Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at the Eurockéennes 2007
Background information
Also known as	Skapara, TSPO
Origin	Tokyo, Japan
Genres	Ska, jazz
Years active	1985–present
Labels	File Records 1989 Epic/Sony Records 1990-1998 Cutting Edge 1998-present
Associated acts	Tsuyoshi Kawakami and His Mood Makers Sembello Speed King Losalios Fishmans Sfkuank
Website	Official Site
Members	Nargo Masahiko Kitahara Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta Gamou Atsushi Yanaka Yuichi Oki Takashi Kato Tsuyoshi Kawakami Hajime Ohmori Kin-ichi Motegi
Past members	Yuhei Takeuchi Masayuki Hayashi Asa-Chang Cleanhead Gimura Toru Terashi Rui Sugimura Tatsuyuki Aoki Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta

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 and jazz band officially 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 the course of the past 21 years, their innovation has proved to have been very influential on Japanese music as a whole. Its sound, the product of the musical influences of its numerous members, is an eclectic mix of traditional ska, jazz, 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 extensively 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 numerous songs for the PlayStation game Incredible Crisis released in 1999.