Baby Brothers: Happy Christmas with Bb

Jazz of Japan #219 • Dec 24, 2023 • Brian McCrory

This special release from Baby Brothers, entitled Happy Christmas with Bb (side b, the final live at plug and more), warmly celebrates the holidays and commemorates the vocal quintet’s final performance in 2007, layering bittersweet emotions with abundantly joyful singing and expression.

The album starts with eight tracks performed and recorded in concert. This live portion features the a capella quintet using their voices in beautiful harmony with charming arrangements from their repertoire including the classic jazz standard “My Favorite Things”, some jazzy soul and pop selections, and three well-known Japanese songs.

The three songs “Nada Sousou”, “Ookina Furudokei”, and “Furusato” are well known in Japan and are especially heartwarming album highlights. Despite any language barrier, the textured voices and words convey a sense of nostalgia, sadness, and memories, immersing listeners in steeping emotions.

Following the eight live tracks, four studio-recorded songs include two finely-tuned pop songs and two Christmas classics, ending the album sweetly with a lush “White Christmas” and a serene caroling of “Silent Night” sung in both Japanese and English.

Happy Christmas with Bb by Baby Brothers

• Sanae Ishikawa - vocal
• Monet - vocal
• Kyoko Ogata - vocal
• Takahiko Goto - vocal
• Yohhei - vocal

Released in 2007 on Baby Brothers as Side B.

Japanese names: Sanae Ishikawa 石川早苗 (Ishikawa Sanae) Monet モネ (Monet) Kyoko Ogata 緒方京子 (Ogata Kyoko) Takahiko Goto ごとうたかひこ (Goto Takahiko) Yohhei ようへい (Yohhei)

Related Albums

• Baby Brothers: Bb (2007)
• Sanae Ishikawa: Grown-up Christmas Gift (2018)

Audio and Video

• Live performances of “Take Five”, “A Night in Tunisia”, and “Almost Like Being in Love”

• Live performances of “Nada Sousou”, “Ookina Furudokei”, and “Furusato”

• Excerpt from “My Favorite Things”, the first track on this album: