Monday, May 18, 2009

Sadao Watanabe - Round Trip


Year : 1970
Label : CBS
Genre : Jazz
Style : Contempory Jazz

The saxophonist Sadao Watanabe is the most famous jazz musician outside Japan, always active nowadays, he's best known as the man who introduced Bossa Nova in Japan. During his fruitful career, he recorded a numerous of masterpieces whose "Round Trip", introduced here, featuring jazz giants Chick Corea (p,el-p), Miroslav Vitous (b) and Jack DeJohnette (ds). In 1962, Sadao moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music and later played alongside Charlie Mariano (including three duet albums in the late sixties), Chico Hamilton, Gary McFarland, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin or Hank Jones. Always in the forefront, he explored worldwide musical cultures, reflecting his Brazilian, African & Indian expressions on several albums, and will become the japanese representative of Bossa Nova & World Music like Joe Zawinul. Titles include "Round Trip : Going & Coming" with free improvisations, the short track "Nostargia", the modal "Pastoral" and the Jazz Samba "Sao Paulo". All tracks composed, arranged by Sadao & produced by Kiyoshi Itoh.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Takeshi Inomata & Sound L.T.D. - Sounds Of Sound L.T.D.


Year : 1970
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Groovy Sound Series/Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock

"Sounds Of Sound L.T.D." is an iconic album out from the Japanese Jazz Rock scene including psychedelic grooves (Mustache), heavy funk breaks (Joint), melodic jazz (Monster) & progressive rock (Tak's Tune). Takeshi Inomata introduced here "The Sound Limited", his regular group during the seventies, featuring the legendary guitarist Ryo Kawasaki, flutist Toshiaki Yokota and trumpeter Shunzo Ohno, barely in his 19 year. In the early sixties, Takeshi Inomata was enrolled in the Hidehiko Matsumoto Quintet and was a regular sideman of jazz pianist Norio Maeda, also within groups Norio Maeda TrioThe Wind-Breakers & The Third. During the sixties, he participated on most japanese recordings of jazz songstress Helen Merrill (such as "In Tokyo", "Plaisir D'amour" or "Sings The Beatles"), formed his best known jazz formation "The West Liners" and evolved within the Mal Waldron Trio

MUSICIANS : Takeshi Inomata - drums - Jun Suzuki - bass - Ryo Kawasaki & Shigenori Kamiya - guitar - Yusuke Hoguchi - organ - Toshiaki Yokota - flute - Takao Uematsu - saxophone - Shunzo Ohno & Takashi Kumagai - trumpet - Shigemichi Domoto & Takashi Imai - trombone


Friday, May 1, 2009

Sonia Rosa With Yuji Ohno - Spiced With Brazil


Year : 1974
Label : CBS
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Pop, Bossa Nova

"Spiced With Brazil" is a joint project between a Brazilian native living in Japan and japanese jazz legend, pianist Yuji Ohno featuring Akira Okazawa (eb), Takao Naoi (g), Tsunehide Matsuki (eg), Kazuyoshi Okayama (ds), Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (ep), Larry Sunaga & Pepe Anai (per). In order to get to closer to the sound of the iconic Bossa Nova Verve's productions to the sophisticated sweetness, Yuji enrolled strings ensemble the "Ohno Group". Sonia Rosa started in 1967, recording her debut album with Chiquinho De Moraes, before to leave Brazil for Japan at the age of 20. In 1970, she released covers album of Bossa Nova "Sensitive Sound Of Sonia Rosa" with the Sadao Watanabe Quintet, her first record in Japan. Shortly after, she recorded "Spice With Brazil", her best-known album marking the beginning of a fruitful professional relationship with japanese jazz pianist Yuji Ohno, including "Space Kid" in 1978, "Samba Amour" in 1979 or "Lupin The Third [JAZZ] : Bossa & Fusion" in 2002. Titles include the classics of Bossa Nova from Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa to Chico Buarque by Edu Lobo ("Casa Forte" feat. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on piano), jazz standards of Jimmy Van Heusen ("Here's That Rainy Day"), Paul Francis Webster ("Secret Love"), pop covers of James Taylor ("Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight") and Linda Creed ("You Make Me Feel Brand New" feat. backing vocal band Time Five). All tracks arranged and conducted by Yuji Ohno except "Chove Là Fora" by Sonia Rosa.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...