Michael Pronko - The Japan Times

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Michael Pronko

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Michael Pronko

Michael Pronko writes essays for ST Shukan. He also writes for his own website Jazz in Japan, as well as for Newsweek Japan and Artscape Japan. He has published three books of essays about Tokyo and teaches American literature, culture and film at Meiji Gakuin University.

For Michael Pronko's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jan 23, 2005

Benny Golson: "Terminal 1"

So many of Benny Golson's compositions have become part of the jazz canon, it's easy to forget how outstanding his sax playing is. "Terminal 1," his latest recording, will correct that oversight. With a water-tight quintet, Golson punches out 10 straight-on, soul-satisfying cuts of no-frills modern jazz.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jan 16, 2005

Carlos Barbosa-Lima: "Frenesi"

Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima, who first studied with classical guitar master Andres Segovia, has been honing his technique for over four decades. His crisp acoustic tones and fluid soloing blend classical precision with street-dancing cool. On his 26th recording, "Frenesi," the audiophile quality of the recording allows the full range of his acoustic technique to resonate on a superb collection of South American music.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Dec 26, 2004

While 3 million people stream through Meiji Jingu Shrine Dec. 31, a smaller number of devotees will be worshipping in their own musical way at Tokyo's jazz meccas. In an event that's become something of a tradition now, New Year's Eve means all night jams in Tokyo's many jazz clubs. Starting around 7 p.m. and ending after dawn, waves of musicians cram onstage to ring out and ring in with great live music.

CULTURE / Music

Dec 19, 2004

Fredrik Lundin Overdrive: "Belly-up"

Combining the gutsiness of blues with the sophistication of modern European jazz, Danish saxophonist Fredrik Lundin's "Belly-up" is a fitting tribute to the toughest bluesman of them all: Leadbelly. The CD's seven tunes, plus one original, slather the raw melodies of Leadbelly (whose real name was Huddie Ledbetter) with complex jazz harmonies and roiling, intense rhythms making a fascinating synergy.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Dec 5, 2004

Doctor Lonnie Smith: "Too Damn Hot"

Hammond B3 organ master Doctor Lonnie Smith's latest release, "Too Damn Hot," starts out innocently enough. Smith lays down a funky little riff on "Norleans." Then, hardbop guitarist Peter Bernstein and funky guitarist Rodney Jones, taking time off from their own solo projects, both take tight, tasty solos. But after that, Smith turns up the heat and throws on the grease for a 10-song stereo-burner.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Nov 28, 2004

Kaki King: "Feet to Make Us Longer"

Guitar virtuosos often sacrifice melodic beauty for string-bending technique. Many guitar-lovers' CDs sound more like showy practice routines than musical statements. Kaki King's sophomore release, "Feet to Make Us Longer," like her debut, "Everybody Loves You," avoids this pitfall. Her stunning guitar technique only enhances her exquisite compositions and helps establish her as a worthy successor to guitar masters like Leo Kottke, John Fahey and Michael Hedges.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY

Nov 28, 2004

The power of one note

Power and imagination have been Kazumi Watanabe's mainstays for over 30 years. As a prodigy on electric guitar, his first release was in 1971 at the age of 18 and his ever-evolving guitar technique has served as the central pillar of near-annual releases. In the 1980s, his progressive and very muscular style of jazz fusion, captured most notably on the recording "Tochika," earned him international recognition. In Japan, he is a household name.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Nov 21, 2004

The incredible longevity of Okinawans results from the islanders' traditional diet, sociability, exercise and general stress-free living, but it might also be helped along by the island's lovely, passionate folk music. With strong dance beats, sinuous melody lines and earthy lyrics, Okinawa's music sounds quite different from the folk music of more northerly islands. Yoriko Ganeko, an Okinawan singer and sanshin player, will take her distinctive style of Okinawan music to Tokyo, Koza Okinawa and Osaka for three special shows this week.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Nov 17, 2004

Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra is one of the most innovative big bands in jazz -- not just in Japanese jazz, but worldwide. Her work has received both critical praise and consistent popularity over the course of 50 years of live performances and some 40 recordings.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Nov 14, 2004

Branford Marsalis Quartet: "Eternal"

Of the four musical Marsalis brothers, the oldest, Branford, has ventured farthest from the world of jazz. His stints as the director of Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" band and as saxophonist on Sting's tours caused many jazz purists to lose faith in his commitment to "serious" music. The lyrical intensity of his latest release, "Eternal," though, will certainly redeem his jazz credibility.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Nov 7, 2004

Mory Kante: "Sabou"

Mory Kante's African groundbreaking 1987 release, "Akwaba Beach," was a crossover blend of European production and African pop that became a staple on European dance floors. Born into a family of griots in Guinea, Kante became a rival singer to Salif Keita in Mali's famed Rail Band, but as the West African dance bands folded in the 1980s, Kante gravitated to Europe to create catchy world-music formulas.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Oct 31, 2004

Todd Snider: "East Nashville Skyline"

Leaving Seattle six CDs ago to travel the country writing songs, Todd Snider has steeped his craft in a wealth of experience. As he sings on "Age Like Wine," the opener to "East Nashville Skyline," he's gone through, "Seven managers, five labels/a thousand picks and patched cables/three vans, a band/a bunch of guitar stands/and cans and cans and cans of beer."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Oct 31, 2004

Pierre Dorge's New Jungle Orchestra

Denmark's love affair with jazz is one of Europe's most intense. Besides offering a safe haven in the past to American jazz musicians such as Chet Baker, the country has always had a thriving jazz scene of its own. For the last quarter century, guitarist Pierre Dorge's New Jungle Orchestra has been a regular workshop for cutting-edge Danish jazz, with 20-some recordings made all over the world, many of them live. Next month, Dorge brings his band to Tokyo.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Oct 24, 2004

Martin, Medeski and Wood: "End of the World Party (Just in Case)"

The latest Medeski, Martin and Wood release, "End of the World Party (Just in Case)," goes further than ever into unpredictable musical zones. Unlike most jazz or even jazz-influenced bands, MMW foregrounds carefully crafted sounds and juicy grooves rather than traditional chords and melodies.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Oct 17, 2004

With a list of jazz critics' awards as long as his saxophone, Lew Tabackin is a jazzman's jazzman. As a soloist, he redefined the big-band solo, playing both sax and flute with the best big bands in jazz before beginning a lifetime collaborating with pianist, bandleader and wife, Toshiko Akiyoshi. His ties to Japan mean that Tabackin plays here often, each time with fresh ideas and unlimited energy. Tonight, tomorrow and two nights this week, he joins two local big bands and two small groups at jazz club TUC in Tokyo.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Oct 10, 2004

"A Guitar Supreme"

John Coltrane influenced not only generations of saxophone players, but guitarists and other musicians as well. "A Guitar Supreme" brings together eight excellent guitarists, including Mike Stern, Greg Howe, Larry Coryell and Robben Ford, to honor his legacy with intense fusion takes on Coltrane's challenging music.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 26, 2004

Kora Jazz Trio: "Kora Jazz Trio"

This trio of kora (African harp), piano and percussion must rank as the most unusual in jazz, African jazz and even African music. It's made up of three West African virtuosos who have each led successful careers of their own for several decades. Senegalese pianist Abdoulaye Diabate played with Salif Keita and Senegal's national band. Djeli Moussa Diawara, on kora, has recorded with steel-guitar wizard Bob Brozman and released his own kora-meets-hi-life projects. Multipercussionist Moussa Cissoko, from a famous family of percussionists, has backed up Peter Gabriel and Manu Dibango.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 19, 2004

Katia Guerreiro

Fado is the sad, slow music of Portugal, whose achingly beautiful songs overflow with the anguish of love, supplication and desire. Like American blues, fado holds out the promise of transcending love's pain, and like flamenco ballads, it offers a joyousness that eases the suffering. The most recent star of fado, Katia Guerreiro, comes to Japan next week.

CULTURE / Music

Sep 12, 2004

Spanish Harlem Orchestra: "Across 110th Street"

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 5, 2004

Dusko Goykovich

Dusko Goykovich started playing jazz in Yugoslavia when it was forbidden under communism. After leaving his homeland in the early 1960s, he joined several of the best jazz groups in Europe and the States, carving out a name for himself as an all-around trumpeter. Known for rapid-fire playing, well-chiseled solos and the ability to lead a tight quartet, Goykovich returns to Japan this week with his newest group.

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By Alex K.T. Martin

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