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Nat Dove, a legendary piano player from Texas who has played with everyone from T-Bone Walker, Lowell Fulson to Big Mama Thornton is now in Japan playing at clubs in Tokyo. You might know him from the soundtrack of the movie "Petey Wheatstraw" in 1977. His live dates include Nov. 26, Dec. 4 and 25 at Bright Brown. He will be staying in Japan for at least a few months, and he actually he is now considering to stay here. He was also in Tokyo in August, and he put on some good shows then. He is also planning on making a new record soon.
Toshirow Higurashi, a great slide guitar player in the veins of David Lindley and Ry Cooder, has a new album out titled "Dance in My Kitchen" (Nihombare JCUR-050), his third album and the first in 2 years. While the last album was basically electric with a full band behind him, this new one is all acoustic in a duo style with him and the percussionist Masakazu Tangiku. Sounds a bit like David Lindley's recent albums with Wally Ingram or Hani Naser, only more bluesy. He does two nice Robert Johnson covers "Come On In My Kitchen" and "Crossroads Blues". He's now touring Japan with Tangiku, and also plays occasional dates as a member of band Mad-Words. Setagaya Jamboree has their second album out titled "Setagaya Jamboree's Happy Hour" (Vivid Sound VSCD-241) on which they play their take of Jump blues. All the members of this band are still in their twenties, and this band is one of the great hopes of Japanese blues scene. Some of the other new releases by Japanese bands and artists are "Mata Dokka De Aimashone" by the Blind Lemon Brothers, "Go-Ahead Please" by Go-Ahead, a band lead by guitarist Hironari Yamada who currently lives in New Orleans, and a self-titled debut album by a jump/jive band by the name of Gentlemen Jump The Blues. Many great releases keep coming!
The second annual Kurume Blues Festival took place in at a bar named Kimpatsuya in Kurume City on Oct. 23. musicians from across Japan including Yonnojigatame, Pretty Blue Eyes, J Blues Band with Ryuichiro Senoh were billed in this event. I couldn't attend to this as Kurume is too far away from Tokyo, but I heard that the event was quite successful.
P-Vine Records has released on CDs classic Kent albums in original form including the original artwork. The titles released were Lowell Fulson's "Now!" and "Lovemaker", and B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby", "Let Me Love You", and "Boss Of The Blues", none of which have been available on CD in these original album form before. Also on P-Vine, a compilation album titled "Tribute to Robert Johnson" is planned for a release soon. This album will feature Japanese blues artists covering the songs of the legendary blueman.
(12/4/99)
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"Dance In My Kitchen"
by Toshirow Higurashi
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