Autumn Leaves, Sukiyaki, Bicycle Repairman and Jerry Lewis in The Geisha Boy.

It’s Bicycle Repairman!


Chuck Loeb’s Autumn Leaves masterclass of jazz guitar improvisation.




East of the Sun West of the Moon Bossa Nova solo guitar. Another wonderfully fluid and natural player.




Sukiyaki. Not just having a Japanese family an' all, but something about this song has always fascinated me. Maybe it's the nude pearl divers?! I love all that 50's and early 60's Japanese, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan et al thang. No, really.

Kyu Sakamoto wrote this lovely tune and after a Washington DJ played it in 1963, it became the only worldwide number one hit sung entirely in Japanese, ever. Kyu was a lovely man who worked hard for the poor, ill and handicapped. I like his warm, kind face.

Now I very rarely cry, as I have no warmth or emotions, but Sukiyaki ALWAYS makes me weep. Go figure.

Kyu was hugely popular in Japan, and captured in many ways, a lovely time, style and place. He also wrote four other hits. Sadly, Kyu died in the worst aviation disaster of all time, claiming 520 people. It took 32 minutes from bulkhead failure to impact. In that time, Kyu wrote a farewell letter to his wife.

"Ue o muite aruku. Namida ga kobore nai yu ni."

"I look up when I walk, So the tears won't fall."





A great acoustic version of Sukiyaki by a lovely girl who is sadly not a pearl diver.




And now for the feature...Jerry Lewis in The Geisha Boy Pt 1. Man, a sweet and funny film. A near perfect comic masterpiece from Jerry and in that lush, delicious romantic colour. Dig it. Check out the nudie peek-a-boo dame in the introduction credits. The first time I saw it, I must have been about six years-old! I never recovered.