Wednesday 24 May 2017, 7.30pm
Howard Williams' Japan Blues series returns to OTO with Howard playing records from his extensive collection of Japanese music, anything from 30s jazz, 50s rock’n’roll, 60s beat to 80s disco/boogie - all Made In Japan. There'll also be a special live performance or two of kayoukyoku and enka from Akari Mochizuki.
An independent record distributor (formerly at Honest Jon's Records) and founder of Ethbo - a label whose roster includes releases by Mike Cooper; Killing Melody, a collection of 70s Japanese gangster soundtracks; and the crazed garage-rockabilly of Dean Carter. He co-compiled the Moondog retrospective "The Viking Of Sixth Avenue”, and a compilation of Japanese jazz singer Maki Asakawa for Honest Jon's, and three compilation albums of vintage music for Ace Records: Nippon Guitars - a selection of Japanese guitar pioneer Takeshi Terauchi; Nippon Rock'n'Roll, a compilation of Masaaki Hirao's late 50s rokabirii and most recently, Lovin’ Mighty Fire, a selection of Japanese soul, funk and disco.
An avid collector of vintage Japanese records, he has played at The Tate Modern, the Victoria & Albert Museum, has a monthly show on NTS Live and guested on Rinse FM. He recently released his debut LP as Japan Blues: “Sells His Record Collection”, a kind of Japanese musical travelogue, taking in some underbelly tourist spots on the way.
Akari Mochizuki, dubbed the only professional enka singer in the UK, will be singing enka (Japanese torch song), kayoukyoku (Japanese popular) and some of her own compositions, with backing tracks. Akari regularly appears at the Japan Matsuri in Trafalgar Square, Hyper Japan, and many Japanese cultural events held in the UK and Europe.
