Welcome to episode 61 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be discussing Kaoru Akimoto’s 1968 album, “Tenor Sax Mood White Christmas.”

I’ve collected a variety of things throughout my life. No matter what I’ve been collecting at the time, I’ve always had a handful of items that seemed just beyond my reach. In each case, I’ve managed to get at least a couple of those things I never thought I’d own. Sometimes, they turn out to be a huge disappointment. Luckily with my record collecting, each of the albums I’ve gotten that I never thought I’d own have lived up to or exceeded my expectations. Whether it’s been Kaoru Akimoto, Jun Fukamachi, Chiemi Eri, or any of the others that either seemed to rare or expensive for me to get, or that one collector or another had told me to not even bother looking for because, they assured me, I’d never be able to get—they’ve all turned out to be at least as good as I was hoping.

I hope you’ve found Kaoru Akimoto to be as satisfying an album as I did. It’s a wonderful album and one I’ve listened to more than a lot of the others, mainly because of how early I got it in my collecting. As I said in the episode, though, there are a lot of even more spectacular albums out there. I’ve only covered a handful of the best ones so far, and the best ones truly are yet to come. Join me back here next week when I discuss Niw! Records’ 2010 compilation, “We Wish You A Happy.” It’s a fun, more contemporary album and one you’re sure to enjoy.

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.

Remember, I’ve added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you’d like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. I’ve also opened a Redbubble store. I only have a couple designs up, but keep an eye on it as I’ll be trying to add more. Half of any proceeds or donations received will be donated to support the people of Ukraine, while the rest will be used to purchase new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!