Michael Pronko - The Japan Times

November 25, 2024

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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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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