Every year, I feel a bit depressed when February arrives. Although people are refraining from going out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I live alone and have no choice but to go shopping at the local supermarket, and the area next to the area where you bag your purchases after checking out has been turned into a temporary corner selling Valentine's Day chocolates. Even though I have no connection to Valentine's Day in my life, I am overwhelmed by the large, hastily put together space and feel very miserable.
It is well known that the custom of giving chocolates on Valentine's Day is a strategy of the confectionery industry and is unique to Japan. However, there are various theories about its origin, and it is unclear whether it was first introduced in a prewar advertisement by Morozoff confectionery or a postwar campaign by Mary Chocolate at Isetan. However, the custom spread in the 1970s , when girls in the upper grades of elementary school and high school gave chocolates to boys they liked, and in the 1980s , it seems that adults also started to give chocolates to their colleagues and superiors, as a way of showing consideration for them, and then there was the White Day business campaign, where people give chocolates in return. I was in the upper grades of elementary school in the early 1970s , so I was first introduced to the "honmei choco" (favorite chocolate). Moreover, I was in the fifth grade of elementary school when my father was transferred from Suwa in Nagano Prefecture to Kobe, so Valentine's Day was a big event in Kobe, where Morozoff is based. I never received any chocolate from girls, but my father was a banker and his clients included local confectionery companies such as Morozov and Goncharov, so we would receive a box of chocolates at home on Valentine's Day. As a chocolate lover, I felt a sense of emptiness at not being popular, but I was able to get by without any shortage of chocolate.
Since then, I have never had any Valentine's chocolate until now, but there is one exception: my former student, Ms. N , who faithfully sends me chocolate every year on Valentine's Day. Ms. N is a busy career woman, but she was the only woman to attend the first anniversary event of "Gourmet Communication" last year, and livened up the atmosphere. I seem to have a connection with Ms. Yuko Anada of "Anada Gyoza," who was my university classmate and a student of that year. Nearly 20 years ago, I was forced to spend two months in hospital, hovering between life and death, and Ms. N came to visit me with writer O -kun, bringing me chocolate from Jean-Paul Hevin, which had just arrived at Isetan at the time. Apparently, I requested that Evan eat it as my final farewell, but I was seriously ill and mentally confused, so I have a hazy memory of that time.
Also, as Valentine's Day has become an annual event, chocolates are no longer the only gifts. The wine industry has also been trying various ways to present Valentine's wines, such as Chateau Calon-Segur, a famous wine with a heart mark on the label, and Chateau L'orvalentin, which has Valentine's in its name.
However, during this time, the song that comes to my mind is the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine." At one point, I was obsessed with female jazz vocalists in the late 1950s , and although I have encountered many great performances of this song, the one that you should listen to first is the performance by Chet Baker ( 1929-1988 ). The song was originally released in 1937 as a song from the musical "Babes in Arms" by Rogers/Hart, and it was Frank Sinatra who popularized the song, and it also became famous when trumpet master Miles Davis covered it as an instrumental number. Baker was a trumpeter, and his unique androgynous voice and good looks made him a favorite of the era in the 1950s , and he gained great popularity. Baker's de facto debut album, Chet Baker Sings (recorded 1954-56 ), included "My Funny Valentine," and when people think of "My Funny Valentine," they think of this recording of Baker's work. The album, released by the Pacific Jazz label, has an outstanding jacket, with Baker in a white T- shirt singing in front of the microphone against a red, yellow, and blue tricolor background. In the days of records, jackets were an important element that influenced purchasing power and also had artistic merit.
It is true that Baker's melancholy high-pitched voice on the above album is stylish and beautiful, but the performance time is shorter than other songs, and the impression is weak. If you want the same ennui-like singing, you might want to listen to "The Thrill Is Gone" or "I Fall in Love Easily." The song I recommend is "My Funny Valentine," which is included in "Chet Baker with Fifty Italian Strings," recorded in stereo in Milan in 1958-59 . In fact, this performance was not included on the original LP , but was reissued when it was released on CD . Baker went through a period of misfortune due to drug addiction, and resumed his activities in the late 1970s . In the 1980s , he expanded his activities, visiting Japan in 1986 and 1987 , but he led a turbulent life, falling to his death from a hotel window in Amsterdam in 1988 . This album was also recorded during a trip to Europe, where he escaped from the risk of arrest if he stayed in the US. However, he was arrested by the Italian police in the summer of 1960 , and his activities were suspended until the end of 1961. The version of "My Funny Valentine" heard here is not the listless one seen on the Pacific version, but a more serious and melancholic one. It is so impressive that you worry you might be drowned in a sea of strings. On this album, he only sings half the time, and the rest is a trumpet solo, so there is no momentum like on the Pacific version. This may reflect the situation he was in at the time.
Of course, there are many great performances by female vocalists. For example, "My Funny Valentine" by Dinah Shore on "Dinah Sings Previn Plays" (recorded 1959-60 ) with Andre Previn is full of calm, mature feminine charm, and Previn's excellent piano sense, who later became a classical conductor, shines through. However, after listening to various songs this time, I was blown away by the singing on "Anita O'Day Sings the Winners " recorded in 1958 by Anita O'Day ( 1919-2006 ). The album starts with a cheerful Ellington song, "Take the A Train," and just before "My Funny Valentine" comes the swinging "Sing, Sing, Sing," backed by a big band. You'd think it would end up like this, but O'Day's magnificent, unique world unfolds in a pitch that's almost completely different from the score, and he sings with dignity, which is so charming. I had the opportunity to hear O'Day's live performance in 1994 , the last time he visited Japan, and it was the only time I've ever had the opportunity to hear a great singer from the ' 50s live, and I still remember that precious experience vividly. At the time, I didn't like O'Day's distinctive singing style, and I didn't know what to do with it, but when I listen to it now, I'm surprised at how high the quality of O'Day's albums from the so-called Verve (label) era from the late ' 50s to the early ' 60s are, and there are no misses.
Now, let's make some coffee and enjoy the Evan that N- san sent me this afternoon. Now, which version of "My Funny Valentine" should I listen to? (Completed on February 14 , 2022 ).
This month's recommended wine
"Veneto wine, Italy's all-rounder"
"Masiero Merlot 2017 DOC Breganze Rosso Angarano" 4,500 yen (excluding tax)
Italy's two major wine producing regions (Tuscany and Piedmont) are both located in northern Italy, but the region with the largest wine production in northern Italy is the Veneto region, with Venice as its capital. Although white wines such as Soave are the main produce, the region is also suitable for French grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and Cabernets served at reasonable prices along with Chianti and Montepulciano at casual Italian restaurants in the city are surely from the Veneto. Of course, the high-quality wines made in Italy using Bordeaux grape varieties are the Super Tuscans of Tuscany and wines with the DOC "Bolgheri" designation, but most wines made from French grape varieties such as Cabernet that can be enjoyed casually are from the Veneto. This is similar to the Vins de Pays (currently IGP ) in southern France, where wines made from grape varieties from other regions such as Cabernet are made at reasonable prices.
Last time, we introduced Cahors in southwestern France as a wine similar to Bordeaux. This time, we will expand on that and say that if you are looking for a wine similar to Bordeaux in Italy, last year's "Bolgheri" will be the first thing that comes to mind, but we would like you to know that Veneto wines are more affordable and enjoyable. Moreover, when it comes to grape varieties of French wine, they produce all the grape varieties of the main producing regions, such as Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and Riesling, so it is easy to use in many ways.
In recent years, they have begun to focus on quality rather than just selling value for money. The wine I would like to introduce this time, "Masiero", is a 100 % Merlot wine that is also DOC Breganze. This winery is run by the five sisters of the Giovanna family. They are committed to producing quality wines, and have invited Italy's leading winemaker Marco Bernabei as a consultant. The winery building, "Villa Angarano", completed in 1570 , was designed by Andrea Palladio and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is said that Queen Elizabeth's mother, Queen Mother Elizabeth (1900-2002 ) , often visited the winery, and that she loved Merlot.
Be sure to try the modern version of the wine that the Queen Mother enjoyed at her villa.
For inquiries about the wines featured,
To AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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