You Will NOT Believe This: Japanese Jazz-Opera!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 15 Dec 2009 5:19 pm

I literally split my sides from laughing!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwhDe56O9f8

Ben Lawson · Post by **Ben Lawson** » 16 Dec 2009 3:17 am

Jimbeau, you have waaaay too much time on your hands. Put your hands over your head, turn around and step away from the computer.
I thought we were being mooned for a minute but there was an oddly equipped girl in the thing that looked like a plumbers anatomy.

Russ Wever · Post by **Russ Wever** » 18 Dec 2009 1:16 pm

The girl really surprised herself
with her high note at 3:18 ~
rw

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 18 Dec 2009 1:44 pm

The things people do with and to music.

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 18 Dec 2009 5:42 pm

I hope someday soon to be transrating in Engrish!!!!

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 28 Dec 2009 6:12 am

I have been playing almost this whole opera in something
resembling original versions for the last 2 months
with a Japanese sax player for much of that time,
with upright bass solos on most all tunes,
so this was quite a strange thing to suddenly see.

This gig is over now, for the usual reasons,
and so this raft of standards goes back to the woodshed,
but this was curious to see and hear for sure.

Jim Robbins · Post by **Jim Robbins** » 29 Dec 2009 7:38 pm

Here I was going to post this after my sister sent me the link but wouldn't you know it, Mr. Cohen beat me to it by 2 weeks and Mr. Donald played it. I'd sure love to hear a translation, especially of the devil singing "Donna Lee". Meanwhile, here's some info gleaned from quick internet research from Karen Kurokawa's post at http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=298

"For Steve Oda re "Modern Jazz Opera: Momotaro." The skit, originally aired on March 1, 1986, is from the now off-air t.v. variety show called Konya Wa Saiko (Tonight is Best) hosted by a famous comedian named Tamori. Tamori also has a daytime t.v. show that's still on the air, which my husband estimates has been going for about 25 years, because just like Konya Wa Saiko, he used to watch it before he moved to the USA. Tamori, who plays the grandmother and the bird in the Momotaro skit, is really blind in his right eye (hence his trademark eye patch) and plays the trumpet, although Shuji was reluctant to call him a trumpeter. He is well-known for doing these broad comedic skits that sometimes take classical stories and themes as their base such as the Peach Boy folk tale (Momotaro). He often would use really unexpected music (right) to turn them into "operas"."

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 29 Dec 2009 7:50 pm

Well I can't say that I played this 'Opera' specifically.

But I was playing maybe 90% of those same jazz pieces
for the last 2 months. It was likely listening to
my driving tape I used to get mental in gear for the gig.

Usually our versions were based on those same versions from the Opera.
Including that Bill Evans @ Village Vanguard; Waltz For Debbie.

And I am SURE the sax player knows Momotaro, Konya Wa Saiko and Tomito quite well.