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This episode of Japanese Jazz Week we explore the catalog of pianist Masabumi Kikuchi. Masabumi was born in Tokyo in 1939, and lived his early life in World War II and post-war Japan. He studied music at the Tokyo Art College High School, and worked with musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Mal Waldron & Joe Henderson. Hit play to hear his late 60’s recordings up to his mid 80’s material. 今回お届けする「日本のジャズ」は、日本のジャズピアニスト、キーボード奏者・菊地雅章です。菊地氏は1939年に東京で生まれ、若くして第二次世界大戦を経験し、戦後を生きた人物。ソニー・ロリンズ、マイルス・デイヴィス、マル・ウォルドロン、ジョー・ヘンダーソンらと共に活動しました。今回は彼の60年代後期から80年代中期の作品を楽曲を中心にお聞きください。Translated by Satoko Akune.

ویگن

ویگن

ویگن has been played on NTS in shows including Beirut Daze w/ Ernesto Chahoud, featured first on 29 June 2019. Songs played include For Your Sake and جرا نمى رقصى = Chera Nemiraghsi.

Vigen Derderian (in other spellings: Viguen, Persian: ویگن) (November 23, 1929 - October 26, 2003), known as "Sultan of Persian Pop" and "Sultan of Persian jazz", was a hugely popular Armenian-Iranian pop music singer. He is famous throughout the Near East. Born into a relatively poor family of 8 children in city of Hamadān, Iran. Vigen was brought up by his older brother, after his father died when he was seven. During the second world war, his family moved to the northern city of Tabriz then under invasion of the soviet army. He bought his first guitar from a soviet soldier. Later on he was widely listening to Italian and Spanish singers and using and modifying their music to perform with Persian lyrics. His brother Karo Derderian was a poet, the Lalaee (Lullaby) lyrics were written by him. By 1951, Vigen had got his first job, performing at the Café Shemiran. One night, a national radio producer heard him, with the result that his first song, Mahtab (Moonlight), was broadcast on Tehran radio - and became an instant hit. More than 600 songs were to follow during his long career. Some of them, such as Gole sorkh (Red Rose), Raghib (Rival) and Dele Divaneh (Crazy Heart), have become classic Iranian popular songs. In that era, every Iranian artist wanted to be associated with him, among them the country's most established top female singers, Delkash, Pouran and Elaheh. The legendary Vigen Derderian worked with the best Iranian songwriters and composers, who realised they had to cater for a new youth market, and performed some of his country's most memorable songs.

Before the emergence in the early 1950s of Vigen Derderian, the music industry of his native Iran was dominated by traditional singers, who had little knowledge of western pop music or such instruments as the guitar. Then Vigen, known as the "Sultan of pop", ushered in a revolution that coincided with the emergence of a new, western-influenced middle class. Compared by some fans to Elvis Presley, Vigen's good looks and tall, fine physique added to his appeal as Iran's first male pop star - especially among women at a time when ideas of emancipation were taking hold in the 1950s and 60s. He was also one of the first Iranian entertainers to perform with a guitar.

Vigen died at the age of 73 on October 26, 2003 from cancer in exile and is buried at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Cemetery in Westlake Village, California

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ویگن

ویگن has been played on NTS in shows including Beirut Daze w/ Ernesto Chahoud, featured first on 29 June 2019. Songs played include For Your Sake and جرا نمى رقصى = Chera Nemiraghsi.

Vigen Derderian (in other spellings: Viguen, Persian: ویگن) (November 23, 1929 - October 26, 2003), known as "Sultan of Persian Pop" and "Sultan of Persian jazz", was a hugely popular Armenian-Iranian pop music singer. He is famous throughout the Near East. Born into a relatively poor family of 8 children in city of Hamadān, Iran. Vigen was brought up by his older brother, after his father died when he was seven. During the second world war, his family moved to the northern city of Tabriz then under invasion of the soviet army. He bought his first guitar from a soviet soldier. Later on he was widely listening to Italian and Spanish singers and using and modifying their music to perform with Persian lyrics. His brother Karo Derderian was a poet, the Lalaee (Lullaby) lyrics were written by him. By 1951, Vigen had got his first job, performing at the Café Shemiran. One night, a national radio producer heard him, with the result that his first song, Mahtab (Moonlight), was broadcast on Tehran radio - and became an instant hit. More than 600 songs were to follow during his long career. Some of them, such as Gole sorkh (Red Rose), Raghib (Rival) and Dele Divaneh (Crazy Heart), have become classic Iranian popular songs. In that era, every Iranian artist wanted to be associated with him, among them the country's most established top female singers, Delkash, Pouran and Elaheh. The legendary Vigen Derderian worked with the best Iranian songwriters and composers, who realised they had to cater for a new youth market, and performed some of his country's most memorable songs.

Before the emergence in the early 1950s of Vigen Derderian, the music industry of his native Iran was dominated by traditional singers, who had little knowledge of western pop music or such instruments as the guitar. Then Vigen, known as the "Sultan of pop", ushered in a revolution that coincided with the emergence of a new, western-influenced middle class. Compared by some fans to Elvis Presley, Vigen's good looks and tall, fine physique added to his appeal as Iran's first male pop star - especially among women at a time when ideas of emancipation were taking hold in the 1950s and 60s. He was also one of the first Iranian entertainers to perform with a guitar.

Vigen died at the age of 73 on October 26, 2003 from cancer in exile and is buried at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Cemetery in Westlake Village, California

Original source: Last.fm

Tracks featured on

Most played tracks

For Your Sake
ویگن, Viguen
Soundex1979
جرا نمى رقصى = Chera Nemiraghsi
ویگن, Viguen
Caltex Records1991