Osaka Monaurail Live In Spain Raritan
After two decades, the wheels are very much still turning for Osaka Monaurail, Japan's premiere funk orchestra, which has grown from a university combo to one o. F the world’s leading groups in the genre. Nine musicians on stage in sharp uniforms inspired by 60s fashion; trumpets are spinning in the air; leader Nakata dancing “Mashed Potato”; from James Brown funky dancers to jumpin’ be-bop instrumentals. In 2012, Osaka Monaurail celebrated their 20th anniversary by touring many cities in Japan, Europe, Canada and Australia, appearing at top venues, nightclubs and festivals including the Montreal International Jazz Festival in July. In 2013, the group is performing in seven European countries, Australia and of course Japan. Formed in 1992, all the member were students at Osaka University and were members of the same jazz society where they had fun playing and learning jazz, especially the music of Count Basie. 'Our team then was known as one of the best university/college bands when it comes to playing Count Basie tunes.
No Trouble On The Mountain/Archipelago
I was playing the forth trumpet part in the big band. However, after I had dropped out as trumpet player - I couldn't hit higher notes, I decided to do what I'd wanted to do ever since I was sixteen, which was to have my own funk band.' The group was named after the 1975 funk classic, 'It's The J.B.’s Monaurail' by the J.B.' S (misspelling intentional.) It originally held more than twenty people including many horn players, two guitarists and a percussion player, but soon after, the band was cut down to a 13 piece group.
Osaka Monaurail's songs: Listen to songs by Osaka Monaurail on Myspace, Stream Free Online Music by Osaka Monaurail. OSAKA MONAURAIL feat. Shirley Davis - 7-INCH (GERMANY) UNIQUE RECORDS. 'Live in Spain' release date 16. 2009 - OSAKA MONAURAIL - CD & DVD (JAPAN).
After a couple of university gigs, they had played in local bars and nightclubs in Osaka around 1994-1995. Signed to RD Records in 1999, OM released its first album entitled “What it is – What it was” in 2000, followed by nine albums: three more albums on RD Records; four albums on P-Vine Records (signed 2006-2009); and the latest 'State Of The World' on King Records (2011–present). In Europe, the last three albums are available on Unique Records (Dusseldorf, Germany). Since the summer of 2006 Osaka Monaurail had toured with a soul/funk legend, Marva Whitney, known as one of the James Brown's original Funky Divas.
Her hits include many Funk classics such as “It's My Thing,” “Unwind Yourself” and “Sunny” (duet with Mr. The partnership became arguably one of the most exciting collaborations in funk in modern era and left two albums “I Am What I Am” and 'Live In Japan,' three European tours and two Japanese tours. (Sadly, Marva Whitney passed on in December, 2012.) In November 2012, Osaka Monaurail played a show with Fred Wesley, the world's funkiest trombonist, whose carrier expand from James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic to the Count Basie Orchestra. It was one-night special show - OM played as a backing band to the man, and performed more than a dozen of funky classics by Mr.
'Friendly Fred' Wesley. Nakata runs his Shout! Productions label and continues to contribute to soul/funk in Japan. His company has been responsible for: reissuing a string of Soul/Funk albums and movies such as 'Superfly' (1972), 'Coffy' (1973) and a few more movies; subtitling “Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song” (1971), “Badasssss” (2004) and “Soul Power” (2009); most recently releasing “Edification of Weldon Irvine” (1976) on DVD. The group has experienced many member changes. However the most of the current line-up have been in the group for more than ten years. Osaka Monaurail as of 2015 are Ryo Nakata (vocals and keyboards); Kentaro Yamagata (Trumpet); Taihei Awaji (Trumpet); Shimon Mukai (tenor saxophone); Dan Hayami & Yuichi Ikeda (guitars); Tsuyoshi Ouchi (bass); Soki Kimura (drums).
Formed in 1992 in Osaka, Japan, and named after the J.B.' S' classic 1975 funk track '(It's Not the Express) It's the J.B.' S Monaurail,' Osaka Monaurail were originally a 20-piece big-band funk outfit, although things streamlined some when the band began working the local club and bar circuit a year later in 1993, eventually settling into the current lineup, which includes Ikeda Yuichi and Hayami Dan on guitars, Kaketa Yasushi and Sakakibarta Seiji on trumpet, Hiraishi Katsutoshi on trombone, Okuse Kensuke on drums, Nakata Ryo on organ and percussion, Mukai Shimon on flute and baritone and tenor sax, and Ouchi Tsuyoshi on bass.
Live In Italy
The group released a debut album, What It Is.What It Was on Shout! In 2000, following it with Rumble'n Struggle in 2001. In 2003 the band moved to Tokyo, and after a personnel reshuffle, issued Thankful (For What You've Done) in 2004, the live Eyewitness to the.Live in Heavy Funk System in 2005, and Reality for the People in 2007.
Shigeki Fukutani
Steve Leggett. ORIGIN Osaka, Japan. GENRE. FORMED 1992.