Our Love to Stay at 7th Floor

Seven floors up, above the heavy metal mayhem of West, Shibuya O held a secret; a small intimate club that would tonight play host to an evening of beautiful big band jazz from one of Japan's foremost jazz bands, Our Love to Stay. Sadly, this was to be one of their final concerts yet despite this, they played with finesse and style.

The concert had a distinctly relaxed feel with a bohemian atmosphere from both clientele and furnishings. While on one hand it was still a little too sparse to be considered a true den of opulence, the thick red velvet curtain framing the stage together with art deco lanterns and a moorish theme to the decor offered a token of this feel. Patrons calmly took their seats after ordering drinks and food from the bar and casually around 7-ish the band made their way to the stage.

Our Love to Stay began with the gentle piece, After Rain. A stunning combination of orchestrated strings and big band brass perfectly captured a 30's sound while the vocals of AYA were incredible. It was a delightful sprightly start to the concert. AYA paused mid way through to introduce the various members tonight, including band members Tamotsu on double bass and Fuming on piano.

AYA's vocals continued to impress throughout, her range was incredible and carried each song effortlessly. The second of the night, Give you all of my love, from the first album Telepatia, was more bossa nova in feel with some skilful double bass from Tamotsu, although the strings gave the smoky jazz a slightly lighter sound. This exploration of style continued in Happiness, which had a stronger pop twist and offered a melodic traditional Japanese spin on the jazz beats. The violin solo from Kadowaki Daisuke during this was beautiful and the first of many impressive solos that night. He was introduced by AYA during the MC that directly followed, along with the other various support members, Kadowaki Daisuke, Ito Aya and Miki Shouko on violin, Furukawa Yoshie on cello and Yukawa Manabu on drums.

The whole evening was neatly balanced between ballads suiting a smoky club atmosphere and upbeat playful tunes. The sultry jazz ballad of Oyasumi was a highlight though, as the superb minimal sound enabled AYA's soft, melancholic vocals to shine as they seemed to tell a story of lost love, as was Daisuke's special strings arrangement of Wake, another from the first album, that gave the beautiful piano led ballad a sense of the grand.

It was in complete contrast to Anata wo aishite yokatta as Our Love to Stay took on a funky syncopated beat with a complex melody. There was a distinct ambience of the 1940's that lent the song a real cinematic atmosphere that stretched beyond the confines of the club. Anata wo aishite yokatta led into the short interval and as the band left the stage they were applauded warmly and greeted by the crowd as they walked towards the bar.

On the band's return, a saxophonist, Watanabe Hayato was introduced and immediately the atmosphere became sultrier and smokier. R&G with swing piano beat and lyrics of 'red wine' furthered this intimacy. The metal chair became quite uncomfortable and there the livehouse cried out for deep plush chairs to accompany such rich music. The glow of a warm red light on AYA, a soft piano floating on the air and a distinct European flavor to the violin transported the company to an exotic location far from the frantic streets of Shibuya. Played out like a slow tango, Hokuro was another highlight. Then in Hagata, a traditional feel to the music moved this exotic location from Europe to the East once again by way of some beautiful saxophone playing from Hayato. Throughout the MCs, AYA and Fuming joked and the whole ensemble chatted jovially among themselves offering more of a friendly small club feel.

Following a return to the upbeat with latin flavored, Yoin, Kadowaki Daisuke was given the mic to introduce the next piece, Donna toki mo, a song with a real big band feel which, courtesy of a harmonica, sent us spiraling back to Europe once more. It felt a little lost, though, as the epic orchestrated opening of Machi combined violin and piano for a dramatic cinematic effect. The jazz influence felt rather subtle though, as grandiose cinema influences seemed in order for this penultimate song. After one final MC, Telepatia was introduced as the final song. It was an energetic finish as AYA danced on stage to enthusiastic claps from the audience.

An encore swiftly followed and with further clapping, saxophonist Hayato was encouraged back on stage. This rousing encore, Sweetie, saw every member perform a small solo displaying their musical prowess at high speed. It rounded off with a playful honky-tonk styled piano from Fuming leaving the song on a playful note. The encore continued with Haru, a song that surprisingly included some furi dancing (seated furi, mind) and more mind-blowing solos from violinist, Daisuke and from Fuming on piano.

The support musicians left at this point with the three members of Our Love to Stay remaining on stage. The three chatted lightheartedly about the song PaPaPaPa Pine! It had been mentioned earlier in the evening but decided it was too difficult for strings to play. The trio took a stab, though, at AYA's request for the first chorus. As a trio they talked further about their experiences in Our Love to Stay and AYA introduced a song that had been written about their time in the band, What a lovely day! It was a beautiful, sweet ballad with stunningly melancholic notes from the double bass and a gentle piano melody.

The concert was sadly almost over after two hours of heartfelt, emotional and above all beautiful big band jazz. The support musicians were called out again for one final reprise of After Rain. As the audience began to sing along, AYA had tears in her eyes and some difficulty singing this final song. It was a touching moment between singer and her fans and gave this final rendition real beauty.

The band was greeted to rapturous applause as they finally left the stage, and again were accosted with congratulations as they walked from the stage. It was a magical night of music that made one forget that Shibuya, in all its manic fury, sat outside and served as a reminder that such luxuries of a past time could still be found.

Setlist:
1．After rain
2．Give you all of my love　　
3. Happiness
MC
4. Oyasumi
5. Wake
6．Oogoe de nakitakatta
MC
7. Watashi dake no Rudolph
8. Anata wo aishite yokatta

Interval

9. R&G　
MC
10. Hokuro
11. Hagata
12. Yoin
MC
13. Donna toki mo。
MC
14. Machi
MC
15. Telepatia　
16. Sweetie
17. Haru
MC
18. What a lovely day!

Encore:
After rain