomerate Being Inc. at the time. Yes, that Being...the company whose clients have been Zard and B'z with that particular pop/rock sound in the 1990s and beyond.

Sayuri Aso was born Yoshiko Ohniwa（大庭淑子）in Shizuoka Prefecture and in terms of her musical education, she began with piano at the age of 3 and later became infatuated with The Eagles. At the invitation of her senpai, she became the vocalist for a rock band and as a session artist. When she was scouted, she was promoted as a jazz singer and made her debut with "Candy Jazz" in September 1982.

(Sorry but the video has been taken down.)

Let me give you a small sampling of the album which seems to be a mix of original songs and covers of some old standards. The latter is given representation by the first track, "Teacher's Pet" originally by Joe Lubin and then given Japanese lyrics by Yukari Sato（砂東由香利）. My first impression is that the jazz has some of that technological embellishment which has me reminded of Harumi Ohzora（大空はるみ）and her own 1983 techno jazz album "VIVA".

Aso's rendition of that old chestnut "Misty" by Erroll Garner and Johnny Burke is probably my favourite track so far since it's got the swing band orchestra backing her up including a warm and honeyed sax solo. I feel like I'm at the top of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel already. Mirai or Miku Minegishi（峰岸未来）provided the Japanese lyrics here.

The penultimate track is "More Expression" and it's one of the original songs on "Candy Jazz". The jazz is still in there but it's also joined by a City Pop shuffle and a searing rock guitar solo. Written by Tomoko Aran（亜蘭知子）and composed by Masanori Sasaji（笹路正徳）, it stuffs a lot of action in its less-than-three minutes time.

Speaking of Aran, she was actually one of the founders of Being Inc. along with fellow singer-songwriter Tetsuro Oda（織田哲郎）and others. Yu Aku（阿久悠）and Daiko Nagato（長戸大幸）were also involved with some hefty investments by them as well. As for Aso, she would release two more albums in 1983, "Strawberry Jam" and "Pink". Through the J-Wiki article for the singer, I found out that she, Aran and Naomi Akimoto（秋本奈緒美）had been known as the Jazz 3As of Being. It looks like I might extend the Gosanke file on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" by one more piece.