Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
, commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene. At the time, the band's sound was unlike that of any of its contemporaries in the then fledgling Japanese ska scene, and over the course of the past 31 years, they have been influential on Japanese music as a whole. Its sound, the product of the musical influences of its members, is a mix of traditional ska, jazz, and rock . In the vein of many other more traditional ska acts, many of Skapara's songs are purely instrumental. Since its inception, the band has gone on several nationwide tours of Japan, and have toured worldwide. They have collaborated with several vocalists outside of their band, including Shiina Ringo, Akira Kobayashi, Kyōko Koizumi, Schadaraparr, PUFFY, Yoshie Nakano and Tamio Okuda. They also performed the Japanese theme song to the PlayStation 2 game "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus", entitled "Black Jack", as well as songs for the PlayStation game "Incredible Crisis" released in 1999, the 2020–21 Japanese drama "Kamen Rider Saber  and the closing ceremony for the 2020 Olympic Games. History. Early beginnings. The band's first release was 1989's eponymous six-track EP, released on vinyl by local independent label Kokusai Records. That record's acceptance, coupled with the band's live shows, got them a deal with Epic Records. At this time the 'classic' lineup of the band included: Asa-Chang (percussions), Tsuyoshi Kawakami (Bass), Tatsuyuki Aoki (drums), Yuichi Oki (keyboards), Marc Hayashi (guitar), Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta (alto sax/agitate man), Gamo (tenor sax), Atsushi Yanaka (baritone sax), Nargo (trumpet), Masahiko Kitahara (trombone) and Cleanhead Gimura (vocals). Yuhei Takeuchi 	Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
17554857	(alto sax) was part of the original lineup, but left in 1990, though he has re-joined the band live on several occasions. 1990s. was released in 1990, and includes their first big hit, Monster Rock". Within a year, the band was playing Tokyo's Budokan Arena in front of 10,000 fans. After their second album, , original guitarist Marc Hayashi left the band and was replaced by Toru Terashi. Their third album, "Pioneers", marked the last recording of the band with founder Asa-Chang, who decided to pursue a solo career. "Fantasia" was recorded as a 10 piece with no  permanent replacement on percussion. While the band worked on their fifth album, vocalist Cleanhead Gimura lost his ongoing battle with brain cancer and died. "Grand Prix" was released in 1995 as a tribute to the singer. This record continued the band's progression into a more pop-oriented sound, and it featured a number of guest musicians and singers. As far as live performances, Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta essentially became the front-man for the band. 1996 saw the release of , which toned back the pop stylings of "Grand Prix". This marked the first appearance on record of new percussionist Hajime Ohmori . During the band's visit to Thailand, Alto Sax/Agitate Man Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta has involved in a motorcycle accident, suffering damage to his legs. He missed out on some shows, but after recovery decided to continue performing, in many cases carrying a cane, or just sitting down while playing. Shortly thereafter Toru Terashi left the band. After this album, the band decided to leave Epic Records, as there was a feeling that the label had not been able to properly convert their popularity into record sales. They signed with indie label Avex Trax, who also created an exclusive imprint for  Skapara, Justa Record. The band recruited Rui Sugimura (brother of Cleanhead Gimura) as a full-time singer. This would become the band's most prolific period, with a number of releases, including the "Arkestra" album, various 12” and 7” records (which included remixes from "Arkestra" songs as well as completely new tracks), the "Hinotama Jive" EP, the soundtrack to the video game "Incredible Crisis", and several tribute album appearances. The band embarked on a tour of Japan (documented on the DVD "Ska Evangelists on the Run"). Since no official guitarist had been hired yet, they toured with the two guitarists  that worked on the album: Takashi Kato (of Lost Candi) and 會田茂一 (of El Malo). During the "Arkestra" tour, original drummer Tatsuyuki Aoki died in a train accident. He was temporarily replaced by Tatsuya Nakamura (Blankey Jet City and Losalios). At the end of the tour, Kin-Ichi Motegi (ex-Fishmans) also filled in. Rui Sugimura left in mid-1999 as well. Takashi Kato became a permanent member of the band. 2000s. 2000's Full Tension Beaters was a full-on Ska record, and their first album to be released outside of Asia (by Grover Records in Germany). Even though Motegi  was still working as support drummer during this recording, it was the first record with the band's most stable line-up, consisting of Yanaka, Gamo, Nargo, Kitahara and Hiyamuta on the horn section, Oki on keyboards, Kawakami on Bass, Ohmori on percussions, Kato on guitar and Motegi on drums. The lineup would remain the same until 2008. For their next record, "Stomping on Downbeat Alley", the band invited three guest singers: Yusuke Chiba (Thee Michelle Gun Elephant), Tajima Takao (Original Love, Pizzicato Five) and Tamio Okuda (Unicorn). The album and singles were a huge success and a gig at  Yokohama Arena (with all three guest singers) was released as "Downbeat Arena". The band also embarked on a European tour which was documented on the DVD "Catch the Rainbow". "High Numbers" was a more low-profile release, having mostly instrumental tracks, along with Kin-Ichi Motegi's first lead vocal track, "Ginga to Meiro". 2004's "Answer" was a similar affair. For 2006's "Wild Peace", the band once again recruited three guest vocalists: Chara, Hanaregumi, and Hiroto Komoto (The High-Lows). As with "Downbeat Alley" these singles became huge hits, and the band also recorded a DVD at the  final show for the tour, with all three singers. They once again toured Europe with this record. The DVD "Smile" was released to document this tour. "Perfect Future" soon followed, with more jazz leanings, and only one guest vocalist, Fumio Ito (of Kemuri). Kin-Ichi Motegi also recorded a vocal track for this album. A few months after the release of "Perfect Future", Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta, essentially the band's front man in live performances, decided to leave the band in order to concentrate on healing his legs, due to the accident suffered in 1996. The band decided not to replace  him, thereby remaining as a nine-piece. In early 2009 "Paradise Blue" was released, with the first line-up difference in almost a decade. This marked the 20th anniversary since the band's first EP was released, and they toured Japan in support of the album. 2010s. 2010 saw the release of "World Ska Symphony", featuring guest vocals from Tamio Okuda, Crystal Kay, and Kazuyoshi Saito. They played at Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City in April 2011. This was their first show in Latin America. They played at Coachella in California on April 12, 2013. In 2014, the band  celebrated their 25th anniversary. For the release of "Ska Me Forever", the album featured guest vocals from 10-Feet, MONGOL800, and Asian Kung-Fu Generation. In October 2014 the band released "Ska Me Forever" Mexican Edition, edited by "Casete", which includes a CD bonus with 2 special songs for Mexican fans: "Cielito Lindo" and an arrangement of "Cafe Tacvba" hit "Eres". Also, they played a show in Mexico City to promote this edition, gathering more than 6,000 people, being their most successful single show in America. In 2020, the band composed and performed the opening and ending songs for the  Tokusatsu series, Kamen Rider Saber. Discography. Side projects. Fishmans. (Kin-Ichi Motegi) See Fishmans Page