杉井幸一 / Koichi Sugii
杉井幸一 = Koichi Sugii* – サロン・ミュージック集 = Salon Music 1938-1941
King Records – BRIDGE 123/124 2CD 05 Jul 2009
I have heard some music of Koichi Sugi before, from sold out compilations, this is a new compilation that should do him justice. Knowing Japanese CDs are pretty expensive, you get thick plastic quality packages for sure, but I would have expected some quality remastering too, but I hear recordings taken from LP's, renewed dynamics could have done more justice.
The first CD starts with lots of classics. This is mostly instrumental jazz with an American jazz influence, arranged a bit like filmic music, salon music it is the title of the album says. There's some Latin and tango influence which is great. At its best the composer and arranger could have worked in Hollywood studios but never did. I also love it when Japanese themes meet tango and jazz ("Okesa Clause", "Shinisobushi", "Spring rain", "Spring on plums" "Kusatsu-bushi" and "Kushimoto section"). A few songs are heard too. At its best the arrangements are brilliant and vivid with nice use of rhythm, melodic rhythms in piano and such. For its double CD compilation it becomes a bit long and more obvious elsewhere. Never the less, this surely is a composer of the 30s to remember, internationally.
CD1- 1.旅愁 / Melancholy
2.故郷の廃家 / Abandoned homes
filmic jazz 3.木曽節 / Kiso-bushi
4.おけさ節 / Okesa Clause
5.八木節 / Yagibushi
nice rhythm changes, tap-dance jazz 6.新磯節 / Shinisobushi
interesting mix tango with Japanese elements 7.伊那節 / Inazushi
careful listen great piano bar theme 8.鴨緑江節 / Duck Midorie 9.春雨 / Spring rain
modern ideas Japanese flavours to American jazz
10.かっぽれ / Cool 11.梅にも春 / Spring on plums
eastern theme mix with tango/jazz 12.奴さん / She 13.広東の花売娘 / Cantonese Flower Prostitute 14.チンライ節 / Chinrai clause 15.涙の責任 / Responsibility of tears
slide guitar with latin rhythm 16.満州娘 / Manchu girl 17.母子船頭唄 / Mother and child boat song
enka melody on accordion 18.マリネラ(ジャス･ソング/ルンバ)/唄:杉井幸一 伴奏:サクライ･イ･ス･オルケスタ /
Marinella (Jazz Song / Rumba) Song: Koichi Sugii Accompaniment: Sakurai & his orchesta
some surface noise sadly 19.碧空(ジャズ･ソング/タンゴ)/唄:杉井幸一 伴奏:キング･ジャズバンド /
Blue Sky (Jazz Song / Tango) / voice: Koichi Sugii ; Accompaniment: King Jazz Band 20.波止場は暮れて(ジャズ･ソング/フォックス･トロット)/唄:杉井幸一 伴奏:キング･ジャズバンド /
The wharf is gone (jazz song / fox trot) / voice: Koichi Sugii ; Accompaniment: King Jazz Band CD2-1.荒城の月 / Stormy Castle Moon 2.宵待草 / Embrace
nice tango 3.串本節 / Kushimoto section
Japanese theme with varied rhythms 4.草津節 / Kusatsu-bushi
subtle arrangements to themes that have Japanese flavour, some surface noise 5.鹿児島小原節 / Kagoshima Ohara clause
interesting latin rhythms piano with violin, piano 6.安来節 / Yasugi-bushi 7.大漁節 / Great catch 8.追分 / Oiwake 9.太湖船 / Taihu Ship
American jazz brass led 10.黄河の漣 / The Yellow River Ren 11.沙窓 / Sama Window
relaxing filmic mode 12.九連環 / Nine rings 13.上海の花売娘 / Shanghai Flower Lady
slightly tiresome 14.マロニエの木蔭 / Shadow of Marronnier 15.あゝ我が戦友 / Oh, my comrades 16.軍国子守唄 / Military lullabies 17.歓喜の歌 / Song of Joy 18.胸に秘めて / Hidden in my chest 19.スペインの戀唄 / Spanish Love Song
attempt to flamenco mix with jazz and enko 20.漢口航路 / Hankou route
http://78music.web.fc2.com/sugii.html
東京市芝区に生まれ、府立五中から静岡高校を経て帝国大学法学部に進学、音楽部ではピアノを担当した。1930年(昭和5年)に卒業し、大阪商船のブエノスアイレス支店に入社する。 1932年(昭和7年)PCL映画に入社し、よしの婦人と結婚する。 昭和10年にサクライ・イ・ス・オルケスタに参加する。1936年(昭和11年)4月にキングレコード専属となり、演奏家兼歌手としても活動した。 サロン・ミュージックが好評を得たが1942(昭和17)年4月5日、急性腎臓炎のため36歳で死去。
"He was born in Shiba-ku, Tokyo, from Prefectural Gonaka to Shizuoka High School, he went to the Faculty of Law at Imperial University, where he was in charge of piano in the Music Department. Graduated in 1930 (Showa 5), he joined the Buenos Aires branch of Osaka Shosen. Entered a PCL movie in 1932 and married a good lady. In 1935, we participate in Sakurai y su orchesta. In April 1936 (Showa 11), he became a member of King Records, and also worked as a musician and singer. His salon Music was well received, but he died too soon on April 5, 1942 of acute nephritis at the age of 36."
