Tokyo Song Celebration is here to do just that: to celebrate the art and spirit of song. Hosted by regular performers Bennett-Kuroda, the monthly event brings their ever-expanding repertoire of original songs by Samm Bennett (as well as selected cover tunes) to Fuglen, the new cafe and bar in Asakusa, Tokyo.
In addition to Bennett-Kuroda's musical offerings, each installment of Tokyo Song Celebration features a special guest performer, chosen from Tokyo's rich pool of musical talent, or visiting artists passing through.
There is NO cover charge, entry is FREE to the public.
The venue is a stylish and comfortable spot, with a focus on fine coffee (some delicious baked goods may also be available) but also featuring a full bar, including craft beer, wine and liquors. Fuglen has become well-known for their creative and very delisious cocktails, which MUST be tried if you're a mixed-drink fan. Notable also is that there are 3 separate rooms within the venue: the main room (where the music happens) as well as another totally separate room on the same floor with tables, couches and chairs, and yet another third room, just up a spiral staircase, with additional lounge-ability. It's possible, then, to move into another area should you want to take a break from the musical performances and chat with friends. A nice flexibility.
In addition to Bennett-Kuroda's musical offerings, each installment of Tokyo Song Celebration features a special guest performer, chosen from Tokyo's rich pool of musical talent, or visiting artists passing through.
There is NO cover charge, entry is FREE to the public.
The venue is a stylish and comfortable spot, with a focus on fine coffee (some delicious baked goods may also be available) but also featuring a full bar, including craft beer, wine and liquors. Fuglen has become well-known for their creative and very delisious cocktails, which MUST be tried if you're a mixed-drink fan. Notable also is that there are 3 separate rooms within the venue: the main room (where the music happens) as well as another totally separate room on the same floor with tables, couches and chairs, and yet another third room, just up a spiral staircase, with additional lounge-ability. It's possible, then, to move into another area should you want to take a break from the musical performances and chat with friends. A nice flexibility.
THE (rough) SCHEDULE for Friday 2/21:
1st set: 20:00 ~ 20:45 - Bennett-Kuroda
2nd set: 21:00 ~ 21:45 - Claire Phiroza Natirbov (w/ Bennett-Kuroda)
3rd set: 22:00 ~ 23:00 - Bennett-Kuroda
(and... quite often Samm will play some solo stuff, longer into the night, depending on the vibe)
1st set: 20:00 ~ 20:45 - Bennett-Kuroda
2nd set: 21:00 ~ 21:45 - Claire Phiroza Natirbov (w/ Bennett-Kuroda)
3rd set: 22:00 ~ 23:00 - Bennett-Kuroda
(and... quite often Samm will play some solo stuff, longer into the night, depending on the vibe)
FRI 2/21 : special guest singer Claire Phiroza Natirbov
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Claire Phiroza Natirbov is possessed of a lovely, haunting and crystalline voice that is sure to enchant. She is a relatively recent arrival here in Tokyo town, and hasn't as of yet done a lot of performing in our fair city. We are proud to feature her for this 12th installment of Tokyo Song Celebration. She'll be accompanied by Daisuke Kuroda on guitar as well as some extra percussion here and there courtesy of Samm Bennett. Don't miss her!
Check her version of "Love Is a Losing Game" at Soundcloud HERE.
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Fuglen is located in the heart of Tokyo's Asakusa district, and is situated between Asakusa station (Tsukuba Express line) and the OTHER Asakusa station (Tobu Skytree line - Ginza line - Toei Asakusa line). Also nearby is Tawaramachi station (Ginza line).
Below: at-a-glance map to Fuglen. Need more detail? Go to the Google Map
The venue...
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The live ambience...
TSC #1 (March 15, 2019) left to right:
Jean-paul Richard, Samm Bennett, Daisuke Kuroda, Bruce Allen
Jean-paul Richard, Samm Bennett, Daisuke Kuroda, Bruce Allen
TSC #2 (April 19, 2019) - Marcellus Nealy, Hiroshi "Koyu" Suzuki,
plus hosts Daisuke Kuroda and Samm Bennett
plus hosts Daisuke Kuroda and Samm Bennett
TSC #3 (May 17, 2019) - Bennett-Kuroda with special guest Jeff Curry, bass
And below, our special guest at TSC #3 was Matt Gillan, who performed a set of masterfully done Okinawan songs, accompanying himself on the 3-string sanshin, Okinawa's most famous musical instrument. (Some of you may know Matt as the piano man in King Cake Baby)
TSC #4 (June 21, 2019) ; Our special guest performer was Yugo Sato, who turned in a set of his gravel-voiced blues and American standards, accompanied by his highly percussive guitar stylings. And performing with Yugo was Pua Lokomaika'i Kazue who graced us with some of her skillful and lovely hula dancing!
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TSC #5 (July 19, 2019) - Our special guest performer was Australian singer/songwriter Sorcha Chisholm, who brought in a batch of her newest material for us.
TSC #6 (August 24, 2019) : Our special musical guest was Felix Sonnyboy, bringing his crisp finger-picking blues and ragtime stylings as well as some of his original numbers.
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TSC #7 (September 20, 2019) : Our special musical guest was tea, an singer possessed of an exquisite voice, who treated us to a number of cover tunes from all over the musical map, well as some of her original numbers. She was accompanied by Daisuke Kuroda on guitar, Samm Bennett on percussion, and her regular bassist Hiroshi.
photos: Kyoko Obayashi
TSC #8 (October 19, 2019) : Our special musical guest was singer/songwriter Diego Davidenko, who graced us with a set of his beautifully idiosyncratic original tunes in both English and Japanese.
TSC #9 (November 16, 2019) : Our special musical guest was guitarist extraordinaire Brad Rabuchin. Brad is a veteran of the Ray Charles band (he toured extensively with Ray for 6 years or so), and is based in Los Angeles, California. He was here in Japan for a tour with a quartet that includes none other than our own Daisuke Kuroda. Daisuke and Brad have a musical relationship going back to the years Daisuke lived in LA. Brad's exquisite and always-musical guitar stylings brought a fine embellishment to Bennett-Kuroda's music, and we look forward to having Brad join us again next year!
TSC #10 (December 6, 2019) : Our special musical guest was singer Mel Ushikubo, who graced us with a set of cover tunes from the world of pop and jazz, including, appropriately for the season, some Christmas songs. For her set, Mel was accompanied by Daisuke Kuroda.
TSC #11 (January 17, 2020) : Breaking with tradition a bit, our special guest for the evening wasn't a singer, but rather a percussionist, namely Winterhawk Spencer, one of the most in-demand rhythm men in Tokyo. Winter, as he's known to friends, put a solid groove under three Bennett-Kuroda sets, using djembe and udu. Big fun was had by all!
