HOSONO’S JOURNEYS ON THE MUSICAL SAUCER 2
Volume 2 of our Journey’s on the Musical Saucer series with Haruomi Hosono which featured writings on Hosono’s returns to places once encountered during his rich musical career and travels.
In 1979, Dr. John told Haruomi Hosono, “Watch out for the music business!”
Still excited about first hearing Van Dyke Parks’ “Discover America” (1972), a few months later Haruomi Hosono listened to Dr. John’s “Gumbo” (1972) for the first time. “Eiichi Otaki told me that a great record had been released and that it was all I needed to hear in order to understand what the New Orleans sound was all about. Well, he was right! (laughs)” Not only Ohtaki and Hosono, members of the the 70′s Japanese rock band Happy End, but for music fans worldwide, “Gumbo” became a showcase album of the New Orleans sound- a sound not easily heard by non-locals at the time. Hosono’s connection to New Orleans goes way back.
“Most of the stuff that I liked on the hit charts during school was music produced in New Orleans. Lloyd Price’s Personality (’59), Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law (’61), Lee Dorsey’s Working in a Coalmine (’66). Of course Allen Toussaint (producer, singer and keyboardist) was involved with the recording of Dr. John’s hit tunes that he made as a young guitarist. New Orleans was a dazzling cache of treasures.
Did you ever think of going to New Orleans? “No, the records gave me the entire picture. Blending something with something always produces interesting music, but it’s not about being in the specific place. The work is done in the composer’s head, which needs to be a real hodgepodge of things, so I’ve never thought of going to any special place to create music.”
A famous New Orleans dish, “Gumbo,” is also a thick soup that contains okra, and is pretty much a hodgepodge. Five years later, Hosono met Ronnie Barron, the keyboardist in Dr. John’s band, by coincidence when he was working as co-producer on the Makoto Kubota and The Sunset Gang’s “Dixie Fever” album, which was recorded in Hawaii. “I went out to the Honolulu airport to meet him and his face and black clothes, a color not really suited for Hawaii, made him look like a pirate. With no preparation we went straight to the studio and as soon as he started playing, a New Orleans atmosphere filled the room.”
Following on from that, Hosono produced Ronnie’s solo album “The Smile of My Life” (’78). It was recorded planned and produced in Tokyo. “I think it turned out really well. H was happy with it as well.” In February of 1978, Hosono formed the Yellow Magic Orchestra and in May of 1979, the first YMO album was released in the US on Tommy LiPuma’s label Horizon. “After YMO performed at LA’s Greek Theatre, we went to a party at LiPuma’s house that was attended by people from the music industry. Dr. John was there.” This was the period that Dr. John released two LiPuma-produced albums rich in AOR flavor, “City Lights” (’78) and “Tango Palace” (’79). “He had also started on a new musical life. While gently rubbing my shoulder as we were going he said, “Watch out for the music business!”
In 1999 Hosono teamed up with good friend Makoto Kubota and formed the duo “Harry and Mac,” recording the album “Road to Lousiana” in New Orleans.
“Ronnie Barton had already passed away by then. There’s no gravesite so we went to his house and paid our respects at his urn. When his relatives told me that he had never forgotten the solo album that he made in Tokyo. I felt happy that we were able to have done that.”
This article originally appeared in Paper Sky Number 7 (Paris Books: Read the City).
Originally, Hosono is from Minato, Tokyo.
