Episode 27 – Toro Takeuchi’s “Cool Christmas”

Welcome to episode 27 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I talk about the 1993 compilation, “Cool Christmas,” produced by Toro Takeuchi and released by Pony Canyon.

I forget where I first saw the cover for “Cool Christmas,” but I was instantly intrigued. I spent months trying to track down a copy and finally found it listed on eBay. Once it arrived, I couldn’t have been more pleased. The Mood Kayo and Jazz albums of the 60s helped get me hooked on Japanese Christmas music, and this was the first more contemporary Jazz album I’d found. I’ve listened to it quite a few times since then, and I’m always impressed by the quality and diversity of the music in its short, 36-minute runtime.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you found “Cool Christmas” to be as much of a delight as I did. After playing catch-up the last few months, I’m finally ahead of my game, so both of this month’s episodes should be out on time. With any luck, I’ll be able to get a jump on my October episodes as well. Be sure to join me back here on the 25th for “Criola Winter Songbook” from 1992. It’s a fantastic album with a couple great original tunes, as well as several unexpected covers.

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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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!