Wise Beyond Their Years
Cool Wise Men Respect their Elders
Japan has been awash in Ska bands and fans for decades, and now that we're beyond the saturation point, it's time to weed out the weak ones (I'm looking at you, Miceteeth) and reinforce the strong one, like Cool Wise Men.
This local 7-piece get it right without delving into the derivative, which is tougher than it sounds, considering how much of the Ska scene is covering the classics.
But CWM sound inspired. Their dub-tinged ska set had energy, yet was faithful to the spirit of Jamaica, no doubt in part because an elder was among their midst: Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton.
He's a spry 74 years old, that Thornton. He bounded onto the stage with a belly laugh, donning a near-neon harlequin-esque linen shirt that made him the center of attention. The guy has a voice like Louis Armstrong, and every time he spoke (usually followed by another belly-laugh), that gravelly timbre seemed to shake the valley.
In a half-scat, half-bellow, he implored the crowd to jump, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. At first, it seemed like he was trying to speak Japanese, but on second thought, it was just gobbldeygook, and the fans lapped it up like the gospel.
Cool Wise Men and Sir Thornton will play a second, late-nite set tonight at the Crystal Palace in the Palace of Wonder area.
Reported by jinki (2007.07.27 / 17:12)
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