CD: Further Explorations by Chick Corea

 I don’t remember when I listened to Bill Evans music first. It might be a high school boy. I remember I received a sense of poetic transparent from his tune.

 This CD is a live recording that Chick Corea played at the Blue Note Tokyo with Eddie Gomes and Paul Motian lat year. Some tunes at the beginning are a kind of difficult for me because their play was a bit awkward or unfitting, though the atmosphere like Bill Evans might be created. I think that Chick performed tunes with his characteristic in the later part.

 I realize it’s difficult to play other’s tunes even though he is a great pianist. The stronger was the impression of original tunes, the better performance players were required to play. However I’ve not listen to the album well yet. So I want to hear it more carefully.

 By the way, when I took a glance at Chick at a TV program this spring, he was thinner compared to his of a few years ago. I don’t think a fatty Chick was fit. His rapid losing weight makes us worried because he is enough old.

Musing just before the end of August

 After I gave up enduring sleep in a hot and humid room on August 10^th, I’ve used an air conditioner. Just after taking a bath, the cooled room by it makes me comfortable. But I’m sometimes woken up by the faint noise emitted from its fan. It might be nervous.

 My summer holidays have already finished as well as most of workers. However students are still enjoying remaining summer vacation. The crowd of streets are half-backed. Temperatures are firmly lower than the peak of this summer. Now, I feel a kind of sense of ennui.

 Media are reporting about an election to choose the DPJ leader every day. It might be important for Japanese nation. However, I never feel like realities. It appears to be an event happening at far places.

 I sensed the reality when I woke up on a semiconscious state at the midnight more than these news. My sensitivity receiving the faint noise and the coolness by the air conditioner is normal. That’s a sign of life.

Kan’s resignation

 Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that he would resign as Prime Minister today in response that three legislations, which were his resignation premise, could pass the parliamentary today.

 A bunch of Democrats are announcing their candidacy for the leader of DPJ, who will be the next Japan’s Prime Minister. However the key person is Mr. Ozawa who has the biggest faction. It seems that he would support Mr. Kaieda, the present Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. So Kaieda is possible to be the next PM.

 Next year the Lower House election is planned. At the election, the DPJ could lose their seats. The Liberal Democratic Party will have a possibility to make up the majority of the Diet. So, Prime Minister might change next year, too. In Japan, PM is changing every year.

 Libya ex(?)-leader Qadhafi in the Green Book criticized democracy that Political struggle that results in the victory of a candidate with, for example, 51 percent of the votes leads to a dictatorial governing body in the guise of a false democracy, since 49 percent of the electorate is ruled by an instrument of government they did not vote for, but which has been imposed upon them. Besides, this political conflict may produce a governing body that represents only a minority. However, no one accept his dictatorship.

 Anyway, the parliamentary democracy is ruled by the majority logic. At the contemporary world, there are a lot of opinions and assertions. We can’t decide the integrated direction on our future. In that sense under the current system, I think any candidate can not fulfill the role as Prime Minister.

Deteriorated English speaking

 After the end of summer holiday, my English conversation class restarted yesterday for the first time in one month. I had looked forward to hearing talks of classmates. But what I noticed from their speaking by English is that their English speaking were deteriorated compared to those before the summer vacation. They might have not used or studied English during the holidays. I realize it’ difficult to keep our English skills up in the condition of living in Japan. We don’t need to use English on daily life.

 I don’t have any opportunity to speak English at work. However, when I look for articles or materials from the web, it is very useful to read those written by English. Compared with those by Japanese, the amount of English ones are overwhelmingly huge. I can get better information by using English.

 I sense that speaking English is more difficult than reading it. When we read something written by English, we adjust the reading speed and we could guess the meaning of an unfamiliar word. But in case speaking English, we need to know the meaning of the word and grammar. Unless we understand the word, we can’t use it.

 The absence for one month caused them to deteriorate their English capacity. It’s no wonder. On analysis, we should keep learning English if we wish to keep and improve English skills.

Targeting for Jazz

 My brother gave my mother his produced CD. The title is “Handsome boys Jazz -Sweet Jazz Selection-” in which Japanese popular songs in 80s fill up.

 When he came to my parents’ home last week, he told that it was released targeting women in thirties. Now Jazz is listened among aged people who used to listen to Jazz masters and single women who appear to typically sit on stool at a bar. That means there are few listeners but them. This album is expected to be bought by these women.

 I as well as he don’t know how many copies it will be issued. However there seem to be some thousands. Even a popular singer some ten thousands sales must be good. I don’t hear a story that a CD album sell a million these days.

 Therefore it may be crucial to set a target. Even though the sales figure is some thousands, a producer could gain a profit.

 We can get free music through the web. It has caused falling CD sales. A producer had better focus on a certain customer.

Tatsoro Yamashita, a famous singer, player, composer and producer born in 1953, said at an article in a newspaper that anyone is unable to keep creating songs for a long period just by passion for music. It needs research and targeting.

After all, what to sell something needs a strategy. That’s a business. I hope this CD could earn a profit in the niche market.

http://blackqp.blog.shinobi.jp/

Book; How to win friends and Influence people

The sales figure of this book is amazing. According to the afterword, it was printed over 15 million as of 1982. It must be issued more than 20-million at present.
 

I’ve seen it at every book store. Since I knew the first issue was published in 1936, I’ve been reluctant to buy it. However after I finished reading it, I realized the importance of courtesy and thoughtfulness. These things are unchanging principle.

When this book was published at first, Dale Carnegie didn’t expect it would be sold as many as 15 million. He developed human relationship and became a head of Dale Carnegie Research.

It is categorized in a classical business book. Most of contents are comprised by examples from the US Presidents to ordinary citizens. All of them convince us that it is crucial to act and speak with consideration for other people’s feelings. I slightly felt it redundant because of too many examples. And I was surprised that it came from the US. At presence, we live in a competing society, especially in the US. As I look at the US society from Japan, many of his precepts seem to be forgotten.

Anyway, as reading it, I felt comfortable because it emitted intelligence.

Yen appreciation

 The exchange rate of yen reached 75 yen per dollar today. It was the highest record following that on March this year.

 After the yen adopted the floating rate system and allowed the Plaza Accord in 1985, the value of yen has been rising. Following the deficit problem in the US and the sovereign bond problems in Europe, despite Japan has suffered with recession and the disaster of East Japan, the only yen has been soaring.

 It appears to be a nightmare where the world will head for an impossible end. The sole way dealing with the high yen seem to be to default on Japanese bond.

 Although travelers intending to go abroad are pleased with the strong yen, many of Japanese who are engaged in export business are on the verge of giving up. Unfortunately we don’t have any hope to the politics or the government. We have to come up with measures coping with the yen appreciation by ourselves.

 Today is the end of summer holidays. I was supposed to feel refreshed thanks to the holidays. But I feel uneasy about the Japanese future. It’s a shame.

Daytime hot spring

 I made a reservation of a daytime hot spring plan of a hotel in Yaizu for enjoying with my wife’s parents. At first, I found by the Internet that the hotel offered daytime rest plan including lunch, a hot spring and a room. Though I tried to reserve this plan, I was told it wouldn’t be able to offer this plan during the summer holidays. So I secured another plan in which it offered lunch and a hot spring.

 The lunch was Japanese food and the waitperson served every dish with courteous attitude. The meal was elegant and delicious. We were contented with the food.

 After lunch, we took the hot spring. There would be a lot of bathers from evening because of hotel guests. But it was a daytime, so we took a bath with no other guests.

 Yaizu city is located about one hour distance from my city. Our parents became old, and I thought they might have trouble to move from place to place. It’s why I selected this plan. I hope they would have enjoyed this event.

Gas pipes’ construction

 A construction changing old gas pipes to new ones in front of my house began today. The notice had been conveyed. It says that the construction is going to be implemented from today to mid September. In case of cars need to go in or out, workers will give away if we ask them.

 However, they dug the road just in front of my house. A traffic control person induced me to my house, though I couldn’t make my car enter a garage. So I pulled off at a near vacant space.

 The gas pipes were set on about 50 years ago, according to my mother. The old pipes were rusty. Nonetheless, new houses have been building around my neighborhood since early this year. These houses adopt electricity as their all energy. Therefore they don’t need gas pipes.

 That’s a sort of cynical result. I think the public gas is one of the important infrastructures. On the other hand, quite many new houses choose not to use gas. The sense of value is altering at any time. As oil and gas prices soar, these values for people could decrease.

 Anyway, the loud noise and the obstruction of the construction will continue for a while.

Movie; From Up on Poppy Hill

 I looked for films run at the theater today last night. I could see cartoons but there were few dramas for adults. Those dramas didn’t attract me, so I made a decision to go see an animation “From Up on Poppy Hill” or “Kokuriko Zaka Kara” produced by Studio Ghibli.

 The original story seemed to be a comic for girls in 1980. The story was set in Yokohama in 1963. It depicted a love story between a high school girl and boy. The relation of two is slightly complicated because he was put up for adoption from her father in the midst of the story, which means they are siblings. But eventually it was revealed their parents were different.

 I thought the time background was well described. 1963 was just one year before Tokyo Olympic. So Japan was thriving. I saw a lot of cars in the film, which I thought it proved Japan was getting wealthy. On the other hand, the protagonists had sad past that their fathers were killed at the Korean War.

 In terms of the story, I had an impression that it was a bit odd or lack of explanation. For example, the girl’s name is “Sora” but at times she was called as “Mel.” I got the reason by the Internet search after returning home. I thought the explanation or script was not enough for theater audience.

 However, I felt it was better than “Tales from Earthsea” which was produced by the same director Goro Miyazaki. Moreover I could see it by the discounted 900 yen, which was a half price at normal days. Totally, I enjoyed the good movie at the cool place.