Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Ciné Jazz ~ A Cinematic Jazz Experience



Let yourself away on a cinematic journey through a selection of north american, japanese and european soundtracks including various popular themes of Blaxploitation (Coffy, Shaft), British crime films (Get Carter), TV screen series (Sanford & Son) or others tracks inspired. It features jazz or funk/soul artists such as James Brown, J.J. Johnson, The Blackbyrds, Quincy Jones, Roy Budd, Akira Ishikawa, Riz Ortolani, Giovanni Tommaso, Roy Ayers, Grant Green, Curtis Mayfield & many more... All tracks recorded between 1966 - 1978, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd - New Herd


Year : 1974
Label : TBM
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Big Band, Contemporary Jazz

Recorded straight away after their concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1974, "New Herd" is the ommemorative reproduction of this performance. Played as the same way as the Buddy Rich or Woody Sherman big bands,it includes great jazz covers from Miles Davis (Donna Lee), Chic Corea (La Fiesta) and some japanese musical folk expressions (FurisodeKappa Shijo). The Toshiyuki Miyama's Big Band's name was probably given in tribute to the legendary "Thundering Herds", formed in the late forties by Woody Sherman. "New Herd" album is a japanese jazz masterpiece which cleverly combining Big Band style with Jazz Funk, in particular on the amazing killer groove song "Sniper's Snooze", sampled by Cut Chemist for "React"'s interlude on "Power Numbers", the third album of Jurassic 5.

THE NEW HERD : Toshiyuki Miyama - conductor - Kiyoshi Takano - piano, electric piano  Kozaburo Yamaki - guitar, arrangements Masaaki Ito - bass - Isao Yomoda - drums - Koji Suzuki, Atsuo Shirai, Mamoru Mori & Seiji Inoue - reeds - Masamichi Uetaka, Takahide Uchida, Takashi Hayakawa & Teruhiko Kataoka - trombone - Fumio Shirayama, Kazumi Takeda, Shigeru Kamimori & Yoshikazu Kishi - trumpet

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Ryo Kawasaki - Juice


Year : 1976
Label : RCA
Genre : Jazz, Fusion
Style : Jazz Funk
  
"Juice" is the first official US release of Ryo Kawasaki, a Jazz Funk gem recorded and mixed in New York in 1976. Brilliantly introduced by "Raisins", including deep grooves and Boogie Funk with electronic sounds & disco breaks, "Juice" is the demonstration of the high mastery level by Ryo Kawasaki on guitar who has perfectly digested the influences from James Brown. Titles include the reminicent of The Headhunters "East Side Boogie", the samba funk "The Breeze And I", the powerful disco-funk pulses to up-tempo "El Toro" and "Andes", all feature the  bassist Stu Woods. It keeps influences on nowadays music as its recycling in the Hip-Hop music, such as the samples extracted from "Raisins" or "Bamboo Child", both used by Kool G Rap and Puff Daddy. Furthermore, "Raisins" was selected for the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack, on the fictional radio station "Fusion FM" in 2008. All tracks composed & arranged by Ryo Kawasaki, except "The Breeze And I" by Al Stillman & Casado Lecuona.

MUSICIANS : Ryo Kawasaki - lead guitar - Stu Woods - bass - Jimmy Young - drums - Tom Coster - keyboards, synthesizer - Muhammad Abdullah - percussion - Hugh McCracken - rhythm guitar - Mike Lipskin - percussion, synthesizer - Sam Morrison - saxophones, flute - Andy Laverne - piano


Ryo Kawasaki Orchestra - Easy Listening Jazz Guitar


Year : 1970
Label : Polydor
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Contemporary Jazz, Bossa Nova

Debut album of the best known jazz guitarist outside Japan, recorded with a quartet formed by pianist Yuji Ohno, bassist Yoshio Suzuki & drummer Hiroshi Murakami, supported by arranger Norio Maeda. Ryo Kawasaki started young in the late sixties as member in the first incarnation of the Jiro Inagaki's Soul Media (1970-1971) and in the Takeshi Inomata's Sound Limited, two prominent prolific Jazz Rock formations in Japan during the early seventies. Settled in New York from 1973, he recorded several fusion albums to the eclectic styles exploring Rock 'N' Roll as well as Funk & Soul, Latin, Spanish folk (Flamenco) and even Indian music. He gained an international recognition when he joined the Gil Evans Orchestra from "Plays The Music Of Jimi Hendrix" album in 1974, originally planned with the legendary rock guitarist. Following, he become a sideman in demand for many jazz giants including Elvin Jones, Chico Hamilton or Cedar Walton. In the mid-80s, he turns to the electronic music in conceiving software musical for computers. As the title suggests "Easy Listening Jazz Guitar" consists of mainstream jazz orientation from Bossa to Pop Music including various pop cover songs of Burt Bacharach, The Beatles or The Mamas & The Papas and jazz standards by Henri Mancini, Jimmy Webb or Cole Porter

LISTEN SAMPLE

Monday, January 18, 2016

Isao Suzuki & His Fellows - Touch


Year : 1975
Label : TBM
Genre : Jazz
Style : Contemporary Jazz, Latin Jazz, Jazz Rock

Isao Suzuki & His Fellows featuring Kunihiko Sugano and the prominent leader of the Jazz Rock style during the eighties in Japan, guitarist Kazumi Watanabe. Recorded in the late 1975 at Tokyo Epicurus Studio, released under Three Blind Mice label, "Touch" consists in an eclectic selection of jazz styles ranging from Swing, Bossa Nova to Rock (the opening song over 11 minutes with the Kazumi's long guitar riff), with various remarkable inspirational grooves from Suzuki. Titles include "Touch" composed by Mr. Suzuki, "On The Trail" from Jazz composer & concertmaster Ferde Grofé, "She's Funny That Way" to the bossa arrangements (based on a original composition of Richard Whiting) with an expanded solo of Kunihiko Sugano, and the representative song of the Thelonious Monk's genius, the jazz standard "Round about Midnight".

MUSICIANS : Isao Suzuki - bass - Kunihiko Sugano - piano - Kazumi Watanabe & Masayuki Ise - guitar - Yoichi Ogawa - congas - Tetsujiro Obara - drums


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...