Copy of dotgov flash and various cult film items

8/7/2019 Copy of dotgov flash and various cult film items

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Japanese ModernJazzOpera
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65452140@N00/17129166


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"Jazz" "Lotus Blossm" Milestones Misterioso "Blue Monk""Sister Sadie" "Waltz For Debby" "Blues March" Doxy "FiveSpots" "After Dark" "Cleopatra's Dream" "Comin' Home" Baby"Donna Lee" Cherokee "Fables of Faubus" "'Round Midnight""Moment's Notice" "St.Thomas"

http://www.theworld.org/2010/02/17/japanese-jazz-opera/

The standard view of Japanese popular culture, at least here inthe United States, is that its wacky, chaotic and impossible tofathom. Thats the first reaction you might get from a videodoing the rounds online. It features actors dressed up astraditional Japanese peasants performing some sort of story tothe accompaniment of Americanjazz standards. Which they

sing. With Japanese lyrics.

At first glance its just funny. But The Worlds Alex Gallafentdigs a little deeper.
http://whatgetsmehot.posterous.com/tag/jazzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Leehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_standardhttp://whatgetsmehot.posterous.com/tag/jazzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Leehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_standard


4/8

So a colleague sent me a link to a video. It had been forwardedto him by another friend: you know how it goes.

The video is titled: Japanese Jazz Opera.

And heres how it begins. Yep, thats Nows The Time, byCharlie Parker. Only in the video its sung by an old peasantcouple, with Japanese lyrics.

The setting is a kind of studio version of an olden-daysJapanese village. They seem to be actors in some kind ofelaborate comedy skit.

But before you have a chance to consider what might begoing on, they move on to Miles Davis. Superficially the video,

which runs to about ten minutes, is just spectacularly odd.

But still, what IS it?

I turned for help to Roland Kelts. Hes the author of JapanAmerica and splits his time between Tokyo and the US. Itdidnt take Kelts long to recognize the actor playing the part ofthe old peasant woman a middle-aged man in sunglasses.

KELTS: In Japan, this guy Tamori, the comedian behind this

video, this show, is everywhere, hes ubiquitous.

OK, progress: so we know its a skit starring one of Japansbiggest celebrities.

KELTS: If you can imagine someone posters beer thatyou see on TV every night in Japan.

And this video clip, Kelts says, comes from Tamoris nightlyvariety show, an edition from March 1986. It was called What a

Great Night. Kelts recognizes the subject of the skit too.

Turns out its a take on Momotaro, or the Peach Boy one ofthe all-time classic Japanese fairy tales.

KELTS: It follows the narrative very closely, it hews quiteclose to the narrative, but everything is done tongue-in-cheek.
http://www.cmgww.com/music/parker/http://www.milesdavis.com/http://www.cmgww.com/music/parker/http://www.milesdavis.com/


5/8

The first part of the story goes like this. Theres a poor oldcouple. They cant have kids. One day, a giant peach floats downthe river to their village. The old couple take the peach home andtry to eat it. But when they cut it open, they find a boy inside.

In Tamoris version, this is where they sing Thelonius MonksMisterioso.

So now weve got a Japanese T-V variety show from the 1980sdoing a tongue-in-cheek version of a classic fairy tale.

But why the jazz?

It starts to make a bit more sense, says Roland Kelts, whenyou know that Tamori the comedian was born in August

1945.

That makes him the archetypal post-war boomer.

Kelts: That generation grew up idolizing America pop culture.They read American novels, they listened to America jazz, theywatched Am TV. So knowing those specific numbers and whocreated them, who composed them would be a point of pride.

And Kelts thinks that back in the 80s, that self-aware

sophistication knowing relatively obscure jazz tunes like thisone, Bill Evans Waltz for Debby fit into a broader sense ofJapans place in the world.

Tamoris TV show took full advantage.

Kelts: That was a time when Japans economy wasexpanding show that was perceived to be how far Japan hadcome can poke fun. at ourselves best known fairytale inJapan.

In Japan, but not here in the States. Heres how it ends. Thepeach boy grows up. And, along with some animal friends, hetravels across the ocean um, to the Herbie Hancock tune,Maiden Voyage.


6/8

The peach boy arrives at the island of the ogres theyvebeen stealing from the villagers. In Tamoris skit, the chief ogreis painted red from head to toe, wears glasses and sings thebebop tune Donna Lee. In the end, the peach boy defeats theogres and returns home with a load of treasure. In Japan its

about as well-known a story as you can get.

But Roland Kelts says that for younger Japanese today, theonly thing theyd understand would be the story.

Today their focus is domestic not international in music andin other things.

Kelts: Its a symbol or a sign of how pessimistic youngerJapanese feel. Tamoris generation, they were looking to a Japan

that continued to grow and the growth seemed endless. Yourreal estate holding would grow in value, forever. Some peoplesaid back then wed all work for a Japanese company. It seemsabsurd now.

So did the video when I first watched it. But it turns out to bemuch more than anonymous Japanese TV comedians singing jazztunes in peasant costumes. Its really a historical document of aJapanese attitude one thats slipping away.

And maybe the United States can relate to that feeling afeeling that somethings been lost: that carefree sense of beingon top of the world.

--For The World, Im Alex Gallafent.

-------------------------------

Thanks to my new favorite blog

http://people-vs-drchilledair.blogspot.com


7/8

Charlie Parker Kenny Dorham Miles Davis Thelonious Monk Horace

Silver Bill Evans Art Blakey Jazz Messengers Sonny Rollins Benny

Golson Bud Powell Herbie Hancock Clifford Brown Charles Mingus

John Coltrane Now's The Time mrjyn

Related articles by dogmeat

What Gets Me Hot: (#video) Japanese Momotaro: Modern JazzOpera ...

(whatgetsmehot.blogspot.com)

Japanese Jazz Opera (theworld.org)

'A Love Supreme': John Coltrane at his brilliant best (pbpulse.com)

You: Sonny Rollins: Secrets of a colossus (guardian.co.uk)
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8/8

The Chameleon Days of Dick Hyman (online.wsj.com)

Johnny Griffin, 80, Jazz Saxophonist, Dies (If you can find a better

Jazz Obit -30 Videos- Buy the motherfucker)(whatgetsmehot.blogspot.com)

Japan edges from America towards China (blogs.ft.com)o

A Conversation With Randy Weston (therestandstheglass.blogspot.com)

Jazz Listings (nytimes.com)

A new take on a standard (boston.com)

Just in Time (thebadplus.typepad.com)

How noughties jazz went clubbing (guardian.co.uk)

Miles Davis in Paris: the love lives on (guardian.co.uk)
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Documents

Copy of dotgov flash and various cult film items