Year : 1975
Label : Nippon Columbia
Genre : Jazz, Electronic
Style : Space Age, Fusion, Jazz Funk
"Electro Keyboard Orchestra" is a concept album of "Space Age" Jazz based on the KORG synthesizer 700S & 800DV keyboards, highlighting electronic overtones (as evindenced "The African Dawn" composed by Masahiko Sato), featuring eight renowned japanese, supported by a rhythm section including guitarist Ken Yajima, bassist Akira Okazawa and drummer Shuichi 'Ponta' Murakami. The eight keyboardists consist of Yuji Ohno from the original Terumasa Hino Quartet (best known for the "Captain Future" & "Lupin The 3rd" soundtracks), the arranger Hiromasa Suzuki (member of Akira Ishikawa's Count Buffalo Rock Band), Kentaro Haneda ("Space Adventure Cobra" OST), Masahiko Sato (in groups The Soundbreakers, Toshiyuki Miyama's New Herd), Hideo Ichikawa (The Beat Generation, George Kawaguchi's The Big 4, Kosuke Mine Quintet and George Otsuka Trio), but also Masao Yagi, Shigeto O'Hara and Sadayasu Fujii. The whole album reminds the Herbie Hancock's jazz funk style (in particular "The Heated Point" composed by Hiromasa Suzuki) including variations on "Ritual Fire Dance" (composition of Manuel De Falla, arranged by Masao Yagi), "The Iron Side" of Quincy Jones (arr. Hiromasa Suzuki), "Mother of Future" composed by Carlos Garnett (arr. Masahiko Sato). Titles include also others compositions by Yuji Ohno (The Soaring Seagull, Mayflower) and Masao Yagi (Farewell, Onoda).
