On Wednesday, June 13, 2018, I went to the "10th Magcal Night," a tipping entertainment event held in the Kannai area! I was excited to see what kind of live performance I would be able to see, so I went to the venue! Before that, let me first introduce "Magcal Night."
~What are "Magcal" and "Magcal Night"?~
■ MAGCUL
An abbreviation for "Magnet Culture." An initiative promoted by Kanagawa Prefecture to attract people with the appeal of culture and the arts and to create a lively local area.
■ Magcal Knight
This initiative aims to provide an entertainment space where you can casually enjoy yourself while eating and drinking. You can enjoy a variety of entertainment genres on a weekly basis, including stand-up comedy (※), which is currently attracting attention, jazz, which is an essential part of Yokohama's music scene, as well as comedy sketches and pantomime.
*A type of talk comedy that has become mainstream in the West, in which the performer stands alone on stage with a microphone and talks about various topics including social satire, interspersed with action.
[Magcal Night Event Summary]
[Venue] Yokohama Three S
[Dates] Every Wednesday, twice a day (19:30~/21:00~, no changeover)
[Performers] Japan Stand-up Comedy Association, YOKOHAMA JAZZ EGGS, Yoshimoto Creative Agency
[Fee] Free admission (donation system / separate food and drink charges, one drink system)
*Drinks are half price (¥250) between 18:00 and 19:00 (until the end of August 2018)
We arrived at the venue, Yokohama 3S, just before the start of the show at 7:30 p.m. Wonderful music was already playing from the basement.
The walls of the stairs leading to the venue were covered with autographs from people who had performed at the live show!
June 13th (Wednesday) is the performance day of "JAZZ TAP TRIO". The performers are Shiori Fukuyama (vocals), Goro Inaoka (guitar), and Tansei (tamp dance). *Fukuyama and Inagaki are members of "YOKOHAMA JAZZ EGGS".
First of all, I was surprised at how well the three performers worked together! They performed in perfect harmony and looked like they were having fun, and perhaps because they were so close to the stage, that feeling was clearly conveyed to the audience. The whole venue came together as one, and it was a homely concert filled with smiles.
The best thing about it is that you can enjoy the live show while drinking. It will blow away all your tiredness.
The setlist for the 7:30pm concert included Carol King's "I Feel The Earth Move" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "ONE "NOTE SAMBA" and other songs that everyone has heard, and the audience was really into it.
Jazz and tap dancing, a collaboration that you don't often get to see, but the individual personalities of each dancer blended beautifully, and I was naturally drawn into the wonderful performance. Tansei-san not only tap danced, but also used his whole body as percussion to keep the rhythm, sometimes even going down into the audience and tapping on the chairs and shelves in the venue. I was so surprised when he came right in front of me!
Being able to see the three of them perform authentic American-trained entertainment up close and seeing the happy expressions on their faces and feeling the sweat flying off them made me think that live shows are really great and made me want to drink even more (laughs).
The live show was a "tipping" system. Tipping is a system where you pay the performers only if you think you enjoyed their performance, and is used in street performances. This time, after the show ended, vocalist Fukuyama walked around the venue with his hat. I also put my "feelings" into the hat as much as I enjoyed it ♡ Thank you for a wonderful time!
[Interviews with performers]
After the live performance, we interviewed them about their performance at "Magcal Night". Despite being tired, the "JAZZ TAP TRIO" responded with a smile and a friendly attitude throughout the show. Please enjoy the live voices of the members!
From left: Shiori Fukuyama (vocals), Goro Inaoka (guitar), and Tansei (tap dance).
■What did you think of the performance at "Magcal Night"?
Fukuyama: At "Magcal Night," there are many customers who don't usually listen to jazz, and they casually drop in on their way home from work and enjoy themselves. We also have a wonderful sense of tension that is different from when we perform at a jazz club, and we have a lot of fun performing.
■How was it having this session with the three of you?
All: It was so much fun!!
Fukuyama: A jazz and tap dance session is quite rare, and Tansei-san really livened up the atmosphere, so it was a lot of fun and a great session!
■What was the audience's reaction?
Fukuyama: The stage and the audience were close, and Tansei's dynamic performance really livened up the venue, creating a great atmosphere.
Inaoka: During the performance, we can see the audience's expressions and get their reactions directly, so that's a good thing.
Tansei: I don't just use tap dancing, I use "body percussion" that uses the whole body, and combine it with music to create a comprehensive form of entertainment, so I'm happy when the audience gets excited by my performance.
■What kind of activities would you like to do with "Magcal Night" in the future?
Fukuyama: At "Magcal Night," there will be a variety of groups from "YOKOHAMA JAZZ EGGS" performing, with different combinations of instruments and numbers of people, so I think that no matter when you come, you'll be able to enjoy it in a variety of patterns.
Inaoka: I think "Magcal Night" is a valuable opportunity for people from different fields to have sessions across boundaries, so I would like to continue participating in it.
Even if I was interested in jazz, I felt like it was somehow too difficult to get into. If there was a place like "Magcal Night" where you could casually enjoy jazz, the charm of jazz would spread to more people. I was also energized by the wonderful music and dance that night.
At "Magcal Night", in addition to jazz, you can enjoy various genres of entertainment such as comedy and stand-up comedy on a weekly basis. Why not come to the venue next Wednesday?
