[Gentle & Breezy]
No.184 "Atataka-na hitotoki" by Time Five
Hi. Today's song is "Atataka-na hitotoki" (A cozy moment) by "Time Five".
This is a gentle & breezy chorus piece performed by an accomplished 5-piece men's chorus & instrumental group, "Time Five".
Their soft, sweet, and spring-like light harmony might heal, and relax you.
If you like, please listen.
Links to the music shops, offering song samples, are located on the bottom of this page.
Some contents have been put away in tabs with " ▼ " marks in each section, so please click it to read.
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Cover art today
Song data
| Title | Atataka-na hitotoki |
|---|---|
| Artist | Time Five |
| Album Title | |
| Catalog Number | CDSOL-1536 |
| Track No. | 7 |
| Duration | 3:52 |
| Released | 1980, 2012 |
| Publisher | |
| Lyricist | |
| Composer | |
| Arranger |
About the creators
Machiko Ryū Lyricist
"Machiko Ryū" is a famed lyricist, translator (lyrics, musical), author and musical writer active since the early '70s.
She is with no doubt, one of the most popular lyricist in main stream popular song category, and has many hit songs particularly from the '70s to the '80s.
Short Bio.
We have written a short bio. of "Machiko Ryū" some time ago in our former post "No.134".
So, if you are interested in more details about her, please also have a look at the page linked from the below box, together with the references also listed below.
References
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(Ref: www.enkokyo.or.jp,
Machiko Ryū interview)🇯🇵
Shizuo Noguchi Composer
The composer "Shizuo Noguchi" is also a member of "Time five".
He is writing melodies almost exclusively for his group, so,we would like come back to him later at "About the artist" section.
Yūji Ohno Arranger
"Yūji Ohno" is a Jazz pianist, composer, and arranger active since 1962.
He has written, or arranged hundreds of commercial jingles, films scores, drama music, and popular songs for the various sponsors, movies, TV series, and pop singers until today.
But he is perhaps the most well known as a music creator for a national popular Anime series, "Lupin the III".
Short Bio.
We have written a short bio. of "Yūji Ohno" some time ago in our former post "No.161".
So, if you are interested in more details about her, please also have a look at the page linked from the below box, together with the references also listed below.
References
Song image & Lyrics
Open
Link to the lyrics
Copyright notice on the lyrics link
Sound impression
Gentle & breezy
This seems to be a soft, gentle, and breezy chorus piece in a slow & floating Bossa Nova rhythm.
Beautiful harmony
The bass, drums, percussions, acoustic guitar, triangle, electric piano, grand harp, and piccolo flute play a breezy & elegant introduction.
In the main part, a skillful & hearty men's chorus creates a beautiful harmony, accompanied by few acoustic instruments.
A gentle & melodious trumpet solo, perhaps played by a "Time five" member S. Teshigawara, appears in a bridge part, and let us feel as if we are in a sunny spot in a garden.
Reference
About Google translate
About the artist
Time Five Mellow & sophisticated chorus unit
"Time Five" is a popular & well known 5 piece male chorus group active since 1968.
They are particularly famous as a unique chorus & instrumental group, in other words, the each members of the group play their respective instruments, like the flute, trumpet, etc, while chorusing.
Time Five debuted in 1968 with a single, "This Is Time 5".
There is no precise list of discography, but at least, they have released 1 single record, and 11 original, plus 2 best albums until now.
(Ref: Wikipedia-jp, Time Five)
Early times
"Time Five" was originally formed as an internal group of a music circle, in a university in Kyoto in the late '60s.
According to a biography, it was just a coincidence but, all 5 members were fan of an American male chorus & instrumental band, "The four freshmen".
They hit it off well, and agreed to team up a group like them.
Then in 1968, an amateur chorus group, which was an origin of "Time Five", was founded in the university music circle.
Band & chorus
What's unique of this group at that time was, they were a 5-piece men's choir, but also play backing music by themselves.
Or, in other word, they were a band, but its vocal was choir.
Because, the members of "Time five" was wishing to play a music like an American Jazz chorus group "The four freshmen", who was a pioneer in this category, it was natural they chose such "Play and sing" style.
Here is a video clip of "The four freshmen" for your reference.
But in the early '60s Japan, "Band" and "Chorus group" were understood as a rather different thing, since since "Bands" usually means a group of musicians who tended to plays rock & pops.
Conversely, "chorus group" was a team of neatly attired, and skilled vocalists. And sing classical popular songs, Jazz, or nursery rhymes in beautiful harmony.
So, "Band" and "Chorus group" were regarded as music in different category, so "Time Five" like "Play & Chorus" type music group was very unique.
"Time Five" entered an intercollegiate band contest in the late '60s, and became a champion.
Debut
There outstanding performance impressed music professionals in Tokyo a lot.
The group was moved to Tokyo soon, since the received an offer for debuting.
And in 1970, "Time Five" was debuted with their first album, "This is Time 5".
Invariable members
Here are the names of the members of "Time Five".
No members have been changed since the group was formed in 1968.
- 1st Vocal, Drms
- Yasuo Tai
- 2nd Vocal, Bass
- Shizuo Noguchi
- 3rd Vocal, Tb, Tp, Flh
- Sadaaki Teshigawara
- 4th Vocal, Kb, Arrg
- Haruya Yoshimura
- 5th Vocal, Flute, Vibe
- Kōhei Sugie
As an essential chorus group
In Japan, there is a steady demand and popularity for Men's chorus groups, who can perform music in orthodox way.
For example, the members of the chorus groups almost always wear stylish chic suits when they appear on stage. And sing classical popular songs, or traditional nursery rhymes in decent manner & artistic quality.
So, anyone from toddlers to elderly, can feel relaxed, and enjoy their shows.
As long as we know, there had been 3 prominent Men's choirs in popular music scene, namely "Dark Ducks", "Duke Aces", & "Bonny Jacks", though some members are already residents of Heaven.
People in Japan had almost regarded them as the essential "installations" for Japanese culture, since we had been so familiar with the official theme songs, or commercial jingles performed by them.
In this context, "Time Five" maybe slightly different, since they are not purely a chorus group, but play instruments, and tend to sing Jazz chorus more.
But thanks to their artistic chorus work, and decent & stylish performance, "Time Five" is widely recognized as 1st class Men's chorus group.
That may be why "Time Five" has been asked to sing more than 1000 commercial jingles so far for broadcasting on TV.
Recent
Because "Time Five" is a kind of music group, which is fundamentally important for Japanese music scene, they are rather free from the pressures to release meteoric hit song regularly like normal pop singers, or groups.
But they have had to perform hundreds of stages in various concert halls, or schools in all over Japan, as a reference of good music.
Now, a lot of predecessor chorus groups have been stopping their activities because of the ages of the members, and "Time Five" has become a top group in both name and reality.
We are wishing many more years of their stage performances, and success.
Video clip
Finally, here is a music clip of "Time Five" filmed at their recent concert, and uploaded in 2017.
The song is a cover of a British singer, "Dusty Springfield"'s 1967 hit song, "The Look of Love", of which the lyrics was penned by "Hal David", and music was composed by "Burt Bacharach".
Different from a bit ennui original version of "The Look of Love", this cover version is arranged in a taste almost like a smooth Jazz.
And you can also see the members are playing their respective instruments, which is getting less often recently.
If you like, please listen.
Music Samples
7
(試聴する)
Tower records online
hmv.co.jp
Japanese Letters
| Song Title | 暖かなひととき(Atataka-na hitotoki) |
|---|---|
| Artist | Time Five |
| Album Title | Gentle Breeze |
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