Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ, Tōkyō Suka Paradaisu Ōkesutora), commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska, jazz and Latin band formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene. At the time, the band's sound was unlike that of any of its contemporaries in the then fledgling Japanese ska scene, and over thirty years, they have been influential on Japanese music as a whole. Its sound, the product of the musical influences of its members, is a mix of traditional ska, jazz, Latin and rock. In the vein of many other more traditional ska acts, many of Skapara's songs are purely instrumental.
Since its inception, the band has gone on several nationwide tours of Japan, and have toured worldwide. They have collaborated with several vocalists outside of their band, including Shiina Ringo, Akira Kobayashi, Kyōko Koizumi, Schadaraparr, Puffy, Yoshie Nakano, and Tamio Okuda. They also performed the Japanese theme song to the PlayStation 2 game Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, entitled "Black Jack", as well as songs for the PlayStation game Incredible Crisis released in 1999, the 2020–21 Japanese drama Kamen Rider Saber and the closing ceremony for the 2020 Olympic Games.
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