Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at the Eurockéennes, 2007
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at the Eurockéennes, 2007
Background information
Also known asSkapara, TSPO
OriginTokyo, Japan
Genres
Years active1985–present
Labels
Members
  • Nargo
  • Masahiko Kitahara
  • Gamou
  • Atsushi Yanaka
  • Yuichi Oki
  • Takashi Kato
  • Tsuyoshi Kawakami
  • Hajime Ohmori
  • Kin-ichi Motegi
Past members
  • Yuhei Takeuchi
  • Masayuki Hayashi
  • Asa-Chang
  • Cleanhead Gimura
  • Toru Terashi
  • Rui Sugimura
  • Tatsuyuki Aoki
  • Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta
Websitetokyoska.net

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ, Tōkyō Suka Paradaisu Ōkesutora), commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene.[5] At the time, the band's sound was unlike that of any of its contemporaries in the then fledgling Japanese ska scene, and over the course of the past 31 years, they have been influential on Japanese music as a whole. Its sound, the product of the musical influences of its members, is a mix of traditional ska, jazz, and rock.[6][7][8] In the vein of many other more traditional ska acts, many of Skapara's songs are purely instrumental.

Since its inception, the band has gone on several nationwide tours of Japan, and have toured worldwide.[9] They have collaborated with several vocalists outside of their band, including Shiina Ringo, Akira Kobayashi, Kyōko Koizumi, Schadaraparr, Puffy, Yoshie Nakano and Tamio Okuda.[10] They also performed the Japanese theme song to the PlayStation 2 game Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, entitled "Black Jack",[11] as well as songs for the PlayStation game Incredible Crisis released in 1999,[12] the 2020–21 Japanese drama Kamen Rider Saber and the closing ceremony for the 2020 Olympic Games.

  1. ^ "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra Announce Tour Dates in U.S., Mexico, More". Billboard. August 17, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Singh, Surej (December 4, 2017). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra set to return to Singapore". Bandwagon Asia. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, ska japonés para oídos latinos". Eldiario.es (in Spanish). September 24, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Ishii, Eriko (August 12, 2014). "「泣き笑いの感動をずっと追いかけてる」東京スカパラダイスオーケストラが語る、デビュー25年の歩み" ["We are pursuing the excitement of tears for a long time" Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra tells us the history of their debut 25 years]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra". OC Weekly. October 9, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  7. ^ Gotfryd, Laura (October 5, 2017). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra: "La vamos a pasar muy bien cuando conozcamos Buenos Aires"". Diario Registrado (in Spanish). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Strauss, Neil (January 11, 1996). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  9. ^ "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra". SXSW. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  10. ^ Tomoki, Takahashi (December 2, 2017). "東京スカパラダイスオーケストラの2001年以来の歴代「歌モノコラボ」シングルを16本一挙解説" [16 Scenes from the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra 's singing collaboration single since 2001]. Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  11. ^ ""Black Jack" by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra". RecoChoku Co., Ltd (in Japanese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Smith, Simon (November 6, 2008). "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – Tondemo Crisis (Incredible Crisis) OST Review". Higher Plain Music. Retrieved December 12, 2017.