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November 23, 2024
 

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Wayne Gabel
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 19, 2008
Heroes ska'ed for life
Making musical history was the last thing on Doreen Shaffer's mind when she joined The Skatalites. Still a schoolgirl, she was just happy to be singing in a band.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 15, 2008
Chuck Brown is good to go-go
Chuck Brown doesn't know when to quit. That's not a character flaw — it's a trait that gave the world the musical equivalent of a marathon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 17, 2008
Burt Bacharach: Been there, wrote that
Let other musicians measure their success with applause and awards. Burt Bacharach's been there and done that.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 11, 2008
Vega steals into the spotlight
A city of extremes, New York represents different things to different people. For singer- songwriter Suzanne Vega, its infinite variety is a constant source of inspiration.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 27, 2007
Always thinking big
There's no shortage of pop musicians who reached their creative peak in their 20s, then struggled to remain productive and relevant after the flush of youth failed them. Think of Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett and even John Lennon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 7, 2007
Galactic keep it in their own backyard
In a business where some people will do anything to thrust themselves into the spotlight, for their latest release the New Orleans-based funk quintet Galactic did all they could to step out of it. Not even Hurricane Katrina could stop them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 16, 2007
Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 25, 2007
'Afro Samurai': anime international
On paper, the making of "Afro Samurai" reads like a recipe for an identity crisis. An animation about an African-American swordsman in a futuristic feudal Japan, it sprang from the mind of a Tokyo illustrator and was brought to fruition in English by a Japanese-U.S. production team, A-list Hollywood...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2007
Concha Buika
For much of its decade-long existence, Tiempo Ibero- americano has been spicing up the summer with the Isla de Salsa festival, an annual celebration of the Caribbean beat. To mark its 10th anniversary, the Fukuoka- based nonprofit organization is expanding its musical horizons to span the entire Iberoamerican...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 12, 2007
Keller Williams
If you believe sampling is a fraud perpetrated by people who lack musical chops, Keller Williams might just prove you wrong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 5, 2007
Poster boys for Soulsville USA
Call it coincidence, or call it destiny. Either way, Soulive are breathing new life into soul music — and a long-dormant soul label.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 14, 2007
The guitar skeptic
For a guy who's routinely credited with revolutionizing the sound of jazz, Pat Metheny sounds surprisingly detached from his mode of musical expression.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 10, 2007
Steely Dan
In their 1970s heyday, when Steely Dan didn't play live, there's no telling how much fans would have paid to see their favorite studio recluses on stage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2007
And the beat goes on
Weatherbeaten and remote, the fishing port of Ogi hardly seems like a cultural magnet. Yet the unassuming little community on the southern peninsula of Niigata Prefecture's Sado Island has achieved worldwide renown as the site of Earth Celebration, a music festival with a twist.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 20, 2007
Serving up some piping-hot salsa
Calling Oscar D'Leon a salsa superstar doesn't do justice to his stature in the world of Latin music. Over the course of his 36-year-career, the bassist and singer has acquired more nicknames than the late James Brown.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 13, 2007
First Lady of blues
She recently came close to death; now, about to headline the Japan Blues & Soul Carnival, Koko Taylor talks about her 50-year career — and the future of blues
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 21, 2007
Soundtrack of the summer: Koko Taylor
When the "Queen of the Blues," Koko Taylor, takes the stage at the Japan Blues & Soul Carnival, you're going to get an education. Her latest disc, "Old School," released here June 2 by P-Vine, brims with life lessons learned over a 50-year career that's taken her from a sharecropper's farm in Tennessee...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 21, 2007
Soundtrack of the summer: Mio Matsuda
Key players marking Earth Celebration's 20th anniversary this year know what to expect — all except for singer Mio Matsuda. Matsuda is making her debut at the annual celebration of rhythm staged by Kodo, Japan's best-known taiko drummers. The widely traveled Akita Prefecture native specializes in the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 8, 2007
Nile Rodgers & Chic: 1970s disco freak out!
Looking back over a long and varied career, Nile Rodgers could pick any number of occasions as his finest hour. But instead of focusing on his chart-topping records with the band Chic or landmark albums he produced for Madonna and David Bowie, he highlights what would seem like a low point.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 18, 2007
Marisa Monte
Motherhood prompted genre-busting Brazilian singer-songwriter Marisa Monte to take a break from touring a few years ago. Now, maternity has her back on the road with a 10-piece band and headed to Japan for her first concerts in 15 years.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Man charged with murder allegedly made victim date other men for money
A car carrying suspect Ryotaro Masuda, who was indicted for allegedly beating his 25-year-old girlfriend to death, leaves the Shibuya Police Station in Tokyo on Thursday.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ex-yokozuna Kitanofuji dies at 82
Yokozuna Kitanofuji enters the ring during the May 1970 grand sumo tournament in Tokyo.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.

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