Dodo Street Band Minyo Crusaders

INTRODUCING... Dodo Street Band Minyo Crusaders Nathaniel Handy speaks to genre crossing master fiddler James Catchpole speaks to the band breathing new life into Adam Summerhayes about his superb new instrumental quintet min’yō, an age-old Japanese folk tradition fallen to obscurity ust what, you might ask, is a doubted he’d do it, because he’s the best study with Yfrah Neaman, the Israeli old min’yō songs back, but in a fresh, quintet of classically trained there is. But he said yes.” The resulting violinist. Whamond had himself trained contemporary way incorporating J musicians doing playing a Gypsy- quintet has Irish, Scottish and English with Adolph Brodsky at the Royal different rhythms from outside Japan.” klezmer mash-up with classic old traditional music coursing through its Manchester College of Music. Brodsky Tanaka goes on to explain that Celtic tunes? Shouldn’t there be laws veins. But that’s only half the story. In hailed from a Russian Jewish family though the use of Latin and African against this kind of thing? Wouldn’t many ways, the godfather of Dodo Street and first played in Odessa – that beating percussion with min’yō songs may you expect more purism? Well, beware Band is Summerhayes’ grandfather – heart of Ashkenazi Jewish culture. It sound unusual, there is some history in your prejudices. There’s more to Dodo north-east fiddler Alex Whamond. doesn’t get more steeped in klezmer Japan of this kind of mix. “In the 1950s Street Band than meets the eye. “His family were fishermen from the than that. Brodsky would go on to and 60s, Japan’s most famous singers, Fiddler Adam Summerhayes, who east coast of Scotland,” Summerhayes perform the premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Hibari Misora and Chiemi Eri, sang conceived the project, pulled together says. “He grew up on Tyneside and with Violin Concerto in D major. some min’yō songs and enka (Japanese a fine cast. “The accordionist Murray all the seafaring, there’s a lot of different Summerhayes’ own early folk sentimental ballads) with updated [Grainger] said yes before I’d even blood in the family; add to that, my stirrings were roused again a decade arrangements that were swinging, finished explaining it,” Summerhayes granny was Jewish. He used to play a ago, after a career performing classical funky and sometimes even rocking. recalls. He then brought in Piers very mixed bag of tunes. That was my concertos around the world. And it is Group lead vocalist Freddy Kumamoto Adams (“I’ve never been next to such first introduction to what a violin was.” freedom from dogma and structure Takahiro Kubo and I went back and listened to all incredible virtuoso genius produced on The Eastern European influence that marks out his approach, which these records and were inspired to a recorder – which is utterly ludicrous”), doesn’t end with family lineage, mind is manifested in Dodo Street Band’s do something similar, but in a more Malcolm Creese (“an extraordinary bass you. Summerhayes started out playing irreverent take on purist tradition. contemporary way.” player and up for anything”) and Irish folk airs with his grandfather – and “My grandfather was brought The band’s concept of ‘bringing percussion wizard Cormac Byrne. in his bedroom when he should have up playing folk tunes in a way that he world music boom shows as blues is to the US, and yet in the back min’yō’ developed rather quickly “Cormac was a mate of Murray’s,” been practicing his classical scales – disappeared after the folk revival of no signs of abating around the modern world they are largely ignored. as the each new member was added, says Summerhayes. “Murray told me he but he was eventually sent to the 1960s,” says Summerhayes. “He Tglobe, yet amid the gluttony of As a result, the Tokyo-based Minyo including veterans of the Tokyo never assumed to play a tune the African and Latin music groups and Crusaders have hit the scene like a world music scene like percussionist same way twice. He hated what pub CD compilations the music of Japan hurricane with their unexpected but Mutsumi Kobayashi, conga player sessions became. The whole point has been woefully underrepresented. seamless mix of min’yō with Latin, Irochi and DJ/vocalist Meg. The Minyo was to play it and then set it free.” Major world music festivals rarely Caribbean and African rhythms. Crusaders’ live shows immediately That anarchic strain is evident host Japanese performers, and cultural Formed in the western Tokyo suburb made an impression; having caught in Dodo Street’s visceral live centres abroad tend to present a of Fussa in 2011, the ten-piece’s debut, them the first time with no prior performances. Perhaps resurrecting narrow vision of Japanese music and Echoes From Japan, has received exposure, I was blown away by the the long extinct dodo is a culture, focusing on the traditional widespread acclaim as their energetic deep funk and remarkable vocals of metaphorical way of imagining repertoire of the koto or shamisen – if live shows have seen them play to ‘Akita Nikata Bushi’. The sound they different histories, ones that never presenting any music at all. Sharing the ecstatic crowds around the country. produced was like being dropped into a happened, but which can still earthy, lively and raunchy sounds of The road to get here was not easy, Japanese farming festival with a bunch happen if we will them into being. authentic Japanese life as expressed in as bandleader and guitarist Katsumi of Ethiopian jazz-funk musicians as “I’ve got these three disparate min’yō (traditional Japanese folk songs) Tanaka explains: “Min’yō folk tunes the house band; everyone singing and traditions in my head, which runs counter to the government’s are part of the Japanese identity from dancing with wild abandon. are absolutely alive for me,” says WIN efforts to either promote ‘Cool Japan’ or centuries ago, and yet today most With an international release for Summerhayes. The band will be the elite aesthetics of Japanese art. people are relatively unfamiliar with their debut album, some new songs alive at a festival near you soon. Min’yō songs were originally sung at the music. Most people have a vague in the pipeline and possible overseas We have three copies of Echoes work, at play and during rituals, and knowledge of song titles and melodies live dates, Minyo Crusaders are ready + ALBUM Dodo Street Band’s debut of Japan to give are from so long ago that any known and in the countryside people may to show the world that there is more away. To enter, album, Natural Selection, is answer: What authorship is long forgotten. These have some appreciation for old, local to new Japanese music than identikit reviewed this issue, see p67 is the name of tunes vary by region in Japan but have tunes, but few people listen to min’yō J-Pop or stodgy old ballads. Phil Richards Phil Minyo Crusader’s + DATES The band are on tour in similar themes, often expressing the outside of the context of local summer bandleader? the UK through June and July, see See p21 for competition joys of life despite hard work and hard festivals. What we’re aiming to do + ALBUM Echoes of Japan is a Top of dodostreetband.com for details rules and deadline times. They are as integral to Japan with the Minyo Crusaders is bring the the World in this issue, see p82 18 SONGLINES › ISSUE 148 WWW.SONGLINES.CO.UK WWW.SONGLINES.CO.UK ISSUE 148 › SONGLINES 19.

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