The Beastie Boys
Jan. 12

King Ad Rock, Mike D and MCA, otherwise known as the combustible and innovative hip hop trio The Beastie Boys, are back in full effect, their license to ill still valid.

Having clocked a solid 2 decades in the hip hop arena (no small feat of longevity), the Beasties have suddenly surged back into contention, with their latest release snagging 3 Grammy nominations.

Hip hop fans over 30 remember party-starters Brass Monkey, Paul Revere and other Run DMC-inspired essentials from their stunning 1986 debut License To Ill.

True fans tend to favor the more ambitious Paul’s Boutique, along with their (less commercially successful) mid-90s material with The Dust Brothers. The own-instrument-playing rap threesome threaten to cover all bets as they hit Osaka this month promoting the very hot To the Five Boroughs – a deft collection straight ahead, up tempo party beats and rhymes, with the trademark lyrical wit and finesse fans expect.

OSAKA-JO HALL
19:00 • ¥7500
Tel: 0570-02-9999

Tuck & Patti
Jan. 13-14

The late jazz critic Leonard Feather once famously proclaimed, “Not since Ella Fitzgerald met Joe Pass on stage has there been so felicitous a mating as Tuck & Patti.”

This remains as true today as it was when that was said over ten years ago, as Tuck & Patti continue to challenge and thrill audiences with their often unpredictable approach to love songs from the jazz, bossa nova, pop and even rock idioms.

Even for their studio recordings, they take a decidedly live-performance and free spirited approach to their music, with arrangements and parts often changing on the fly, new melodic ideas constantly emerging and merging.

This, combined with the universality of their inspirational and love-infused material, has gained them a dedicated following, especially outside the US The efferve-scent duo returns to Kansai still riding high on the momentum of 2003’s A Gift of Love, whose content was largely decided by the duo’s Japanese fans. Up On the Roof, Sukiyaki, Lovin’ You and Close To You all landed in the diverse collection.

“Our friends in Japan gave us the spark to do this record,
and now it is spreading all over the world,” says singer Patti Cathcart. “It's a sweet reminder of how much we all long
for love.”

OSAKA BLUE NOTE
18:30 / 21:30 • ¥5,900 / ¥7,900
Tel: 06-6342-7722

Sting
Jan. 15

Ten years since Ten Summoner’s Tales (If I Ever Lose My Faith In You), and almost 20 since Dream Of The Blue Turtles (If You Love Somebody), well-seasoned former Police front man and sometime screen actor Sting appears to have reclaimed a vibrancy that has eluded him since the late 90s.

His most recent album Sacred Love (2003) has been hailed as a near flawless representation of the artist’s unique songwriting strengths, in addition to benefiting from hip production assistance from producer/remixers like B.T. and Victor Calderone.

The vaguely Eastern-influenced collection has yielded standout tracks like the Grammy-nominated Send Your Love and the sultry Whenever I Say Your Name (duet with Mary J. Blige), on its ascent up the album charts. Sting has remained a vital pop artist the past 10 years due in no small part to his unwaning visibility on the touring and live circuit, as well as his penchant for employing some of the most skilled and versatile backing musicians in the land. All the more reason to catch the Tantra-empowered pop superstar live and direct, at his lone Osaka date this month.

OSAKA-JO HALL
19:00 • ¥8,500 / ¥9,000
Tel: 06-6341-4506

Julia Fordham
Jan. 17

Counting the likes of Phoebe Snow, Joan Armatrading and Joni Mitchell as early influences, English chanteuse Julia Fordham floats across a similar sonic and poetic terrain as popular contemporary Norah Jones.

Her true torch-singer’s sensibility and the versatility of her 4-octave range has garnered Fordham admiration as a singer’s singer, and won her collaborations with India.Arie, Joe Henry and the famed Billy Preston. With her latest offering (That’s Life), Fordham wins with a more jazzy, neo-soul approach than 2002’s Concrete Love, and the artist these days often speaks of “changing eras.” Rambles magazine says, “That's Life may well be the best album that anyone releases this year.” The Osaka Blue Note plays host to the astounding vocalist this month.

OSAKA BLUE NOTE
18:30 / 21:30 • ¥6,900 / ¥8,900
Tel: 06-6342-7722

Lisa Loeb
Jan. 17

"Whether I'm playing live or making a record, it really comes down to capturing the emotion in each song, to tell a story and try to express myself in a way that is more direct,” says Dallas-raised pop tunesmith Lisa Loeb.

A frequent headliner at Osaka’s Club Quattro, Loeb burst on the scene ten years ago with her No. 1 song Stay (I Missed You), and since then has achieved Gold and Platinum sales, been nominated for a Grammy, and had her own television series in the U.S. This month catch the bespectacled (and underrated) pop talent as she chronicles life and love, presenting her latest and most intimate material yet, The Way
it Really Is.

CLUB QUATRO
19:00 • ¥6300
Tel: 06-6535-5569

Live Listings January

1/6
Joss Stone @ Namba Hatch
19:00. ¥6,800. Tel: 06-6535-5569. R&B/Pop
1/6-1/8
The Ventures with Nokie Edwards
@ Osaka Blue Note. 18:30/21:30. ¥6,900/¥8,900. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Rock/Pop
1/7
Wiener Ring Ensemble New Year Concert @ Izumi Hall. 19:00. ¥4,000-¥8,000. Tel: 06-6944-1188. Classical
1/9
Lostprophet @ Club Quattro. 18:00. ¥6,000. Tel: 06-3357-4400. Rock
1/9
Europe @ Osaka Kokusai Kaigijo Main Hall. 18:00. ¥7,500. Z0570-02-9999. Hard Rock
1/10
Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra New Year Concert @ The Symphony Hall 15:00. ¥4,000/¥6,000. Tel: 06-6345-2751. Classical
1/10 & 1/11
Toots Thielmans @ Osaka Blue Note 18:30/21:30. ¥6,400/¥8,400.
Tel: 06-6342-7722. Jazz
1/11
Wednesday 13 @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥5,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
1/12
Beastie Boys @ Osaka-Jo Hall. 19:00. ¥7,500. Tel: 0570-02-9999. Hip Hop/Alt. Rock
1/13
The Faint @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥5,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
1/15
Sting @ Osaka-Jo Hall. 19:00. ¥8,000/¥9,000. Tel: 06-6341-4506. Rock/Pop
1/15
Jim Hall @ Osaka Blue Note 18:00/21:00. ¥6,400/¥8,400.
Tel: 06-6342-7722. Jazz
1/16
Extreme @ Namba Hatch. 17:00. ¥7,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
1/17
Lisa Loeb @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥6,300. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Pop/Rock
1/18
The Music @ Zepp Osaka. 19:00. ¥6,000. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
1/19
The Manhattans @ Osaka Blue Note 18:30/21:30. ¥6,500/¥8,500.
Tel: 06-6342-7722. Soul
1/21
Ash @ Namba Hatch. 19:00. ¥6,000. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Pop/Punk
1/24
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra @ Izumi Hall. 19:00. ¥6,000.
Tel: 06-6345-2751. Classical
1/26
D-Side @ Big Cat. 19:00. ¥5,500.
Tel: 06-6233-8888. Pop
1/28
Duran Duran @ Kobe Kokusai Center 19:30. ¥8,500. Tel: 0570-02-9530. Rock/Pop
2/3
Rasmus @ Big Cat. 19:00. ¥6,000. Tel: 06-6341-4506. Rock
2/5
Rage @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥6,800. Tel: 06-6281-8181. Metal
2/7
My Chemical Romance @ Club Quattro. 19:00. ¥6,000.
Tel: 06-6281-8181. Rock
3/17
Green Day @ Osaka Jo Hall. 19:00. ¥6,800. Tel: 06-6233-8888. Rock/ Pop/Punk
4/11
Norah Jones @ Osaka Kosei Nenkin Kaikan Dai Hall. 19:00. ¥6,500/ ¥7,500. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Pop/Jazz

LIVE Section compiled by HWJ