Singapore in ska heaven

Japanese ska group Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra made a successful return to the 2013 edition of Singapore’s Mosaic Music Festival, wowing the crowd with a hyped-up repertoire that had everyone on their feet throughout the show.
Rooted in exuberant instrumental ska, the music of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra channels jazz, rock, pop, surf and movies with flamboyant horns, relentless drums, dizzying surf guitar and a mega dose of love and humour.
Their debut show in Singapore in 2007 was, for many, one of the most memorable live gigs they’d attended.
Last Friday, the ska orchestra’s nine members were back at Esplanade Theatre’s Concert Hall for a sold-out show. As soon as the lights dimmed, the crowd was up and screaming in excitement as the group swung into the opener “Mysterious” and followed up with the sombre “A Shot in the Dark”. Not wasting time, they continued with the equally upbeat “Hijyousen Toppa”, “Down Beat Stomp”, “Wild Cat”, “Brave Eagle of Apache”, “Call From Rio” and “Soul Growl”.
“Singapore!” Atsushi Yanaka, one of the six founding members and baritone saxophonist shouted as a greeting to the crowd. “We’re very happy to be here,” he enthused, bringing on more energetic tunes like “Storm Rider” and “Ska Me Crazy”. The band then delivered a ska version of pop track, “Brazil”. Originally known as “Aquarela do Brasil”, the Portuguese pop hit was written by Ary Barroso and has been re-recorded in many different music genres over the past 70 years.
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra’s ska take on the song was refreshing, attention grabbing and danceable. It was also the highlight, as somewhere along the line it evolved into Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. Keyboardist Yuichi Oki stepped up and had his five minute of critical fame in an immensely enjoyable solo, follow by guitarist Takashi Kato who strummed the solo part just like a rock star.
The show continued with “Suikinkatsu”, “Return of Supercharger”, “Lupin’s Theme”, “One Step Beyond” “Skan-can” and “King of the Ants”. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra finished off yet another electrifying live act with “All Good Ska is One” and “Skaravan”
With such refined musicianship and a deep understanding of many diverse genres, each of the members is a star in his own right.
The solo parts were rich and bold but never intimidating. And despite the fact that they have nine instruments and are billed as an instrumental band, the ensemble was well balanced and neat.
Most of the time ska comes across as very fast-paced and super hyped-up, but Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra proves that with the right combination of other music elements, ska can be a great base for a great variety of sounds, dimensions and textures. Even ballads work surprisingly well with ska.
The band came into being back in 1988 over a Gaz Mayall ska cassette tape and its founding members quickly began experimenting with their own version of the Jamaican dance music, throwing into the genre all the other things they liked – rock, punk, jazz, surf, pop, the party vibe and mad antics.
Two years later, Tokyo Ska Paradise recorded their debut album, “Ska Para Intro”. That became an instant hit and their unique Tokyo-ska sound soon earned them a growing and fervent cult fan base that is still around today.