On October 8th and 9th, "Kobe Jazz Street", which symbolizes Kobe, the city of jazz, will be held for the first time in three years.
Junko Ishii, an 84-year-old active jazz singer, stands on the stage.
In Kobe, where she was born and raised, she has lived with jazz despite various hardships, such as running away from the fires of the Pacific War and the destruction of the jazz bar where she worked in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
What is the reason why she continues to sing jazz in Kobe from the age of 17 when she stepped on her first stage to now at the age of 84?
(Kobe Broadcasting Station cameraman Kaho Endo)
"Legend" of the Kobe jazz world
"Jun-chan!" "Mama Junko, sing!" Junko
Ishii, affectionately called "Jun-chan" at her own jazz bar in Kobe.
At the age of 84, she still performs some 30 of her songs at the request of customers.
She has a firm and relaxed voice, a figure that sings easily from high to low, and a light step that bounces left and right.
She makes people's hearts beat.
She is a legend who has been active mainly in Kobe since the age of 17 when she stepped on the first stage as a professional.
Jazz that gave me the power to live
Ishii was born in Kobe in 1938 as the eldest daughter of jazz-loving parents.
From an early age, she naturally hummed jazz to the records she played at her house.
When she was 3 years old she started the Pacific War.
Kobe was bombed many times and fled with her mother in her rising flames and smoke.
Even now, he says he can't forget the city of Kobe, which was turned into a burnt field.
When I was a junior high school student, I even performed jazz at a singing contest, but in Kobe, where the scars of defeat still remain, jazz was sometimes said to be "the song of an enemy country," "Ishii's family's child is delinquent," and "unpatriotic." It is said that
Even so, it was jazz that supported me.
Quit high school and go to the stage to support the family budget
After overcoming the difficult post-war period, life was getting back on track.
In the winter of his second year of high school, his father was seriously injured in an accident and was unable to work.
Ishii, who still has a younger sister and younger brother, quit high school and decided to sing as a professional singer to support her family.
Mr. Ishii started singing at a nearby music cafe.
His singing voice became popular, and he continued to sing on various stages, including theaters in Osaka and American military bases.
Since then, although there was a period of time away from the stage, he has continued to sing jazz as a professional based in Kobe for many years.
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake: The Power of Songs
On January 17, 1995, when Mr. Ishii was 56 years old, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck.
The jazz bar where I work was also severely damaged.
I was so desperate to rebuild my life that I had no time to think about jazz.
Two months after the disaster, she was invited to sing at a concert held to cheer up Kobe.
In front of you is a city that still bears the scars of the earthquake.
I timidly stood on the stage, thinking, ``I really can't sing a song in this kind of situation.''
He says he felt like he was doing something wrong.
Grabbing the microphone for the first time in a long time, he sang the relaxing "Tennessee Waltz".
When I finished my turn and left the venue, an old lady approached me and said,
"I was happy that he sang it. That song was a song that reminded me of dancing with my husband, who died in the earthquake,"
he said with tears in his eyes.
Mr. Ishii, who was unable to make a living in the changed city of Kobe, thought, "I can't sing."
That was the moment when I realized that my song could give someone joy and encouragement.
Encouraged by "people who wait for songs" even in the corona disaster
And in 2020, the new coronavirus is prevalent.
"Kobe Jazz Street," which has entertained and encouraged the people of Kobe for many years since 1982, has also been forced to cancel for the first time.
Twenty-five years after the earthquake, the sound of jazz disappeared from the city of Kobe again.
Ishii's shop was also repeatedly opened and closed due to the declaration of emergency.
Even if you can open, you can't resume live, and you can't even sing.
Even when I talked to regular customers on the phone, they greeted each other by saying ,
"Are you still alive?"
Also, like that time, both the song and the people may become distant...
However, it was the customer's words that supported and encouraged Mr. Ishii.
"There are a lot of people who want to hear Jun-chan's songs."
Mr. Ishii:
"I don't think I'm going to stop singing. I'm really encouraged by the audience. I'm sorry if I stop singing."
Kobe Jazz Street for the first time in 3 years
"Kobe Jazz Street" started in 1982.
Centered on Kitanozaka, which is located on the north side of Sannomiya, Kobe City, jazz performances are held at various venues in the city.
Performers are invited from overseas, and many jazz fans come from inside and outside the prefecture.
It is an annual stage that Ishii has appeared every year for many years.
It was around the spring of this year that Mr. Ishii was asked to appear by the chairman of the event's executive committee.
Ishii said that he was worried about standing on the stage after a long time, even though he had been looking forward to the opportunity to sing.
The stage has significantly decreased due to the corona misfortune.
I began to feel uneasy about the lyrics that I had learned so far without difficulty.
It was the audience and the “song” that inspired Mr. Ishii.
Even if it's been a long time since I've been on stage, I want to sing songs that will convince the audience who have encouraged me.
With that in mind, I decided to review the lyrics of my songs every day.
It is said that the scene when he sang that song so far, and the faces of the customers came to mind one after another.
Sing as much as you can!
Mr. Ishii has been empowered by songs, encouraged by songs, encouraged by people waiting for songs, and lived with songs.
Kobe Jazz Street for the first time in three years.
With gratitude to jazz, songs, and the people who listened to us, we will deliver the unadorned singing voice to the city of Kobe.
Mr. Ishii:
“Jazz is my treasure after all. Nothing can replace it.