...samurai jazz warriors PE Z HAS COME A LONG WAY FROM PERFORMING ON THE STREETS OF SHIBUYA IN 2000. AND THEY VE SINCE THEN CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF MUSIC FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD BY WINNING A BEST NEW ARTIST AWARD. AND NOW THEIR MUSIC WILL FINALLY BE HEARD IN THE UNITED STATES. BY DENNIS A. AMITH 1
Photography courtesy of World Apart, Ltd. MEMBERS OF PE Z (PHOTO FROM L-R): Masahiro Nirehara (wood bass), Hiizumimasayu-Ki HZM (keyboards), Wataru B.M.W. Ohyama (trumpet), Kou (drums) and Kousuke Jaw Kadota (sax). PE Z, is one of those bands that kind of amazes you. Where Japanese music has been dominated by idol pop and rock n roll, PE Z has generated a growing fan base internationally with their awesome instrumental music and very hip live peforming style. Although some may accidentally describe PE Z as an instrumental jazz group and dubbed them the Samurai Jazz Band, the band is not actually a jazz band. In fact, they play a large variety of music, which includes rock, jazz, samba and ska, fusing them with unique sounds and occassional rap. Imagine, listening to a samba-like song that seems like it came from an episode of I Love Lucy and all of a sudden a burst of guitar-like sounding music starts blaring. It s hard to imagine but it works. A lot of their music experiments with different musical genres and the band s ability to fuse it with sounds, vocals and even hip hop makes their music really hip. This is definitely not the music that your grandfather listened to. PE Z is an instrumental band for the 21st century and their unique energetic sound has led the band to success. From winning the Best New Artist of the Year award at the 17th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards, topping the indie charts at every CD and record shop in Tokyo, a plethora of sold-out venues, a succesful tour in Seoul, Korea, theme songs for TV commercials and for a J-WAVE radio program, this band has come a long way since performing on the streets of Shibuya back in 2000. The band members have also had success in collaborating in individual projects with bands such as BEN FOLDS FIVE, COOL DRIVE, Tokyo Jihen, Puffy and CHEMISTRY. The band features frontman Wataru B.M.W. Ohyama (trumpet), Masahiro Nirehara (wood bass), Hiizumimasayu-Ki HZM (keyboards), Kou (drums) and Kousuke Jaw Kadota (sax). The band recently completed recording their upcoming album CHITOSEDORI (RRCA-29017) which will be released in Japan on Nov. 16th. Their music will now be introduced to American audiences through thr itunes music store, courtesy of Rightsscale Inc., on which their last album TSU KU SHI N BOW is now available. I recently had the opportunity to interview PE Z band leader, Wataru B.M.W. Ohyama regarding the band and his feelings of the band s music being made available to American audiences. DENNIS: It s a pleasure to see your music introduced here in the United States through the itunes Music Store. Before we discuss your music, let s start off with a few simple questions. How did the five of you come up with the name PE Z for the band? PE Z: There was a live space called fez in Manhattan under the Time Café. We attached a P from the word 2 J!-ENT OCTOBER 2005
Nt2099 Totally Hot selection! WHAT S UP WITH MUSIC Photo: Another sold-out performance for PE Z trumpet to create the name PE Z. DENNIS: And how did you earn the reputation of being a Samurai Jazz Band? PE Z: I guess we got the Samurai Jazz nickname because we are very serious about our music. DENNIS: I know that you and Jaw have worked together on the soul and funk band COOL DRIVE. But how did the five of you come together to form the band? PE Z: In 1999, I gathered together all the musicians that were outstanding during that time to create the strongest band and that was how PE Z was formed. DENNIS: One thing I noticed with many of your press photos from the past and present, is that for a music group, each of you are quite stylish musicians. Aside from We d like to influence a lot more audiences and hope that our music will develop into something that people of all ages can listen to. your awesome music, one thing that I enjoy about PE Z is your style factor because many young musicians, especially here in the U.S., it s very formal. From the hair to the clothes You guys look cool! Your music videos are stylish! Is it important to have a set style to go along with your music? PE Z We were doing street performances in the beginning and decided to have a set-style among the band so people can recognize us. Since the beginning, when we first began, we were wearing clothes with traditional taste such as T-shirts dyed in a traditional aizome method. DENNIS: Now, some people tend to classify PE Z as a jazz group but since you experiment with different types of music on your albums, do you mind if people call you a jazz band? PE Z: We respect jazz music so it is our honor to be referred to as a jazz band. However, we believe that our music is not jazz. DENNIS: When your song Dry! Dry? Dry! was used in the Asahi Beer commercial, not only did you introduce people to the music of PE Z but you also introduced people to jazz and other forms of music. The same in the U.S. with American fans who heard your song Boomerang Boogie from the anime Gad Guard. They never bought a jazz or instrumental album 3
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Nt2099 Totally Hot selection! WHAT S UP WITH MUSIC in their life and since discovering music, it has opened their minds to other music. How does that make you all feel? PE Z: I m very happy to hear about that! We d like to influence a lot more audiences and hope that our music will develop into something that people of all ages can listen to. DENNIS: With your first mini-album pe z back in 2001 to your latest album Tsu ku shi n bow (2005), what is the biggest difference between the way you do your music back then and now? PE Z: I guess the quality of our melodies and each of our characters have changed the most since then. DENNIS: How long did it take you to come up with the music for TSU KU SHI N BO and how challenging was it? PE Z: TSU KU SHI N BOW was one of our most-quickly produced albums and thus strongly reflects the live atmosphere in the studio. It represents the raw image of PE Z. DENNIS: I ve listened to Tsu Ku Shin N Bow many times. Let s talk about several of the tracks on the album. a. On the album, one of my favorites is Na! Na! Na!, what was the inspiration when creating this song? PE Z: We were looking for different ways to insert the vocals and ended up with that after several trials. Sort of pop & funny, isn t it great? DENNIS: My favorite song that I listen to a lot on the album is Auction #2. The way you fused the electric guitar into the song was interesting and most of all it works. PE Z: Actually it s keyboards, not guitar. We stuck it in a Marshall Amp and heavily distorted the sound, a key feature of PE Z. DENNIS: On this album, you tap into different musical styles, as with what you have done on previous albums. Is there any kind of musical styles that you would like to experiment with in the near future? PE Z: We just finished recording so there s nothing in mind right now, but we would like to incorporate some surprising music. 5
WHAT S UP WITH MUSIC DENNIS: What is your feeling about your music now being available on itunes in America? PE Z: We re delighted. Frankly speaking, we are a bit concerned if people would purchase it, but we do believe that our music will be accepted by the audiences there. DENNIS: The upcoming album CHI- TOSEDORI comes out next month in Japan. How was the vibe in the making of that albm? PE Z: The recording ran smooth and we enjoyed it a lot. I believe that the album will motivate us to be more active overseas, beginning with the showcase we had in the UK early october. We wish that this album will bring joy and energy to the audience. It ll also be great if people can feel our fighting spirit within these songs. DENNIS: Let s talk about your concert tour REALIVE TOUR 2005, from April through June 2005, you performed nearly non-stop in Japan. How was the experience with your latest tour? PE Z: The experience was fantastic. The major discovery we made was that we could do more! DENNIS: In the United States, we have read reports from Japanese fans how awesome it is to watch you guys perform live. What are the chances of us seeing a performance or a worldwide tour in North Ameri- ca, Europe and Asia? PE Z: We re definitely interested and would like to do more. There are infinite possibilities outside Japan so we d like to keep challenging. DENNIS: Getting to know you a little, what kind of musical influences did you have growing up? PE Z: I ve listened to jazz since my childhood so the base of our music is definitely jazz. I also listened to a lot of other music like Metallica. PHOTO: Album cover to PE Z Spring 2005 album TSU KU SHI N BOW which is currently available for download on the itunes Music Store in America. TRACK LISTING: M-01 WILD GYPSY M-02 HARU HA YA TE M-03 POP N ROLL M-04 NO.6 M-05 PIERROT M-06 AUCTION #2 M-07 NA! NA! NA! M-08 YU KU E DENNIS: How are you enjoying the current break? PE Z: I usually spend time on my hobbies. Recently it s been taking care of my pet fish. DENNIS: With each interview, J!-ENT has a section called WORD PLAY. I will give you one word and you give me your definition of that word: a. LOVE PE Z: Something that involves a constant tension. b. SUCCESS PE Z: Over that hilltop c. SEX PE Z: two (as in gender) d. MILES DAVIS PE Z: Scary guy e. TOKYO SKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA PE Z: Nice guys DENNIS: What final words would you like to say to your American fans? PE Z: We would like to have a live performance over there and spend the greatest music experience with all of you! For more information on PE Z, please visit their official Website at: www.worldapart.co.jp/pez/ 6