Mr Saxman wows Tokyo

Published on February 20, 2008

The temperature was near zero outside the Amlux Concert Hall in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, but inside it was sizzling as the audience went wild dancing to the lively Latin beat of a reinterpreted version of "Love at Sundown" by His Majesty the King.

The tune was part of Satoru Shionoya's homecoming celebrations earlier this month, having been one of the highlights of the Japanese bandleader's Asian tour that included sell-out gigs in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.

Thailand's Koh Mr Saxman, who performed with the group in Bangkok last November, was invited to join the musicians on stage for the second part of the Tokyo show, which featured "Malibu Sunset" from Koh's album and "Mr Tap Man", an innovative mix of ragtime and jazz by Satoru.

Shionoya is a multi-talented pianist, arranger and composer who incorporates such diverse musical elements as rock, ragtime, Latin, classical and break beat into his fusion jazz.

It was a happy reunion for Koh and the band, which is considered a leading force of new Japanese jazz. Other members include guitarist Yoshito Tanaka, Katsumi Hiraishi on bass, drummer Eji Tanaka and percussionist Masatoshi Kaimuma.

Thailand holds a special place in the hearts of Japanese musicians, as demonstrated by Yoshito who placed a yellow shirt bearing the King's insignia in front of the stage before launching into a guitar riff on "Love at Sundown".

The other big highlight came in the second concert of the two-night date, with the finale "Get Up and Go", a composition by Shionoya, pitting Koh against Masato Honoa, perhaps the most celebrated saxophonist in Japan today.

It was quite an awesome sight to see the two sax superstars battling it out before the roaring crowd, the stoic Honoa standing his ground with the cool air of a veteran.

Still reeling from the excitement of coming face to face with his long time idol, Koh said of this encounter: "It felt as if two people meeting for the first time had the most interesting and exciting conversation."

"I love performing with Satoru and his band," Koh continued. "They have a gift for transforming a difficult jazz piece into something that easily gets to the audience's hearts."

Amporn Chakkaphak

Special to the Nation