Young is all in the mind

Legend has it that Otis Redding once poked his head into a studio where the Young Rascals were rehearsing in order to find out if Felix Cavaliere really was white. Forty years later, Cavaliere finally got down with Redding's chief collaborator, guitarist Steve Cropper, on a bunch of originals. Cavaliere's voice, while having lost the edge that made the Rascals big hits, like "Good Lovin'," so raucous, was still supple and youthful, which means he can probably still nail "Groovin'," "A Girl Like You," "A Beautiful Morning," and "People Got to Be Free." Those, of course, are the songs he is obliged to play since he's fronting a band called the Rascals, who, most likely aren't his original collaborators. Of course, he may play some of the Cropper material since he just released a second album with the guitarist, but let's hope he's feeling nostalgic. The guy is pushing 66, so we'll assume his stamina isn't what it used to be.

Sept. 7 at 7:00 & 9:30, Cotton Club, Yurakucho. ´8,400-10,500. Box office, 03-3215-1555; Sept. 9 & 10 at 7:00 & 9:30 and Sept. 11 at 6:00 & 8:45, Blue Note Tokyo, Aoyama. ´8,400. Box office, 03-5485-0088.

Now that's country soul

The soul hits that Dann Penn wrote in the 60s and 70s, sometimes with Spooner Oldham, sometimes with others, include such classics as "I'm Your Puppet," "Cry Like a Baby," "Sweet Inspiration" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man." Penn sings in that slightly muffled, bluesy drawl that Eric Clapton appropriated and subsequently took to the bank, and he's an able and satisfying acoustic guitarist. Maybe that's all you need, but on his solo recordings it's easy to miss the stellar arrangements that made his songs the classics they were, so let's hoping his band is up to the task. Fortunately, on hand will be keyboardist Bobby Emmons, a veteran Memphis session man who occasionally tours with Penn. Emmons also worked with Elvis during his late 60s return to significance. These two giants should guarantee that the sound of Stax-American-Hi will be as high and sweet or as low and dirty as the material requires.

Aug. 25 & 26 at 7:00 & 9:30, Billboard Live Tokyo, Roppongi. ´6,500 & ´8,500. Box office, 03-3405-1133.

Virtuosity ain't a sin

As soon as the new wave arrived on the coattails of punk in the mid-70s, so-called progressive rock fell out of favor with people who considered themselves...well, progressive about pop music. All that wankery and ostentatious virtuosity seemed so opposed to what rock was originally about, but since the late 90s indie musicians who couldn't give a damn about categories, much less ideas of hipness, started carting out their parents' old ELP and Genesis and Yes LPs and finding something more stimulating than hoary roots music and precious electronica. In Japan, prog-rock has never gone out of style, and this mini-fest offers two acts that have kept the prog banner flying in Asia: Steve Hacket, Genesis guitarist and one of the few original prog-rockers who made a success on his own without compromising his style; and Renaissance, or, at least, the second incarnation of the band featuring classically trained vocalist Annie Haslam. Also on the roster, Japan's original prog-rock band Yonin Bayashi.

-Aug. 22 at 4:00, Hibiya Park Amphitheater. ´9,800. M&I Co., 03-5453-8899.

One mind in song

It's the flexibility of the human voice that makes it the most beautiful of musical instruments, and probably no vocal group in the world explores its permutations as fully as this seven-member choir from Corsica. Formed in 1978 by then 13-year-old Jean-Claude Acquaviva, the group has pretty much remained unchanged and undiminished ever since. Though they have a natual affinity for hymns, they also tackle folk songs, film music, original compositions; and have collaborated with dance and theater companies. Their musical facility is formidable, but it is the uncanny empathy they demonstrate for one another that makes an impression. Melody lines weave together, multiplying in impossibly intense forms where tonal borders are erased and the sound becomes pure. The group's visual aesthetic is no less striking, since their peculiar style requires the members to stand almost on top of one another. Their name means "the fern," since an old Corsican saying goes, "He who has left Corsica has forgotten the fern."

Aug. 20-22, Earth Celebration 2010, Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture; Aug. 25 at 7:00, Oji Hall, Ginza. ´6,000. Plankton, 03-3498-2881.

Out from behind the kit

It isn't unusual for drummers of famous groups to release solo records. Phil Collins and Don Henley cleaned up by stepping away from Genesis and The Eagles, respectively, and their success had nothing to do with time-keeping. What's mainly interesting about Philip Selway's adventure in self-promotion is that he really is mainly identified with drumming. As the man behind the beat behind Radiohead, he's been responsible for some of the most challenging time signatures in mainstream rock. Selway's solo album, Familial, set for release in late August, is a set of collaborations with the likes of Lisa Germano, Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, and Patrick Sansome. Apparently, the songs proceeded from work Selway had done with these musicians on the charity album 7 Worlds Collide, and focuses on the drummer's singing and songwriting, which, from the little we've heard so far, is quite fragile and heartfelt, not in the Thom Yorke, damaged libido sense, but in the more homey, middle-aged sense.

Aug. 26 at 7:00, Shibuya Duo Music Exchange. ´5,500. Creativeman, 03-3462-6969.

Sons of immigrants songs

It's not often that the American touring company of a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical comes to Japan with the star of the original Broadway production. But what makes the two-week run of In the Heights at the Tokyo International Forum really special is that Lin-Manuel Miranda not only recreates the role of Usnavi on stage, but he also wrote the music and choreographed the production. The title refers to the Washington Heights section of New York, which is heavily Dominican. The story centers on a bodega run by Usnavi, whose parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic. He's only known the Heights, and dreams of visiting his parents' homeland. Like West Side Story, the conflicts are between rival immigrant groups, though the aspirations are loftier and more sentimental. The music, however, is up-to-the-minute. Miranda blends hip-hop, salsa, merengue, and soul into a seething pot of excitement. In addition to Best Musical, it won Tonys for best book and score, and best direction and choreography.

Aug. 20 & 31 at 7:00; Aug. 21, 22, 28, 29 & Sept. 4 at 1:00 & 6:00; Aug. 25, 26, Sept. 1 & 2 at 2:00 & 7:00; Aug. 27 at 2:00; Sept. 5 at 1:00, Tokyo International Forum, Yurakucho. ´8,000-12,000. Kyodo Tokyo, 03-3498-6666.

Quirk is only half of it

As a singer, this veteran pianist and songwriter makes a concerted effort to sound precious, a decision that neatly divides her listeners into full-fledged fans and total haters; which isn't to say there isn't a chance of changing sides someday. Yano's quirky sweetness conveys her perpetual girlish charm, but her circular melodies and deceptively simple arrangements have a way of drawing you in to her little stories of adolescent specificity. In any case, if the voice is an acquired taste it's also emotionally true, as is the playing, which keeps jazz at arm's length but nevertheless appreciates the kind of improvisational rigor that jazz demands. Basically, she's a purveyor of art songs, and when she deigns to do a cover, she really knows how to choose 'em. Since Felix Caveliere is coming this month, she should do her rendition of his hit "How Can I Be Sure?" It's a slayer.

Aug. 17, 18 & 20 at 7:00 & 9:30 and Aug. 21 at 6:00 & 8:45, Blue Note Tokyo, Aoyama. ´8,400. Box office, 03-5485-0088.