Blaze (Nobu): Exclusive interview

Our meeting with Nobu was set for 1 p.m. at Maverick offices, one subway station away from Shibuya. After we found their black cube building, we rang and waited for someone to open the door before we headed upstairs. The walls of the building are covered in various music memorabilia. A woman, Blaze's manager, welcomed us with a kind smile and informed us that "Nobu was just behind you!" I turned around to see him and was immediately impressed with his size. He handed me his card with a wide smile and asked us to wait in a small meeting room. A nice woman served us a cup a tea and Nobu returned after about five minutes.

After the usual introduction of JaME, the interview began.

Good afternoon, Nobu. First of all, let me thank you for giving us this interview. Would you mind introducing yourself to the European fans, please?

Nobu: Hello, my name is Masuda Takanobu (Nobu), and I'm the keyboardist of the band Blaze. I'm really happy that I am able to give this interview. Today, we're going to talk about music and how I play. I hope it will make you want to listen to our music.

Blaze has been in existence for 29 years. Why did you wait so long before releasing this album?

Nobu: Even though we've been together for twenty-nine years, we haven't played together much. We took a ten year break and played together again in 1995, and the flame was back, just like in the good old days. We began to record the album seriously in 2000. By then, the band had been around for twenty-three years and everyone was very busy with their own obligations. So, we worked together only when we were able to find free time and recently completed the album.

Are the tracks featured on this album songs that span Blaze's career?

Nobu: Yes, there are ten songs, including an instrumental that was composed in 2000. All other songs were composed between 1975 and 1980. Shige was the leader of the band and he composed the songs back then.

Your musical style is close to old 70's rock. Is this also a way for you to export your music?

Nobu: Though our music sounds like old hard rock, there is a bit of a distinction. We're often compared the British band Deep Purple. In the very beginning of the 70's, hard rock was launched by Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. We were very heavily influenced by these bands when we were young and the base of our music comes from there. American hard rock came into the game during the 80's from bands we all know today like Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. Then, in 1984, Deep Purple included American musicians in their band which therefore slightly 'Americanized' their music. It became a mix between 70's English music with a little touch of soul.

Blaze is a hard-rock band that followed this principle, too, but more in the European rock than American rock category. Like Shige, our leader, we all seek a European hard-rock style. I think that American and European styles are completely different. I mean that, in Japan, American rock is synonym of beautiful weather, brightness, happiness, dynamism, and such; but we all prefer a darker and more melancholic style. This is why we chose to illustrate this album after the image of old Europe. We're seeking this kind of music.

We know you love the Hammond organ, where does this passion come from?

Nobu: When I was a child, I went to a Catholic nursery school, and the first time I heard an organ was in a church. Back then, I really was in admiration of the sound it made and I began to love the organ. So when I began to enter the music world, when I was 15, I started off with the organ because I loved it so much.

I loved listening to music from French musician Michel Polnareff when I was in High School. He played organ, too, and I loved what he did. I don't understand French, but I kept on listening to him, even still today... As for Hammond organ, I fell in love with it when I was 15. I'm going to get a little technical, but Hammond organ uses amplification called "cabin Leslie." (rotor amplification) When I heard it for the first time, I really wondered where this particular sound could come from. The day I went to a concert and saw this cabin Leslie in action, I understood what it really was. I kept on using it in my own music ever since. It's more than a simple passion, I believe that I fully prefer this sound to that of a church organ.

As for me, I began playing Hammond organ thanks to you!

Nobu: Ahh thanks a lot! (laughs) And by listening to B'z?

Umm no, from Hamada Mari! (old Japanese rock)

Nobu: No really!!? Ahh, there are people like you in Europe?? (laughs)

Have you ever thought of making an instructional video about Hammond organ?

Nobu: I doubt my style could help someone learn to play and I've never really thought of teaching. I believe I have my own style and I don't specially want to teach it to others. I'm just happy people listen to me.

Who are your favourite keyboardists?

Nobu: I like progressive rock keyboardists a lot. Especially a band called Jeunesse. They became my favourite band.

Are there Japanese artists you especially like?

Nobu: Well there's a band I listen to rather often, Love Psychedelico. They play a kind of old rock music. I really enjoy it a lot and their music sounds a little like European music! I also like B'z, and of course L'Arc~en~Ciel (laughs).

You collaborated with a lot of popular artists until now, but are there other musicians you'd like to work with?

Nobu: Of course, I'd like to collaborate with foreigners. I can't tell you who exactly, but I already thought of being a member of Deep Purple for example. I really seriously thought of it! (laughs) I also collaborated with Japanese celebrities. So if I had to associate with musicians now, they would probably be foreign musicians I like, with whom we would create a progressive rock band...

But, for that, I would have to learn their languages, and that's where I have big problems!

Ah yes, so you can't avoid language...

Nobu: Oh no, for example, as you know, there are American musicians in B'z right now. I'm the only Japanese session musician, and it's a real problem to communicate together. Because I have problems with English, it's a little complicated. Backstage for example, you feel America! (laughs) As I don't speak English very well, I can only listen and answer with "yes yes" although I vaguely understand what they tell me.

I guess it has to be difficult when you're on tour...

Nobu: Ohhh yes! (laughs) But playing with them is most stimulating!
They're very different compared to Japanese artists...

How did you meet Tak Matsumoto?

Nobu: Well, I've known him for over twenty years. We were working in the same music company back then and this is where we met for the first time. He was still a session musician, like me, and he stopped this job to create his own band after that. B'z got very successful. But even before that, we had been working together quite a lot, usually for Hamada Mari concerts.

You've been B'z's keyboardist for over eleven years. Are you going to stay with them?

Nobu: It's gonna be eleven or twelve years we've been playing together, I can't predict the future but when they need me, they call me. But something may happen. For example, if they want to change the atmosphere for B'z, they may also change the musicians. There are two main members in this band (Tak Matsumoto and Inaba Koshi), meaning they are completely free when they choose other musicians for the band. I also had a break for a whole year, and they toured with other musicians. I'm not their permanent keyboardist, so I never know if I will be there again for the next concert. They may not need me sometimes or I may not be able to play with them in some periods. But I like this band a lot and it's always a pleasure to play with them. So if I could be with them forever, I would enjoy it a lot.

Do you compose all your keyboard parts yourself?

Nobu: Umm I actually mainly play arrangements. When I have to play a song, I nearly always compose my keyboard parts. With B'z for example, I compose parts where there aren't keyboards at first. I make arrangements so that I may play with the rest of the band in concerts. As professionals, they let me do as I feel and trust me. For example they may say "Can you add a keyboard part here please?", or "Normally there is no keyboard here, but can you do something?" Usually they want me to do something nice and original and they try to see if I can do something.

But the most important thing isn't to have a good technique, but to be original and have ideas. If you can't easily compose something nice, even though you're technically good, the artist you are working with can easily say "Well if you can't do it, leave it." [note: literally, the idea is "We'll try with someone else"] This is why I always think to myself "I have to do something nice", this is how I think.

Have you ever thought of selling abroad?

Nobu: We wanted to sell Danger Zone in foreign countries actually, because we thought it was quite exportable. This is why we wrote the lyrics in English. Although, from the beginning, the idea was not to sell in foreign countries, but to have something foreign. Somehow, we wanted to release this album as a nation-less (anonymous) band.

Given the opportunity, would you come play a concert in Europe?

Nobu: Yes! I would love to experience that. I don't really know how Europeans would react, but I heard our style wouldn't be so successful in Europe...

There are English hard-rock fans in Europe.

Nobu: Really...? I heard about the "visual-buzz" in Europe, and I have a rather "punk" image of England, but I really feel like old hard-rock isn't so popular...

Well it seems there are numerous rock festivals in Europe, some of them making promotion offers on their official website and asking bands to participate. I think it could be a good occasion for you to export your music.

Nobu: Well...if you see such an occasion, call us!

Trusting what you say, we may actually be more likely to find an audience in Europe than in Japan.

What advice could you give to young keyboardists in Europe?

Nobu: Oh, so you're the one who wants this advice in truth? (laughs) There are a lot who play in bands in Europe?

Yes yes!

Nobu: What kind of music? Covers?

Hard-rock, JRock, visual, and so on...

Nobu: Then this next message is not only for Europe but to all musicians. I happened to love some music/songs and I tried to copy what I heard. I was extremely happy when I achieved it. I played non-stop, barely eating (if at all), and I kept on doing this again, and again, and again. I copied the music I loved. As there weren't mini-disc players at the time, I had to deal with a tape recorder. I couldn't hear very clearly sometimes but I did everything I could in order to finally make it. They are very good memories when I think of it today. Sometimes like that, I really worked a lot until I could play the music.

If you work like that, I think there has to be a moment when you think "Ah, if it was me, I would play it this way..." My advice would be to work and study until you get to want to personalize what you hear.

You're also a fanatic of old trains, where does this passion come from?

Nobu: Ahh no it can't be, you know that too?? (explodes into laughter)
But in France, too, I believe there are people who share this passion for trains.

This passion, well... I don't really know how it came, but I've loved it ever since I was a child. I remember there was always a little train next to my pillow which I played very often (laughs).

Do you have a message for Europe?

Nobu: Well, I've loved Europe for a long time, and I discovered music thanks to European musicians and artists like Michel Polnareff and Deep Purple. They made me want to begin music. Of course I also like American music like The Carpenters, but the music we play today is very European. And knowing you enjoy our music makes us really happy and we are very thankful for that. I hope I can create a friendly link with Europe. I respect you for your music as well as for your culture, and I'm happy to know that some people in your countries like our culture too. It's really great. Especially if this can create opportunities to make us closer, to communicate, to create a friendly link between us.

I'm really happy for that.