Gallop Jazz in Japan by Casey Chambliss Jazz in Japan by Casey Chambliss

+ = What do you get when you cross...

These guys! Pe’zmoku Also nicknamed the Samurai Jazz Band! I challenge you to find a more interesting jazz band than this one.

Why? This group played the ending theme for some of my favorite T.V. shows from Japan such as Bleach and Valkyria Chronicles I decided to check them out and see what else they do This is what I found...

A sound that connects beats against my eardrum, Conveyed words are shaking in my chest, Flying lights, twisted shadows, Rhythm of a color that runs wild, Standing and dizzy in the middle of the night, If you let it all go, If you've cried all your tears, You have no reason to keep staring at the ground. The sky whose morning burns, you who wake up, Start carving a day that is certain, In that time, don't you feel my voice echoing? If you do hear me, if my voice carries, Show me by holding your hands up, Yet its small and seems like it will overflow in this light. Run! Using my cleared ears, using my eyes that were opened, I won't take in this atmosphere again, In a vision that I realized, as well in the present, it is breaking If my heart keeps screaming out To where things like mistakes aren't. The sky whose morning burns, You look up at it And start chasing that dream. Don't you feel my voice echoing beside you? If you do hear me, if my voice carries, Answer with your feet. Even if you trip and get spun around, Keep running down that endless road! The sky whose morning burns, Our breath is now blowing back in a town that is dawning, Your awkward smile comes out of an open seam. Try to shine. A sound that connects beats against my eardrum, Conveyed words are shaking in my chest, Flying lights, twisted shadows, Rhythm of a color that runs wild, Standing and dizzy in the middle of the night, If you let it all go, If you've cried all your tears, You have no reason to keep staring at the ground. The sky whose morning burns, you who wake up, Start carving a day that is certain, In that time, don't you feel my voice echoing? If you do hear me, if my voice carries, Show me by holding your hands up, Yet its small and seems like it will overflow in this light. Run! Using my cleared ears, using my eyes that were opened, I won't take in this atmosphere again, In a vision that I realized, as well in the present, it is breaking If my heart keeps screaming out To where things like mistakes aren't. The sky whose morning burns, You look up at it And start chasing that dream. Don't you feel my voice echoing beside you? If you do hear me, if my voice carries, Answer with your feet. Even if you trip and get spun around, Keep running down that endless road! The sky whose morning burns, Our breath is now blowing back in a town that is dawning, Your awkward smile comes out of an open seam. Try to shine. English Translation

The technical stuff This song is more of a blend using popular music styles and blending it into a pop style. Jazz instruments are present in full force: piano, upright bass, drums, a guitar (which is acoustic), a folk singer, and those blazing jazzy trumpets. It mixes between major and minor chord progressions, includes some bass movement by step with secondary dominant chords, and uses some famous jazz sounds that are not hard to spot when listening actively.

The song itself I love the lyrics to this song, as they convey the message to get up and hear! The song speaks of answering with action and realizing you are not alone. I realize that this song sounds very different from conventional jazz or pop music. It is literally impossible to find a sheet music transcription for this song. I did however find many covers and by ear performances across the vast reaches of the internet.

What to take from this I want all of you to have been exposed to jazz from another country. You don’t necessarily have to like it. I’m just special. If nothing else, it is an interesting combination of styles, and the lyrics are quite beautiful. If you did enjoy this song or are interested in finding more music by Japanese jazz bands or composers, try Toshiko Akiyoshi.

Owarimashita My resources are The Great Wikipedia, Bleach, Valkyria Chronicles, and the all powerful Google search engines.