Fred Astaire from Takehiro Irokawa's Jazz "Utaeba Tengoku Jazz Song Chapter 1"
Fred Astaire in "Top Hat"
The title song of Chapter 1 of "Utaeba Tengoku Jazz Song" by Takehiro Irokawa is "Isn't This a Lovely Day?". My recommendations for this chapter are "Isn't This a Lovely Day?", "Cheek to Cheek", and "Top Hat". All of these are songs from the 1935 film "Top Hat", and all are sung by Fred Astaire. For the great Irokawa, Astaire is the highest rank of entertainer.
(Note that this refers to the singing and dancing as a whole. The great Irokawa comments that the singing is close to a side talent in a good sense. In fact, I don't think Astaire had any big hits as a singer.)
First, "Isn't This a Lovely Day?", Verve version (album "THE ASTAIRE STORY"). The roots of this sound source should be the same record that the great Irokawa was listening to.
This sound source features Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Flip Phillips on tenor sax, Oscar Peterson on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums—a masterpiece!
Next is "Cheek to Cheek", the 1935 RKO sound source (OST). The roots of this sound source should also be the same record that the great Irokawa was listening to. The tap sounds are by Ginger Rogers.
And "Top Hat", the same RKO sound source. The tap sounds are by Astaire.
In particular, "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" is said to be among his top 5 favorite songs (including the situation in the story of the film). Therefore, this is what you might call a "song to watch", which is ideally viewed on a theater screen. That is one of the characteristics of the song introductions by Takehiro Irokawa; he is fascinated by the performance (individual art) of the performers and musicians. He even goes so far as to say, "Even without the sound...", which suggests that he is interested in the player (person) themselves.
Takehiro Irokawa etc. (Appendix)
According to the chronology in his complete works, he entered elementary school in 1935 (Showa 10), though the exact timing is unknown, he dropped out after this (he didn't seem to fit in, started skipping school and going to Asakusa, etc., as if he were looking for his own place). In 1944 (Showa 19), he was suspended indefinitely from junior high school (heavier than expulsion). From around this time, he became a full-fledged (this strange expression is used because there is no other way to put it...) outsider. Thus, this entire volume is filled with recollections related to music, light theater, and films from around Showa 10, his dropout period (tentative).
Regarding the aforementioned "song to watch", I will introduce the great Irokawa's stance on "songs to listen to", or rather, how to listen. Quote: "It's a hassle to say whether music is good or bad. It's better to just listen to what suits your state of mind at the time." End quote. Regarding audio equipment, quote: "I like the sound of monaural with incomplete PA systems. When I listen to sound captured delicately by modern high-end stereos, I feel that I don't really need sound of this quality." End quote. The quotes are from Takehiro Irokawa's "Senso Sodachi no Horatsu-byo (Ginga Sosho)" and "Modern yori..." (1985).
Finally, "Thanks for the Memory" by Shirley Ross and Bob Hope.
I mentioned this song in Chapter 1 as well. This is the theme for the film "The Big Broadcast of 1938", and this film is also recommended by the great Irokawa.
(To clarify, the recommendations of the discerning great Irokawa have different evaluation points than general film criticism... or are even biased. As mentioned above, in his supremacy of individual art, simply put, the less content the better = it doesn't get in the way of the singing & dancing, etc. Please check the book for details!)
This sound source, if compared to a CD, is included in the album "Thanks For The Memories", and the 1938 recording is also included in "DECCA-MCAD 10611" (remastered version?).
The aforementioned Astaire sound source on record is the 2-disc album "Top Hat/Shall We Dance", "EMI EMS-67039-40 (YAX-4817)", which is the original RKO reissue (soundtrack = 1935). The Verve version is the 3-disc album "THE ASTAIRE STORY", "Verve Records MVX 9901/3". Recorded in 1952, this record is incredibly good.
(Also, I will follow the great Irokawa here and use "uta" (song) throughout, not "uta" (song/poem).)
Part 2 [Chapter 2 of Takehiro Irokawa's "Utaeba Tengoku Jazz Song" is "Yes Sir, That's My Baby"]