Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.
STYLE IN ACTION
Showing posts with label kabuki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kabuki. Show all posts
September 17, 2017
KAHO ASO 007
One of my all-time favorite records is Kabuki and Other Traditional Music by Ensemble Nipponia (Nihon Ongaku Shūdan). A teacher made me a tape of it back when I was a senior in boarding school. I lived in a log cabin in the woods at the time, and I still have vivid memories of playing the tape in my battery-operated tape deck and hearing those sounds for the first time. My first impressions of Kabuki and Noh music, which can include some haunting vocalizations, was that it was pretty weird and a bit comical. I even carried the humorous interpretation into college when my roommate and I created a comedy routine/satirical Noh performance using dialog from our Japanese textbook. But over time my understanding and appreciation of traditional Japanese music and theater deepened. I think I started to hear the humanity and tragedy in many of the pieces. I then became an avid collector of Kabuki, Noh, Gagaku, and the more accessible forms of shakuhachi, koto, shamisen, and taiko music. So you can understand my glee when this video crossed my radar today. The video features an interesting ensemble that includes wadaiko (Keita Kanazashi), kotsuzumi drum/vocal (by the amazing Kaho Aso), accordion (Hirofumi Nakamura), and clarinet (Hidehito Naka). So why share it with Spy Vibers? The group plays a really cool cover of the James Bond theme, drawing on traditional Japanese and European/Jazz elements. You can hear it on the Fusion: East Meets West omnibus album (Amazon, AmazonUK, and iTunes). The project features various groups who blend traditions to cover classic tunes (the 007 theme is my fave of the bunch). NHK's video below starts with a nice intro to Kaho Aso and her drum. Enjoy! So... Spy Vibe just passed Two Million visitors yesterday. That was an exciting milestone! In other news, check out my episodes of the Cocktail Nation radio show, where I introduce classic spy films/TV series and play soundtracks and rare cuts: Episode #1 (Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), and Episode #5 (The Avengers). Episode #6 (The Prisoner). Be seeing you!
Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.
Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.
September 25, 2013
NIHON SURF
Fans of Vic Flick, Dick Dale, Man Or Astro-Man, and surf guitar music should cast an eye eastward toward Japan's Takeshi Terauchi. Terauchi (Terry) began his career in a Japanese Country and Western band called Jimmy Tokita and the Mountain Playboys. Catching the modern wave in the 1960s, he achieved success with his bands The Bunnys and the Blue Jeans. He even found his way to the big screen in Campus A-Go-Go in 1965. Takeshi Terauchi and the Blue Jeans are still picking. Their last release was Mr. Legend in 2008. Cover below from a 2011 Big Beat compilation. Full discography here.
Below is a 1960s track by Takeshi Terauchi named after the famous Kabuki play, Kanjincho. The original story tells the tale of Yoshitsune's escape through enemy territory. Disguised as a lowly porter, Yoshitsune allowed his warrior vassal, Benkei, to beat him in order to throw the border guards of the scent. Terauchi does a nice job setting the Kabuki tone with a vocal "Yo!" at the start of the track. The 1960s were an interesting time for reappropriating classic idioms for use in modern forms. We saw this in Pop Art in the West, and musicians like Terauchi, Joji Yuasa, and Toshi Ichiyanagi (Yoko Ono's first husband) were well known in Japan for redefining traditional themes in their various experiments. Terauchi is followed below by the fabulous Ensemble Nipponia's traditional version of Kanjincho. The track is from one of my desert island albums, Kabuki and Other Traditional Music (Nonsuch/1980). Click to watch on YouTube if videos don't play here. Enjoy!
Below is a 1960s track by Takeshi Terauchi named after the famous Kabuki play, Kanjincho. The original story tells the tale of Yoshitsune's escape through enemy territory. Disguised as a lowly porter, Yoshitsune allowed his warrior vassal, Benkei, to beat him in order to throw the border guards of the scent. Terauchi does a nice job setting the Kabuki tone with a vocal "Yo!" at the start of the track. The 1960s were an interesting time for reappropriating classic idioms for use in modern forms. We saw this in Pop Art in the West, and musicians like Terauchi, Joji Yuasa, and Toshi Ichiyanagi (Yoko Ono's first husband) were well known in Japan for redefining traditional themes in their various experiments. Terauchi is followed below by the fabulous Ensemble Nipponia's traditional version of Kanjincho. The track is from one of my desert island albums, Kabuki and Other Traditional Music (Nonsuch/1980). Click to watch on YouTube if videos don't play here. Enjoy!
Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, Japanese fashion model and spy! The creator of Spy Vibe has written a novel called Elevator Girl, inspired by his love of Ian Fleming and based on newly declassified intel from the Cold War. More info at Whiton's website here. Recent Spy Vibe posts: Peter Asher, Gerry Marsden tour,Elio Petri on Blu-ray, Sophia Loren, new Beatles BBC album, new Hercule Poirot novel, Beatles fall 2013 releases, A Hard Days Night cinematographer dies, Magic Christian on Blu-ray, Early Beatles image archive, Julie Newmar, Erno Goldfinger, Hitchcock tribute, Ian Fleming memorial, Emma Peel Megaset returns
Recent Ian Fleming posts on Spy Vibe: Erno Goldfinger, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, Jon Gilbert interview, Double 007 Designs, Bond audio book reissues, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, rare View to a Kill, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address
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