Aki Yashiro is known as the Queen of Enka, or "Japanese ballads," according to the standard translation. However, Yashiro started out singing jazz in hostess clubs and didn't make her enka debut until 1971, when she was 21 years old. Last year she finally released an album of jazz standards.
NHK followed Yashiro to New York, considered "the world's jazz mecca," where she performed at the famed Blue Note club. In "Enka no Joo Jazz wo Utau" ("The Queen of Enka Sings Jazz"; NHK-G, Mon., 10 p.m.), we see her rehearsing with local musicians and working with Grammy-winning arranger Kurt Elling, who also reconfigures a few of her enka hits for jazz ensemble. To top it all off, the great jazz singer Helen Merrill joins Yashiro on stage during her New York debut.
Dementia is a condition that can affect anyone, but it's usually women who take care of the afflicted person, either a wife or a daughter. In the documentary "Te wo Hanasanai" ("Don't Let Go of My Hand"; TV Asahi, Tues., 3:10 a.m.), the helper is the husband of a woman with dementia, who was diagnosed six years ago.
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