Paul Fisher - The Japan Times

April 18, 2024

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Paul Fisher

For Paul Fisher's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

CULTURE / Music

Aug 23, 2018

Haruomi Hosono: 'I never tried to be a pioneer'

Haruomi Hosono is widely regarded as one of the most important figures of Japanese popular music over the past 50 years.

CULTURE / Music

Jul 17, 2009

From Okinawa, and they're singing the Japanese blues

It's somewhat ironic that after years of scouring the world for music, Japan's very own "Mr. World Music," Makoto Kubota, has ended up a bit closer to home than he ever imagined. "I never thought there was such a deep, rich folklore in my own country. It was a big surprise" he says.

CULTURE / Music

Nov 16, 2007

Hirokazu Matsuda "Sanshin Zanmai"

Nowhere in Japan upholds its musical traditions as proudly as Okinawa. There, to make your name as a musician on a small island where there are hundreds of others, you have to be something special. "Sanshin Zanmai" by the 60-year-old Hirokazu Matsuda, his first album to be released nationwide, could put him in that league.

CULTURE / Music

Sep 28, 2007

Rebel yell from the desert

Saharan bluesmen Tinariwen traded guns for guitars, then set about gaining an army of famous fans

CULTURE / Music

Jul 13, 2007

Tsuru to Kame "Shakkitose"

"Shakkitose" is the third album from Tsuru to Kame, a duo made up of female singer Shigeri Kitsu and shamisen player and singer Katsuaki Sawada. While minyo (folk songs) are dying out in communities, Sawada and Kitsu have been busily learning the songs from the locals and the original lyrics, which over the years had become desensitized. Many of the songs here are used to accompany dances at festivals such as the opener "Gosho Ondo" from around Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, and "Nishimonai Bon Odori" from Akita Prefecture, northern Honshu. There are also working songs about planting rice, songs about the sea, mountains, ballads, children's songs and protest songs.

CULTURE / Music

Jun 22, 2007

Heeding the call of island music

What is it with Western artists and Okinawan music?

CULTURE / Music

Dec 15, 2006

Kodo

In 1969, the young, idealistic communist Tagayasu Den formed a commune of taiko drummers on Sado Island off the coast of Niigata Prefecture called Ondekoza. Den became an increasingly dictatorial figure, obsessed with fitness and drumming. "Everyday, just running," recalls original member Eitetsu Hayashi ruefully. "Wake up at 4 a.m., no newspapers, no TV, just running." In 1981 Hayashi and others formed a breakaway rebel group called Kodo. Ondekoza, would continue, Hayashi would later turn solo, but Kodo have ever since remained on Sado Island and have become Japan's premier taiko drumming group.

CULTURE / Music

Sep 29, 2006

Street spirits plug in and out

In Japan these days, music and politics don't generally sit well together. On the face of it, a group who seem to have bucked the system is Osaka's Soul Flower Union, who released a new best of album on Sept. 20 and are now on a nationwide tour.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Aug 12, 2001

Take time to stop and hear the music

As your Music Nomad is wandering back to the U.K., this will be my last column. Thanks for taking the trouble to read it over the years; hopefully some of you have enjoyed seeing the concerts recommended.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Jul 8, 2001

Where Nas is coming from

One of the most unlikely roots music success stories of recent years has been Olu Dara's 1998 album, "In the World: From Natchez to New York." Even more surprising than the spontaneous ease with which he combined blues, folk, Afro and Caribbean styles, or his vivid, autobiographical, half-spoken words, was that Dara was a jazz sideman, in his late 50s, and this was his first record.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Jun 10, 2001

A daughter of Madagascar traces a path home to Asia

"I feel at home in Asia," said Hanitra, leader of the group Tarika, during a recent visit to Tokyo. "Africa is more foreign to me."

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

May 13, 2001

Lonesome Strings come out of the shadows

Like anyone who's really good at something, Yoshiki Sakurai makes it look easy. On stage, as he lets fly with complicated riffs and rhythms in any variety of styles, he stands expressionless.

CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES

Apr 25, 2001

Baaba Maal

In 1989, Senegalese singer Baaba Maal released an album with blind guitarist Mansour Seck titled "Djam Leeli." A mix of two acoustic guitars, a dash of percussion and Maal's intense singing, it was simple but hypnotic and, for many, a revelation to hear the connection between West African guitar and American blues.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Apr 8, 2001

Moreno comes of age

Escaping paternal shadows can be tricky for a musician, especially if that musician's name happens to be Lennon, Marley or Dylan. Brazil's Moreno Veloso, however, probably shares more in common with Nigeria's Femi Kuti. Both are sons of superstars in their native countries who virtually created their own genres of music. Caetano Veloso and Fela Kuti not only invented tropicalismo and afrobeat respectively, but were a source of inspiration to their people that went way beyond music.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Mar 27, 2001

Tradition and innovation in modern Celtic music

Julie Murphy and Sharon Shannon are two of the most talented, forward-looking and musically challenging women in Celtic music. Both have captured the spirit of the times, setting a benchmark for a new generation of musicians in their respective traditions. They will soon be performing in Japan with fine bands, in gigs that should not be missed by anyone with even a passing interest in Celtic or roots music.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Mar 13, 2001

Checkered history lives in a motley crew

Chindon-ya (brass, wind and percussion bands peddling goods or services on the streets) might not immediately spring to mind as a part of Japanese musical "tradition." Indeed, chindon has never been fully recognized as even a legitimate form of music.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Feb 27, 2001

Making music in no-man's land

Through my work in the music industry, I have secured record deals with local labels for foreign musicians and have organized releases and tours overseas. As a columnist and DJ, I've been sent CDs from countless bands seeking promotion. I know there is no easy route to success in the business. And for foreign musicians based in Japan, it's that much harder.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Feb 12, 2001

Getting back on the right track

In all walks of life, those who make successful comebacks have always been admired. They become figures of resilience with a commendable never-say-die attitude; think Muhammad Ali or even Bill Clinton.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Jan 23, 2001

Artists with eclectic tastes dispute the 'healing' tag

Of all the nonsensical musical genres, perhaps the most irksome is one coined here in Japan: "healing" music.

CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD

Jan 9, 2001

Hitting the high notes of jazz

At the age of 5 or 6, Cassandra Wilson recalls hearing the music of Miles Davis for the first time. "Sketches of Spain" was part of her father's record collection, himself a jazz musician and was one of the records he would often play in their home in Jackson, Mississippi.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.

For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on

By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

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