Hmmmm, IMHO this doesn't really work for me. I appreciate that the Japanese are great acquisitors and innovators... but.rajagainstthemachine wrote:the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra will be performing at the esplanade
Ska is a musical genre, that involves Jamaica, and experience of the 'West Indian culture'. The Japanese might be able to replicate it, but I doubt they'll ever 'get it'.
I was old enough the live through the ska revival in the UK (often termed '2-Tone' music, as 2-Tone Records was the UK ska revival record label). Bands like The Specials, The Selector (etc), even Madness was at least partially ska based. I even got to see Bad Manners live ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Manners ... lead vocalist: named Buster Blood-Vessel, was huge and bald and during a concert would routinely stick out a wiggle his outrageously long tongue (maybe 3"/8cm outside of his mouth!).
http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/4461/photojww.jpg [that's UK radio DJ Chris Evans on the left if I'm not mistaken].
Interesting times. But a Japanese nostalgia band aren't going to help me relive them...
(I remember when I lived in Tokyo, going to see a band styled as 'The Japanese Beatles'. It was hilarious, but for all the wrong reasons. They had the vague clothes, could roughly do the songs, but looked nothing like them and sung in Japlish lol... )