Maroon 5
Oct. 1

Dropping their debut album in 2002, Maroon 5 have enjoyed a surprisingly quick ascension to rock/soul acclaim and respect. Originally formed in southern California as the punkish Kara's Flowers, the quintet has traversed both US coasts, and steadily refined its sound to include the R&B and Hip Hop sensibi-lities that were lacking in its original incarnation. Grassroots touring and a road-warrior approach to building a following (playing supporting sets for such acts as Sugar Ray, Matchbox Twenty, and John Mayer), has finally brought the band into the national (and international) spotlight. On the strength of airtight live playing, seamless melding of trad soul and modern rock influences, and of course the sonic irresistibility of such singles as (Songs About Jane's) Harder To Breathe, This Love, and She Will Be Loved, Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass), Ryan Dusick (drums) and James Valentine (guitar) have staked their claim as a band to be reckoned with.

Harder to Breathe and This Love went top 10 on the singles charts, and by January of this year, Songs About Jane was certified platinum. To top things off, they beat out the likes of Kanye West, Jojo and Hoobastank to take MTV's coveted Best New Artist title at the recent Video Music Awards. This month is your chance to check out what all the fuss is about, as Maroon 5 make a pit stop here at Namba's Big Cat, between stops in Tokyo and the UK.

Big Cat. 19:00. ¥6800
Tel: 06-6341-4506

Joao Gilberto
Oct. 2 & 3

A living treasure of the bossa nova idiom, Joao Gilberto
continues to command one of the most seductive and lyrical voices the genre has known, even now in his fifth decade as a performer, and his seventh on earth. He's been called O Rei da Bossa (The King of Bossa), O Mito (The Legend), Il Maestro Supremo (The Supreme Master), and O Zen-Baiano (The Zen-Bahian). Gilberto's iconic status is as undeniable as the mystery and conjecture that continue to surround his persona. A poet, lover of cats, reclusive musical genius, inscrutable even to his native Brazilians, his presence alone evokes a visceral charge among devotees.

Gilberto's most recent studio album, 2000's Joao Voz E Violao, was produced by the great Caetano Veloso and included beautifully understated renditions (simple guitar and vocal) of classic bossa nova titles Desafinado, Voce vai Ver, and Chega de Saudade. Japan's intimate relationship with Brazil and its culture should speak to how enthusiastically artists such as Gilberto are received here — his most recent album is 2004's Joao Gilberto in Tokyo — and two dates in Osaka's spacious Festival Hall usually mean hefty crowds are expected. Bring a date and welcome the autumn with a little romance, tenderness and living bossa nova history.

Festival Hall. 17:00 (10/3 @ 16:00)
¥10,000/¥12,000

The Manhattan Transfer
Oct. 11

Multi-Grammy award winning quartet The Manhattan Transfer has hall-of-fame status as one of the classiest and most consistent vocal groups in Jazz. With a career dating back to 1972, Tim Hauser, Alan Paul, Cheryl Bentyne, and Janis Siegel have catalogued a discography including well over twenty releases. They are frequent visitors to jazz-loving Japan, and their 1996 Man-Tora!: Live in Tokyo, represents a diverse set of tunes performed that year in 11 Japanese cities.

Known for their flawless -and often a capella — renditions of jazz and pop standards reaching as far back as the 1930s, (1997's Swing album in particular), TMT is one of very few vocal jazz groups with cross-generational appeal. They have remained vital by their constant touring schedule and their growing and diverse list of collaborators, including Phil Collins, Bette Midler, Ben E. King, Ruth Brown, Smokey Robinson, Laura Nyro, Chaka Khan, B.B. King and James Taylor. Last month saw the release of their latest effort, Vibrate, which showcases TMT's genre-hopping prowess in the context of 21st century songwriters such as Brenda Russell and Rufus Wainwright. Jazz fans are encouraged to take a break from
the Osaka Blue Note and make the Umeda transfer over to Kobe
to catch the awesome foursome this month.

Kobe Kokusai Kaikan Hall. 17:30. ¥5000-¥8000.
Tel: 0570-02-9999

Mogwai
Oct. 7

Experimental, brooding, multi-textured and striking, Mogwai bring the retrained chaos, Glasgow style. The band was form-ed in 1996 by guitarist/vocalist Stuart Braithwaite, guitarist Dominic Aitchison, and drummer Martin Bulloch, “longtime friends with the goal of creating 'serious guitar music.'” Likened by some to Sigur Ros, or Sonic Youth, they use an array of creative elements including shifting song structures, inaudible whispering followed by hairsplitting sonic assault, menacing or unusual samples and voluminous guitar washes.

Fan and critical favorites of their studio output are their 1999 release Come On Die Young and their fourth album, 2003's acclaimed and subtler Happy Music for Happy People (Matador). Of the former — “monumental,” and of the latter “Mogwai…sound lush and powerful. Their time hasn't passed” says Online Music Review. Osaka Big Cat welcomes the intriguing ensemble this month.

Big Cat. 19:00. ¥6000.
Tel: 06-6341-4506

Live Listings October

10/1
Raymond Lefevre Grand Orchestra
@ Hirakata Shimin Kaikan Dai Hall. 18:30. ¥5,000/¥6,000. Tel: 072-843-1122. Classical
10/1
Maroon 5 @ Big Cat. 19:00. ¥6,800 Tel: 06-6341-4506. Rock
10/2 &3
Joao Gilberto @ Festival Hall. 17:00 (10/3 @ 16:00) ¥10,000/¥12,000. Brazilian/Jazz
10/3
Burn The Floor (Musical) @ OsakaJo Hall. 12:00 (var. times throughout day) ¥6,000~¥11,500. Tel: 06-6233-8888. Musical
10/4
Czech Philharmonic Octet @ Izumi Hall. 19:00. ¥6,000. Tel: 06-6135-0503. Classical
10/4 & 9
Count Basie Orchestra @ Osaka Blue Note. 18:45/21:30 (10/9 @ 18:00/ 20:45). ¥9,500. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Jazz
10/6
The King's Singers (Brahms/ Schu-mann) @ Izumi Hall. 19:00. ¥5,000/ ¥6,000. Tel: 06-6944-1188. Classical
10/6 &7
Alma Flamenca @ Osaka Blue Note. 18:45/21:30. ¥7,500. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Flamenco
10/7
Mogwai @ Big Cat. 19:00 ¥6,000.
Tel: 06-6341-4506. Rock
10/7&8
Love Psychedelico @ Zepp Osaka. 19:00. ¥5,250. Tel: 0570-02-9999. Rock
10/8
Funeral For A Friend @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥5,000. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
10/9
Caravan @ Club Quattro. 19:00 ¥7,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
10/10
Oscar Peterson @ Festival Hall. 17:30 ¥7,500~¥9,500. Tel: 06-6341-3525. Jazz
10/11
The Trio Minstrels @ The Phoenix Hall. 17:00. ¥4,500. Tel: 06-6762-2204. Classical
10/11
The Manhattan Transfer @ Kobe Kokusai Kaikan Hall. 17:30. ¥5,000~ ¥8,000. Tel: 0570-02-9999. Jazz Voc.
10/12
The House Jacks @ Itami Aiphonic Hall. 19:00. ¥3,000. Tel: 072-780-2110. Acapella
10/15 &16
The Boom @ Kobe Kokusai Kaikan Hall. 18:00. ¥6300. Tel: 0570-02-9999. Pop
10/17
Overkill @ Bayside Jenny. 17:30. ¥2800. Tel: 06-6634-7010. Metal
10/17
Gray and Pink @ Club Quattro. 19:00
¥7500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
10/18
Silvertide @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥5500. Tel: 06-6281-8181. Rock
10/20
Andre Rieu with Johann Strauss Orchestra @ Biwako Hall. 18:00. ¥9,000~¥12,000. Tel: 06-6362-7301. Classical
10/27
Eastern Youth @ Big Cat. 19:30 ¥3,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569.9999. Jazz
10/27
Bond @ Festival Hall. 19:00 ¥7500/ ¥8,500. Tel: 0120-499-7722. Pop
10/29
Haven @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥6,000. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
10/29
Bond @ Kobe Kokusai Kaikan Hall. 19:00. ¥7,500/¥8,500. Tel: 078-231-8162. Pop
10/29 & 31
Chie Ayado @ Festival Hall. 17:00 (19th @ 19:00). ¥6,500. Tel: 0570-02-
10/31
The Muffs @ Club Quattro. 18:00. ¥5,000/¥5,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
11/2
Slipknot @ OsakaJo Hall. 19:00 ¥7,000. Tel: 06-6233-8888. Rock
11/3
The Eagles @ Osaka Dome. 18:00. ¥8,800/¥9,800. Tel: 06-6341-4506
Rock/Pop
11/5
Ordinary Boys @ Club Quattro. 19:00
¥5,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
11/9
The Stills @ Club Quattro. 19:00
¥5,500. Tel: 06-6281-8181. Rock
11/9-11
Vanessa Williams @ Osaka Blue Note 18:45/21:30. ¥10,000/ ¥13,000. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Pop/R&B
11/10
G. Love @ Big Cat. 19:00. ¥6,000
Tel: 0570-02-9999. Rock/Folk
11/27
Franz Ferdinand @ Mother Hall. 19:00. ¥5,800. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Pop