One of my favorite do-enka songs

This enka song, Roukyoku Komori Uta, was a hit for Hitofushi Taro in 1963. I love the rough, folksy feel created by the old-fashioned instruments (including what sounds like a shochu bottle being tapped with a stick):





(The "do" in do-enka, by the way, means something like "seriously," "hard-core," or "old-school.")


The song inspired a Sonny Chiba movie of the same name. Lyrics [in Japanese] here. Video of Hitofushi belting out the tune a couple of decades later on live TV here.


I can’t wait to sing this on karaoke in Japan!


Although undoubtedly many people can wait.


—Mellow Monk

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The Monk defies you not to smile at the "Trololo Song"

From the Russian singing legend Eduard Khil — a.k.a. Edward Hill — comes "Indeed, I am very glad that I finally am returning home," a.k.a. the Trololo Song:





—Mellow Monk

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Two on the koto

Here are two lovely pieces played on the koto, starting with composer Michio Miyagi's "Tegoto" as performed by Kaori Kimoto.









—Mellow Monk

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Green tea, hangover cure

Regarding hangover cures, Keith Strickland of the B-52s says, "Green Tea is about the best one I have used."


I thought I would share this with you now, instead of tomorrow, when it might be too late.


Happy New Year's, everyone.



A nice, warm cup of hangover cure, waiting for you.


—Mellow Monk

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Grizzly Bear claymation

One word best describes this claymation video for Grizzly Bear's "Ready, Able"—trippy.


And excellent viewing for a green tea break, too.





Mellow Monk

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Mellow Monk's radio

Check out some mellow Hawaiian music on our Pandora station.


—Mellow Monk

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Another Kitaro classic: "Silk Road"—performed live!

The title of this piece by Japan's Kitaro refers to the historical trading routes and was composed for an NHK documentary of the same name, whose popularity brought Kitaro international fame.





—Mellow Monk

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Japanese girl group Tokyo Pinsalocks

Here are a couple of music videos from Japan's Tokyo Pinsalocks, who have a very unique sound.


Their music may initially seem somewhat cacophonous, but I find their rhythm and melody soothingly entrancing:


"Plutonium"







"Repeat"





—Mellow Monk

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Kitaro's mucho mellow "Matsuri"

Here is the incomparable Kitaro performing his piece "Matsuri" ("festival") for a live—and lucky—audience:





—Mellow Monk

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Another animated slideshow from my tea-buying trip to Kyushu, Japan

I've created another high-resolution, animated slideshow from pictures from a recent tea-buying trip to Japan.


To watch it in full-screen mode, click on the icon in the lower-right corner of the player, between the "Vimeo" name and the sound bars.





—Mellow Monk

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The King sings "I'll remember you"

One of the songs Elvis Presley sang at his 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert was "I'll Remember You," which was written by Hawaiian singer/songwriter Kui Lee.


Another nice, mellow Kui Lee song is "The Days of My Youth" [MP3 preview from Mele.com].





—Mellow Monk

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Stringing Tea: The Animoto Version

I used Animoto to make an animated slideshow—complete with musical soundtrack—out of the photographs I took during last year's tea-buying trip.


Animoto, by the way, is very cool.





—Mellow Monk

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Mellow melodies from Masaaki

Here, for your listening enjoyment, are two acoustic guitar pieces from Japan's Masaaki Kishibe.


Hana (Flower)







Hajimari (The Beginning)





—Mellow Monk

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Keiko's Moroccan ashes

One of my favorite Keiko Matsui songs is "Moroccan Ashes," from the album "Doll." You can listen to the song in its entirety at Rhapsody.com.


And yes, it's perfectly legal.



Click on the album cover to go to the photo gallery at her official website.


—Mellow Monk

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Mellow mehameha music

One of my favorite songs on the oh-so-mellow album "Ho'oluana" is "Mehameha/White Sandy Beach," which is a medley of two classic Hawaiian songs, including one immortalized by the late great Kui Lee.


But on this album, the late great Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and the rest of the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau really save the best for last — their excellent rendition of another Kui Lee classic, "I'll Remember You."


Sample more of IZ's musical legacy here.



One of my favorite album covers.


—Mellow Monk

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Three more from Keiko

If you liked yesterday's musical offering — and how could you not? — here are three more enchanting songs by the lovely Keiko Matsui.


Nighthawk's Dream







Ruins of Sonora







Night Waltz







—Mellow Monk

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Three from Keiko

Here are three lusciously mellow songs by Japanese pianist Keiko Matsui:


Water Lily







1942, From Russia







Light Above the Trees







—Mellow Monk

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The mellow Hawaiian sounds of Sistah Robi

One of my favorite contemporary Hawaiian music artists is Robi Kahakalau, a.k.a. Sistah Robi.


To get a feel for what her mellow music is like, you can sample the song "Ku'u Mau Lei Onaona" (which means "beautiful scented leis") from the album "All I Want."


Here's her singing "Dreamland":






Robi Kahakalau, a.k.a. "Sistah Robi."


—Mellow Monk

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Japan's celebrity pianist, Hiromi Uehara

In this video clip, Japan's charming celebrity pianist Hiromi Uehara shows off the amazingly nimble fingerwork for which she's famous.




—Mellow Monk

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Yazawa Eikichi, Japan's Elvis

I wouldn't use the phrase "Elvis of Japan" lightly, but Eikichi Yazawa is certainly worthy of the title.


Yazawa got his start in the early '70s and is still going strong today. One of his secrets is that he is a one-man music industry—a singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, publicist, marketing department, and road manager all rolled up in to one. He has never depended on any single producer but instead has a knack for inspiring the musicians around him to create the rock 'n' roll sound he envisions.


Here are a few clips of Yazawa—or "Ei-chan," as fans know him—on stage in the U.K. and Japan, singing in English and Japanese.


"Don't be Cruel"





"Flesh and Blood" (in Japanese)





"Rockin' My Heart" (1982)






"Pure Gold" (in Japanese)








Eikichi Yazawa at the Budokan.


—Mellow Monk

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Japanese jazzer Masayoshi Takanaka

Jazz guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka has been around Japan's music scene for a long time, and he's still going strong. His old-school "cool jazz"-style music brings to mind a lazy day on the beach or in the backyard, lounging with friends and family. Very mellow stuff.


Here are a couple of his videos I found on YouTube.


"Blue Lagoon" - In concert





"Ready to Fly" - Live, with violinist Ikuko Kawai)





"Nagisa Moderato" - In concert




—Mellow Monk

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"Smoke on the Water," Japan-style

Just as the title implies, a Japanese version of the Deep Purple classic "Smoke on the Water," with shamisen instead of guitars.


This version, whose title translates into "Firefighting in Edo" (O-Edo no Hikeshi), describes efforts to fight fires in Edo (as Tokyo was known until the mid-1800s), which was frequently engulfed in infernos because of its densely packed wooden buildings.





—Mellow Monk

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Music videos from Hifana, Japan's way-out-there electronica duo

I'm the first to admit that Japan's hip-hop/electronica duo Hifana are not for every taste. But their music videos are so off-the-wall and so surreal as to be mesmerizing. The events unfold in a dreamlike way, keeping the viewer wondering what on earth could happen next. It's like "Sgt. Pepper" meets Ukiyoe.



"Wamono"






"Connect"




—Mellow Monk

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Zatoichi sings "Sunny"

Here he is, the late, great Katsu Shintaro, singing the jazz standard "Sunny." This is from his album "Yoru Wo Utau" (Singing the Night).





Katsu gained superstardom in Japan in the 1960s playing the blind traveling gambler and masseur "Zatochi" in the long-running movie series of the same name.


For an actor, Katsu was a pretty decent singer, and it stands to reason: As the son of a famous Kabuki actor, he was trained in classical Japanese acting and singing in his early youth.


Also on this track, check out the funky jazz guitar, the jamming piano, and the melodious background singing.



The cover of Katsu's album "Yoru wo Utau."



Katsu Shintaro as Zatoichi in "Zatoichi 3: New Tale of Zatoichi."


—Mellow Monk

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