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Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ, Tōkyō Suka Paradaisu Ōkesutora), commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene.[5] At the time, the band's sound was unlike that of any of its contemporaries in the then fledgling Japanese ska scene, and over the course of the past 31 years, they have been influential on Japanese music as a whole. Its sound, the product of the musical influences of its members, is a mix of traditional ska, jazz, and rock.[6][7][8] In the vein of many other more traditional ska acts, many of Skapara's songs are purely instrumental.

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at the Eurockéennes, 2007
Background information
Also known asSkapara, TSPO
OriginTokyo, Japan
Genres
Years active1985–present
Labels
  • File
  • Epic/Sony
  • Cutting Edge
Members
  • Nargo
  • Masahiko Kitahara
  • Gamou
  • Atsushi Yanaka
  • Yuichi Oki
  • Takashi Kato
  • Tsuyoshi Kawakami
  • Hajime Ohmori
  • Kin-ichi Motegi
Past members
  • Yuhei Takeuchi
  • Masayuki Hayashi
  • Asa-Chang
  • Cleanhead Gimura
  • Toru Terashi
  • Rui Sugimura
  • Tatsuyuki Aoki
  • Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta
Websitetokyoska.net

Since its inception, the band has gone on several nationwide tours of Japan, and have toured worldwide.[9] They have collaborated with several vocalists outside of their band, including Shiina Ringo, Akira Kobayashi, Kyōko Koizumi, Schadaraparr, PUFFY, Yoshie Nakano and Tamio Okuda.[10] They also performed the Japanese theme song to the PlayStation 2 game Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, entitled "Black Jack",[11] as well as songs for the PlayStation game Incredible Crisis released in 1999,[12] the 2020–21 Japanese drama Kamen Rider Saber and the closing ceremony for the 2020 Olympic Games.


History



Early beginnings


The band's first release was 1989's eponymous six-track EP, released on vinyl by local independent label Kokusai Records.[13] That record's acceptance, coupled with the band's live shows, got them a deal with Epic Records. At this time the 'classic' lineup of the band included: Asa-Chang (percussions), Tsuyoshi Kawakami (Bass), Tatsuyuki Aoki (drums), Yuichi Oki (keyboards), Marc Hayashi (guitar), Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta (alto sax/agitate man), Gamo (tenor sax), Atsushi Yanaka (baritone sax), Nargo (trumpet), Masahiko Kitahara (trombone) and Cleanhead Gimura (vocals). Yuhei Takeuchi (alto sax) was part of the original lineup, but left in 1990, though he has re-joined the band live on several occasions.


1990s


Skapara's Intro (スカパラ登場) was released in 1990, and includes their first big hit, Monster Rock. Within a year, the band was playing Tokyo's Budokan Arena in front of 10,000 fans.[9] After their second album, World Famous (ワールドフェイマス), original guitarist Marc Hayashi left the band and was replaced by Toru Terashi. Their third album, Pioneers, marked the last recording of the band with founder Asa-Chang, who decided to pursue a solo career. Fantasia was recorded as a 10 piece with no permanent replacement on percussion.

While the band worked on their fifth album, vocalist Cleanhead Gimura lost his ongoing battle with brain cancer and died.[5] Grand Prix was released in 1995 as a tribute to the singer. This record continued the band's progression into a more pop-oriented sound, and it featured a number of guest musicians and singers. As far as live performances, Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta essentially became the front-man for the band.

1996 saw the release of Tokyo Strut (トーキョーストラット), which toned back the pop stylings of Grand Prix. This marked the first appearance on record of new percussionist Hajime Ohmori. During the band's visit to Thailand, Alto Sax/Agitate Man Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta was involved in a motorcycle accident, suffering damage to his legs. He missed out on some shows, but after recovery decided to continue performing, in many cases carrying a cane, or just sitting down while playing. Shortly thereafter Toru Terashi left the band.

After this album, the band decided to leave Epic Records, as there was a feeling that the label had not been able to properly convert their popularity into record sales. They signed with indie label Avex Trax, who also created an exclusive imprint for Skapara, Justa Record. The band recruited Rui Sugimura (brother of Cleanhead Gimura) as a full-time singer. This would become the band's most prolific period, with a number of releases, including the Arkestra album, various 12” and 7” records (which included remixes from Arkestra songs as well as completely new tracks), the Hinotama Jive EP, the soundtrack to the video game Incredible Crisis, and several tribute album appearances. The band embarked on a tour of Japan (documented on the DVD Ska Evangelists on the Run). Since no official guitarist had been hired yet, they toured with the two guitarists that worked on the album: Takashi Kato (of Lost Candi) and 會田茂一 (of El Malo).

During the Arkestra tour, original drummer Tatsuyuki Aoki died in a train accident.[5] He was temporarily replaced by Tatsuya Nakamura (Blankey Jet City and Losalios). At the end of the tour, Kin-Ichi Motegi (ex-Fishmans) also filled in. Rui Sugimura left in mid-1999 as well. Takashi Kato became a permanent member of the band.


2000s


2000's Full Tension Beaters was a full-on Ska record, and their first album to be released outside of Asia (by Grover Records in Germany). Even though Motegi was still working as support drummer during this recording, it was the first record with the band's most stable line-up, consisting of Yanaka, Gamo, Nargo, Kitahara and Hiyamuta on the horn section, Oki on keyboards, Kawakami on Bass, Ohmori on percussions, Kato on guitar and Motegi on drums. The lineup would remain the same until 2008.

For their next record, Stomping on Downbeat Alley, the band invited three guest singers: Yusuke Chiba (Thee Michelle Gun Elephant), Tajima Takao (Original Love, Pizzicato Five) and Tamio Okuda (Unicorn). The album and singles were a huge success and a gig at Yokohama Arena (with all three guest singers) was released as Downbeat Arena. The band also embarked on a European tour which was documented on the DVD Catch the Rainbow.

High Numbers was a more low-profile release, having mostly instrumental tracks, along with Kin-Ichi Motegi's first lead vocal track, "Ginga to Meiro". 2004's Answer was a similar affair.

For 2006's Wild Peace, the band once again recruited three guest vocalists: Chara, Hanaregumi, and Hiroto Komoto (The High-Lows).[14] As with Downbeat Alley these singles became huge hits, and the band also recorded a DVD at the final show for the tour, with all three singers. They once again toured Europe with this record. The DVD Smile was released to document this tour.

Perfect Future soon followed, with more jazz leanings, and only one guest vocalist, Fumio Ito (of Kemuri). Kin-Ichi Motegi also recorded a vocal track for this album. A few months after the release of Perfect Future, Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta, essentially the band's front man in live performances, decided to leave the band in order to concentrate on healing his legs, due to the accident suffered in 1996. The band decided not to replace him, thereby remaining as a nine-piece.

In early 2009 Paradise Blue was released, with the first line-up difference in almost a decade. This marked the 20th anniversary since the band's first EP was released, and they toured Japan in support of the album.[15]


2010s


2010 saw the release of World Ska Symphony, featuring guest vocals from Tamio Okuda, Crystal Kay, and Kazuyoshi Saito.

They played at Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City in April 2011. This was their first show in Latin America.[13] They played at Coachella in California on April 12, 2013.[6][16]

In 2014, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary. For the release of Ska Me Forever, the album featured guest vocals from 10-Feet, MONGOL800, and Asian Kung-Fu Generation.[5][17]

In October 2014 the band released Ska Me Forever Mexican Edition, edited by "Casete", which includes a CD bonus with 2 special songs for Mexican fans: "Cielito Lindo" and an arrangement of "Cafe Tacvba" hit "Eres". Also, they played a show in Mexico City to promote this edition, gathering more than 6,000 people, being their most successful single show in America.[18]

In 2020, the band composed and performed the opening and ending songs for the Tokusatsu series, Kamen Rider Saber.[19]


Members


Current members
Former members
Timeline

Discography



Studio albums



Singles



Vinyl Releases



Collaborations / Splits



Live albums



Comp Tracks / Tributes



DVD and Blu-Ray



Videos



Soundtracks



Band Compilations



Side projects



Tsuyoshi Kawakami and His Mood Makers

(Tsuyoshi Kawakami, Hajime Omori)


Sembello

(Yuichi Oki)


Speed King

(TSPO + Fantastic Plastic Machine + Dr Ys + KMP + OCHICHY)


Losalios

(Takashi Kato)


So Many Tears

(Kin-Ichi Motegi, Takashi Kato)


Fishmans

(Kin-Ichi Motegi) See Fishmans Page


Sfkuank

(Nargo & Masahiko Kitahara)


Compilations Curated By Band Members


See also



References


  1. "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  2. "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra Announce Tour Dates in U.S., Mexico, More". Billboard. August 17, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  3. Singh, Surej (December 4, 2017). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra set to return to Singapore". Bandwagon Asia. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  4. "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, ska japonés para oídos latinos". Eldiario.es (in Spanish). September 24, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  5. Ishii, Eriko (August 12, 2014). "「泣き笑いの感動をずっと追いかけてる」東京スカパラダイスオーケストラが語る、デビュー25年の歩み" ["We are pursuing the excitement of tears for a long time" Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra tells us the history of their debut 25 years]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  6. "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra". OC Weekly. October 9, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  7. Gotfryd, Laura (October 5, 2017). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra: "La vamos a pasar muy bien cuando conozcamos Buenos Aires"". Diario Registrado (in Spanish). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  8. Strauss, Neil (January 11, 1996). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  9. "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra". SXSW. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  10. Tomoki, Takahashi (December 2, 2017). "東京スカパラダイスオーケストラの2001年以来の歴代「歌モノコラボ」シングルを16本一挙解説" [16 Scenes from the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra 's singing collaboration single since 2001]. Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  11. ""Black Jack" by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra". RecoChoku Co., Ltd (in Japanese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  12. Smith, Simon (November 6, 2008). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – Tondemo Crisis (Incredible Crisis) OST Review". Higher Plain Music. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  13. Despres, Shawn (July 22, 2011). "Orchestrating a ska paradise for the summer". The Japan Times. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  14. Hiroki Tai (May 31, 2006). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – "Wild Peace"". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  15. Despres, Shawn (February 13, 2009). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – "Paradise Blue"". The Japan Times. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  16. McGovern, Kyle (January 25, 2013). "Coachella Lineup 2013: Stone Roses, Blur, Postal Service Reunion, and More". Spin. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  17. "J!-ENT's Dennis A. Amith interviews Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra" (PDF). J!-ENT. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  18. ""Lo que pasa en México es devastador para nosotros", expresa la Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra". Plumas Libres (in Spanish). September 25, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  19. "Kamen Rider Saber Ending Theme". twitter. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.


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На других языках

- [en] Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

[es] Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ, Tōkyō Suka Paradaisu Ōkesutora?), frecuentemente abreviado por sus seguidores como "Skapara", es una banda de música jazz y ska formada en 1985 por el percusionista Asa-Chang. Inicialmente estaba compuesta por más de 10 músicos, veteranos de la escena underground de Tokio. Por aquel entonces, el sonido de la banda era muy distinto al de las otras bandas de la novísimo ska japonés, y en el tiempo que ha transcurrido desde entonces, han llegado a influir en la música japonesa en general. Su sonido, el producto de la mezcla de las influencias musicales de todos sus componentes, da como resultado algo común al ska, al jazz y al rock. En sintonía con el ska más tradicional, muchas de las canciones del grupo son instrumentales. Desde sus principios, la banda ha hecho multitud de tours abarcando completamente la geografía de su país y muchos países a lo largo del mundo. Skapara ha colaborado con muchos cantantes ajenos a la banda, incluidos Shiina Ringo, Yusuke Chiba de Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, Takao Tajima, Puffy AmiYumi,Hiromi Uehara, Takeshi Tsuruno y Tamio Okuda.

[fr] Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (en japonais : 東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ) est un groupe de ska-jazz japonais (aussi appelé TSPO ou Skapara).

[it] Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

I Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ), comunemente chiamati dai fan Skapara o TSPO, sono una band ska-jazz giapponese, fondata nel 1988 dal batterista Asa-Chang ed inizialmente composta di più di 10 veterani della scena underground di Tokyo. Già all'epoca della sua fondazione, il sound della band si rivelò diverso da quello della scena ska a loro contemporanea, e durante il successivo ventennio ebbero una notevole influenza sull'intera musica giapponese. Il loro sound, prodotto delle influenze dei suoi numerosi membri, è un eclettico mix di ska, jazz e rock, con elementi di musica elettronica e di svariati altri generi. La maggior parte dei loro brani sono puramente strumentali. Dalla sua fondazione, la band si è esibita in svariati concerti nazionali ed ha ampiamente suonato anche in tutto il mondo; hanno collaborato varie volte con cantanti esterni al gruppo, ad esempio Shiina Ringo, Akira Kobayashi e Kyōko Koizumi.

[ru] Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (яп. 東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ то:кё: сука парадаису о:кэсутора, часто сокращается как Skapara или TSPO) — японский ска-джаз коллектив сформированный в 1988 году в Токио ударником Asa-Chang[5]. На момент формирования коллектива, на японской сцене не было похожего звучания, и в последующие годы группа оказала влияние на японскую музыку в целом. Музыка группы представляет собой смесь из ска, джаза и рока[6][7][8].


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