Osaka's Soul Flower Union are back again for their annual year end bash in the wake of a turbulent time which has seen changes in band members and record companies. In 1999 they released a full-length studio album 'Winds Fairground', and now a first live album 'High Tide and Moonlight Bash' on the smaller Respect label, following their split with Sony. With so much activity going on a brief run-down of their past is in order.
Soul Flower Union were formed when two bands, Newest Model and Mescaline Drive, joined forces and the songwriting partnership of Nakagawa Takashi and Itami Hideko was born. From early rock beginnings they rapidly developed into an astonishingly accomplished, eclectic band, at home with a wide variety of styles and their musical adventures have embraced both Okinawan and Ainu cultures. A brief dabbling in jazz and swing led next into a meeting with legendary Irish musician and producer Donal Lunny who helped produce Nakagawa's solo project 'Lost Homeland'. But all this doesn't even mention a parallel project, the chindon inspired Soul Flower Mononoke Summit, a kind of alternative SFU, which began during the Great Hanshin Earthquake when Nakagawa and friends unplugged to play in the streets for the people of Kobe. Two albums followed, and the classic 'Fukko Bushi' - sung for the earthquake victims - is now included on the recent 'Rough Guide to the Music of Japan' album. Nakagawa is also the writer of Japan's best pop song of the past decade, 'Mangetsu no Yube', a version of which is also on the Rough Guide CD. Sunny Day Service certainly wouldn't argue with that and have just claimed that "Soul Flower Union write the best songs in Japan". Their collaborators have also included New York's Samm Bennett, Tokyo master musician Ohkuma Wataru, and Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon, while the rebellious, outcast nature of the songs has been highlighted by the inclusion of material by Victor Jara. A pulsating live version of Dylan's 'Shelter from the Storm' has yet to make it onto CD.
The new look SFU comprises four members - Nakagawa and Itami plus keyboardist Okuno Shinya and bass player Kawamura Hiroshi. A number of guests are usually added to this nucleus and fiddler Ota Keisuke is one face likely to be seen at the Osaka dates. Not all their fans have been able to take the roller coaster ride of SFU's ongoing musical journey, as one of their gigs is like seeing three or four different bands. But listening to the new live album makes it's clear that they are just as powerful as ever. If their fans don't like it, they are the losers. Sadly, the number of foreigners in their Osaka audiences has been very thin indeed, so do yourself a favour and get along there. I can't think of a better way to end the millennium.
John Potter
Soul Flower Union are at Shinsaibashi Big Cat on Dec.14. Opens 18.00, starts 19.00. Also at Osaka Bayside Jenny on Dec.23. Late start, possibly midnight. No details yet.Kansai Time Out, Dec. 1999
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Soul Flower Union
High Tide and Moonlight Bash (Respect) Soul Flower's first ever live album is a generous 14 track 74 minutes worth recorded at different venues over the past year. Nakagawa Takashi and his band run through everything from rock to chindon and from jazz to Irish trad. The selections are also a varied bunch. They include some that pre-date even SFU's own formation, right up to this year's studio album 'Winds Fairground'. Donal Lunny guests on some tracks and the classic 'Mangetsu no Yube' gets another airing. All life is here - and very good it sounds too. (John Potter. December 1999) Kansai Time Out, Dec. 1999
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