Livingston in Japan.
Excerpts from letters sent to Livingston's home office by
Masato Amemiya of
Conversation and Company
Day 1 - Tokyo
 | | Mr. Masato Amemiya |
We met each other at Narita airport. 5 pm:Just after his coming out from the gate, I immediately found him and stepping fast toward him. I cried upholding his concert flyer 'Hi Liv !' and he replied ' yes, it's me !'
After the dinner, Mr.Livingston Taylor gave me a present. Wow! Red Sox league
jumper! I really really love it! From tomorrow I will wear it everyday! Thank
you very much!
So tomorrow, I will send email attached the picture of mine wearing your present.
The first day was full of great time for me.
Day 2 - Tokyo
2nd day was full of promotion activities and weather
was so beautiful. In the morning, he appeared FM program for interview and
one song performance. The DJ is professional baseball player's wife and her
husband will join Red Sox
as a pitcher just like as Matsuzaka. So he and DJ had enthusiastically talked
each other about Boston. Mr. Livingston Taylor played ' Life is Good' with his
guitar.
(In the) afternoon, he appeared other FM station whose listeners are native English speakers in Tokyo and Japanese people who comprehend English. So DJ does not speak Japanese, Mr.Livingston Taylor speaks very fast and vividly.
He decided to sing ' Blame It On Me'.
From 5, in his room at the hotel, he was interviewed by two magazines, one is about his guitar technique and the other is his musical career for about forty years. It took one hour and half each, all promotion activities were finished at eight.
His food life in Tokyo: today's lunch was Chinese noodle and dinner was Japanese
noodle. He is skillful to use chopsticks even better than 'all thumbs' Japanese.
After the dinner, he vanished into a candy shop.
Day 3 - Yokohama
It was really cold winter night, but the live house called Thumbs Up in Yokohama was heated with many many Livingston Taylor' fan.
Before the performance, I asked Mr.Livingston Taylor to show me a set list for the night.
But he replied that since 1972 he has not have set list for a stage.
So I had to write down the title of tune one by one on my notebook listening intro and his singing.
After the opening act who is Japanese duet folk group, Livingston Taylor had started his play at 20:25.
Set list is as following:
1: Life is good
2: How much your sweet love means to me (singing with one of audience who is Japanese senior gentleman)
3: There I'll be
4: Blame it on me
5: North to Alaska
6: Last Alaska moon
7: Never lose hope ( new song covered by Japanese pop group INDIGO )
8: Going round one more time
9: unknown ( I am not able~~, I ought to be ~~)
10: My perfect christmas day
11:There you are again
12: Tell Jesus ( to come to my home )
13: Get out of bed ( requested by one of audience, Livingston Taylor said that this song was in dinosaur era,,,)
14: Have yourself a merry little christmas
1st session was planned for 40 min. but he played one hour and ended at 21:20.
After 20 min. intermission, 2nd session had started at 21:40:
1: Heart and soul
2: Yes
3: Answering my prayer ( new song with very beautiful melody line )
4: Carolina in my mind ( livingston Taylor said ' through me James sings this song!)
5: unknown
6: My romance
7: guitar solo
8: Carolina days
9: City lights
10: Our turn to dance
encore
1: Best of friends ( big applause by audience, Livingston Taylor stopped singing for a moment )
2: unknown but related with rainbow
3: Over the rainbow ( Livingston Taylor was singing with a little voice and audience was singing in chorus )
encore 2
1: Grand Mother's hands ( no instruments played, just his vocal with lots of gesture )
His performance for the night was finished at 22:20 following by sign on his CDs and taking pictures with him.
But all things were not done !
One of Livingston Taylor' fan had brought a large cake which had been in fridge at Thumbs Up.
then we started ' Happy Birthday for Liv !'
Actually his birthday was November 21st, but we do not care !
We wanted to celebrate his birthday !
All ended at 11:15 and we were riding on the train from Yokohama to Tokyo for twenty min.
His great performance and great audience made the Yokohama concert big big success !
Day 4 - Tokyo
Unfortunately I do not have a time to take pictures, but other staff took a lots.
So I would be able to send them by e-mail to you
I am off on Saturday, so I did not have to drop by my office and Mr.Livingston Taylor and I have met at his hotel's lobby at 3 pm.
Today I have set up two interviews for magazines and first one was with INDIGO.
INDIGO is Japanese pop group has released seven albums since 1999 and female vocal Miki had been loving Mr.Livingston Taylor's songs.
On the latest album they have recorded Mr.Livingston Taylor's new song called `Never Lose Hope'.
Although Miki felt a little nervous, the interview has started in relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.
Mr.Livingston Taylor has strongly recommended Miki study and play keybords to improve her musical skill and career.
Second interview was by music writer Mr. Eiji Ogura from 5:15 pm.
Mr.Livingston Taylor and Mr. Ogura have been well known each other over twenty five years,
Mr.Ogura has pulled real statement out from Mr. Taylor about the current album `there you are again'.
The interview was finished at 7:30.
 |
Livingston with (l-r) writer Mr. Eiji Ogura,
his wife
Mrs. Ritsuko Ogura, reknowned designer
and painter Mr. Nov.Yabuki |
Mr. Livingston Taylor and Mr. Ogura went to Shinjyuku to have dinner at famous Tempura restaurant where they meet with Mr.Ogura's wife and Mr. Yabuki.
Mr. Yabuki is a painter and an illustration designer who wrote two fantastic pictures for Mr. Livingston Taylor's CDs, `Life Is Good' and `Bicycle'.
Mr. Livingston Taylor tasted tempura of shrimp, eggplant, potato, scallop and conger eel etc. and he seemed to be really happy with three old friends.
Mr.Livingston Taylor took the train to Shinagawa nearest station to his hotel.
The train was normal local one and did not have executive class seats, so he enjoyed to get on with ordinary people.
He has finally learned how to enter and to exit hotel entrance.
Because a couple of times, when he exit hotel he took the door which says IN in large English,
and when he enter hotel he took the door which says OUT in large English.
I have been wondering why and thought that God loves people like Mr.Livingston Taylor !
But now he is terrific and takes right door without my caution.
Day 5 - Tokyo
On his 5th day, I set up just one promotion activity.
At 3:30 pm, we arrived at a main shop of Tower Records in Shibuya .
It was Sunday afternoon and the store was crowded with many young music fans
from 1st floor to 8th floor, the instore event for Mr. Livingston Taylor was
held at 5th floor decorated with his posters, current CD`There you are again'
and eight titles of reissued CDs with paper sleeves.
 | | INDIGO singer Miki joins Liv for "Never Lose Hope" |
Ten minutes late, at 4:10 pm, Mr.Livingston Taylor's performance has started
with his song `Life is good' in front of the audience nearly a hundred peoples,
some of them were sitting and others were standing.
After second song `There I'll be', I introduced Ms. Miki from INDIGO as a walk
in guest and they played `Never lose hope.
Although they had a short rehearsal at a dressing room and Miki looked so nervous,
their collaboration works well.
Before the event I had told Mr.Livingston Taylor that two songs would be enough,
but after three songs I asked him to sing two more songs !` Oh ! two more songs
! he replied.
As you may know he is real gentleman, he did not seem to be uncomfortable at
all.Answering my request, he played `Have yourself merry little christmas' and
`Blame
it on me'The audience really enjoyed his performance with getting their CDs with
Mr.Livingston
Taylor's sign.Around 5 pm, the event was over with big success.
On that night, Mr. Livingston Taylor said to me that he would like to go to Blue
Note Tokyo and see Mr. David Sanborn.
He purchased three tickets for him, me and my wife and left a message for Mr.
Sanborn that they would meet after the show.
We had quick dinner of Japanese noodle with shrimp tempura and the performance
was over at 10:45 pm.
 |  | | Liv and David Sanborn backstage | Liv signs CDs at Tower Records Tokyo |
Fortunately Mr. Taylor met with Mr. Sanborn at the dressing room and they talked
about the recording studio in Nashville, his career at Berkley college and his
brother James etc.
I took a picture by my mobile phone.(please see the attached picture)
Then we returned hotel at midnight.
 | | Masato |
My brain was full of fantasy.
If I could only see Mr.Livingston Taylor singing his `Tuesday's Lullaby' with
Mr.David Sanborn's sax solo at that night !
Day 6 - Tokyo
December 11th, Monday, was the first performance in Tokyo for Mr. Livingston
Taylor and the venue is called Sogetsu hall.
Mr.Livingston Taylor loved the entrance decoration of hall with large rock sculptures
and branches.
At the time of sound check and rehearsal he was delighted to play Steinway piano
as same brand as he has obtained for himself.
19:05 pm his perfomace has started and set list is as following,
- Life is good
- Falling in love with you
- Black birds
- There I’ll be
- I wish I was a cowboy
- Going round one more time
- Blame it on me
- North Alaska
- Last Alaska moon
- My perfect Christmas day
- There you are again
- Tell Jesus to come to my house
- Have yourself merry little Christmas
Intermission(15 min.)
- Heart and soul
- Yes
- Answer my prayer
- Best of friends
- Step by step
- Never lose hope
- Olympic guitar
- unknown
- Carolina day
- City lights
- I’ll be in love with you
- Our turn to dance
Encore
- Get out of bed
- Rainbow connection
- Over the rainbow
- Grand mothers hands
At 1st. session, Ms Miki from INDIGO was supposed to sing `Never lose hope',
but at last minutes, she hesitated to sing just because of stage fright.
She told me that she would not be able to sing and asked me to pass her mixed
feelings to Mr. Livingston Taylor.So then I talked with him about her set-mind,
he was really disappointed and said to me that Miki should come tohis dressing
room at the intermission.
When Miki visited his dressig room, Mr.Livingston Taylor told her,
"You know, Regret, one is you have done such a thing that you did not well,
and the other Regret is that you should have done that you did not do that.
The worst Regret is not the former but the latter ! '
At that moment Miki had just changed her mind and said she surely sing with Mr.Livingston
Taylor firmly.
The duet song `Never lose hope' had well performed and received a lot of applause
by the audience.
I was deeply impressed and cried in my mind `only The Berklee Music College professor
teaches that lesson !'
The show was finished at 9:10 pm.
Many people visited his dressing room to say a congratulation of his great performance.
Mr.Livingston Taylor left the hall at 10:00 pm and went to the chinese restaurant
recommended by Mr. Ogura with Mr.Nagata.
 |  | | |
(l-r) Mr. Eiji Ogura, Liv, and Mr. Isao Nagata with restaurant personnel. |
The menu we had tasted is as following:
drunken shrimp from Hokkaido (most nothern part of Japan),
achoi vegitable
with preserved pork rib meat,
shrimp spring roll including green vegetable come fromTaipei,
sweet sour
pork by black vinegar in mainland China,
stir fried tender beef meat with eschalot & black pepper,
minced beef and
lettuce,
mungo pudding as a dessert.
I took a taxi to the hotel with Mr. Livingston Taylor and at 1:00 am could
catch my last train to my home with great joy of tonight big success.
Day 7 - Tokyo
I met with Mr. Livingston Taylor at his hotel lobby and I asked him what
time he got up today. He replied at 9:30 in the morning.
I wondered why he did so late because I know he gets up at 6:30 am every
morning in Japan and guessed he might be tired.
At 4:30 pm we left the hotel and took a taxi to the venue, JZ Brat.
JZ Brat is fancy jazz club located in downtown Shibuya and famous jazz musician,
Jimmy Scotto and Salena Jones etc. played every night.
It is small club, max capacity is 80 persons, but for this reason the artist
and the audience is very close. If you take a closest chair, you can see the artist at the distance of one
meter !
 |  | | Mr. Taylor plays piano at JZ Brat | Mr. Taylor with Mr. Okajima and his wife Ms. Kurihara |
At that night a special guest Mr. Okajima and his wife was attending.
Mr. Okajima is a professional baseball pitcher who will join Red Sox next
year and his wife is Ms. Kurihara who Mr.Livingston Taylor has already met
at Tokyo FM on his second day.
1st. stage started at 7:00 pm and set list is as following,
1: Life is good
2: Black bird
3: There I'll be
4: Going round one more time
5: Blame it on me
6: unknown ( kind of blues )
7: My romance
8: Over the beautiful morning
9: Sorry with fringe on the top
10: Olympic guitar
11: Never lose hope
12: My perfect christmas day
13: Heart and soul
14: Yes
15: There you are again
16: Tell Jesus ( to come to my home )
17: Answer my prayer
18: Get out of bed
19: Carolina day
20: City lights
21: Have yourself merry little christmas
22: Our turn to dance
encore
1: Best of friends
2: Rainbow connection
3: Over the rainbow
1st. stage was over at 8:28 pm (Mr. Ogura informed me accurate time )
During one hour intermission, Mr.Livingston Taylor shook hands with the audience
and wrote a plenty of sign on their CDs.
Then 2nd. stage started at 9:30 and set list is as following,
1: Life is good
2: Everybody like me ( new song never played in this Japan tour )
3: Black bird
4: There I'll be
5: Never lose hope
6: North to Alaska
7: Last Alaska moon
8: Carolina in my mind
9: unknown ( pizza ? I am not ~~, I ought to be~~ )
10: Have yourself merry little christmas
11: My perfect christmas day
12: There you are again
13: Heart and soul
14: Yes
15: Answer my prayer
16: Step by step
17: Best of friends
18: on and all ( ? by Stephen Bishop ) with audience singing high note A
19: Blame it on me
20: Carolina day
21: City lights
22: Our turn to dance
encore
1: Get out of bed
2: Rainbow connection
3: Over the rainbow
2nd. stage was over at 11:00 pm.
Can you imagine the artist who sung total three hours playing his guitar
and piano without a band and any support ?
After the show one of the audience talked to me that she was really moved
and although she can not speak English she could understand what Mr.Livingston
Taylor was saying.
Mr. Livingston Taylor had pleasant chats with the audience some of them showed
tears on their face missing his whole performance in Japan.
It was almost midnight when we took a cab to his hotel and I could barely
catch my last train.
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