Toshiaki Yokota & The Beat Generation - Elévation

 

Year : 2019/1970

Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Express
Serie : Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Rock, Soul Jazz, Psychedelic Rock

The first master stroke of The Beat Generation, lead by the iconic japanese flutist Toshiaki Yokota from the Takeshi Inomata's  Sound Limited and Love Live Life. Arranged by the japanese jazz master Masahiko Satoh, it features Takeshi Inomata (ds), Hideo Ichikawa (keys), Jun Suzuki (eb), Sadanori Nakamure (eg) & Larry Sunaga (perc), all supported by strings ensemble. Unlike their following album, the experimental "Flute Adventure" released the next year, "Elévation" is more a mainstream record to the baroque pop occured by the Ichikawa's harpsichord play and chamber music (Easy To Be Hard), soul jazz (What'd I Say) and psychedelic pop styles (And When I Die). Titles include also compositions by Toshiaki Yokota (Elevation pt1&2, On The Road), Takeshi Inomata (Curved Navel) & Hideo Ichikawa (How Long Have I Been Waiting For You).

Kosuke Ichihara & 3 L - Now Sound '75

Year : 2017/1975
Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Victor
Serie : HMV Project Re:Vinyl
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock, Fusion, Folk

Last testimony of Love Live Life (also known as 3L), japanese psychedelic jazz rock band born in full expansion of the japanese new rock era initiated by the Flower Travellin' Band (himself influenced by the Woodstock generation). Love Live Life's frontman Kosuke Ichihara is a japanese saxophonist, composer and arranger who evolved in famous Toshiyuki Miyama's New Herd big band, in groups Tokyo Ensemble Academy, Takayuki Inoue Band, Masami Kawahara & The Exotic Sounds, was sideman for japanese jazz songstress Maki Asakawa, Mari Nakamoto and played alongside pianist Masahiko Satoh or drummer Jimmy Takeuchi. Among  japanese works mixing Jazz, Rock with popular folk songs from different parts of Japan (Okinawa to Hokkaido), "Now Sound '75" is one of the finest production of the genre, including deep grooves, catchy bass line, synthesizer sounds floating, soundscapes with cinematographic atmosphere and oriental melodies, all played in a psychedelic mood. 

LOVE LIVE LIFE : Kosuke Ichihara - tenor saxophone, flute - Toshiaki Yokota - flute, saxophone - HiroYanagida - piano, organ - Masaoki Terakawa - bass - Kimio Mizutani, Takao Naoi - guitar - Chito Kawachi - drums - Naomi Kawahara - percussion

Norio Maeda & All Stars - Rock Communication "Yagi Bushi"

Year : 2017/1970
Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Teichiku Records

Serie : HMV Project Re:Vinyl

Genre : Jazz, Folk

Style : Fusion, Jazz Rock

"Rock Communication" is a concept fusion album by the piano master of japanese avant-garde (check his album "Revolution") featuring Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Kaoru Iiyoshi & Takeshi Inomata. As similar projects of drummer Akira Ishikawa, "Drum Yagibushi Drum" or saxophonist Kosuke Ichihara's "Now Sound '75" albums Norio Maeda revisits some popular standards of the japanese folk repertoire in the psychedelic rock style. During the late sixties and the early seventies, Norio Maeda collaborated as well as arranger and pianist to various jazz rock albums for eminent japanese jazz musicians among others the saxophonist Jiro Inagaki (This Is Jazz Rock), Akira Ishikawa (Bakishinba - Memories Of Africa) and Takeshi Inomata (Drum Method). 

MUSICIANS : Norio Maeda - piano - Kiyoshi Sugimoto - electric guitar - Mitsuo Murakami - rhythm guitar - Kaoru Iiyoshi - electric piano, Hammond organ - Mihiro Arai & Masahiro Arashi - bass - Koichi Uchida - vibes - Takeshi Inomata & Takahiro Suzuki - drums - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Shigeo Suzuki - flute, piccolo, clarinet, alto sax

Hiromasa Suzuki - High-Flying

Year : 2016/1976

Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Nippon Columbia

Serie : HMV Project Re:Vinyl

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Funk

The crossover jazz masterpiece "High Flying" ws reissued for the HMV Japan stores by  the Yusuke Ogawa's Deep Jazz Reality. Recorded by master Hiromasa "Colgen" Suzuki (one leader of the post-jazz rock era during the seventies in Japan), "High Flying" was produced by Jiro Inagaki, the man who was the footbridge between Jazz Rock and Jazz Funk periods, with his group the Soul Media. Suzuki was an actives guest member of the Jiro Inagaki's band, collaborating on several records, in charge of arrangements and compositions on the "Funky Stuff" album recorded in 1974. "High-Flying" brings together some best players of the japanese Fusion scene as keyboardist Jun Fukamachi, guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto or drummer Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami. Titles include the disco-funk tracks "Scramble", "Straight Flash", "Between O&M" (reminiscence of the Herbie Hancock style including amazing bass line) and "Out Of Focus" featuring scat songtress Kayoko Ishu from Singers Three, selected by Kyoto Jazz Massive for their "Shibuya Jazz Classics - Kyoto Jazz Massive Collection" compilation. All tracks composed and arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki.

MUSICIANS : Hiromasa Suzuki & Jun Fukamachi - keyboards, synthesizer, piano - Jiro Inagaki - saxophones, flute - Akira Okazawa & Kenji Takamizu - electric bass - Fujimaru Yoshino, Kiyoshi Sugimoto & Masayoshi Takanaka - electric guitar - Shuichi Murakami - drums - Larry Sunaga - percussion - Kayoko Ishu - vocal

Masabumi Kikuchi Sextet - Matrix

Year : 2015/1969
Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Victor
Serie : Modern Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz, Post Bop, Contemporary Jazz, Modal, Spiritual

Recorded in 1969, best known under the 1977 US reissue by Catalyst Records, "Matrix" is the first album as a leader of Masabumi Kikuchi featuring Tetsuo Fushimi & Hideyuki Kikuchi (if one ignores the album duet with Terumasa Hino in 1968). "Matrix" is obviously a masterpiece, released after significant experience years as sideman, close to various Jazz masters, Masabumi conceived it, reciprocally, on the saxophone overtones occurred by Hideyuki Kikuchi alongside Akio Nishimura on tenor. Titles include great variations of jazz standards rearranged with brio by Kikuchi, such as the modal "On A Green Dolphin Street" (based on the 1958 Miles Davis version) or the bossa nova classic "Black Orpheus" composed by Luiz Bonfa, the title track composed by Chick Corea, the Jazz Rock to baroque accents "If I Said The Sky Was Falling" (composed for the TV drama "Matte Masu Wa" by Sadao Watanabe). The album also contains two own Kikuchi's compositions, the ballad "Little Aby" (reminiscent of John Coltrane) and "In Fourth Way".

MUSICIANS : Masabumi Kikuchi - piano - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Hideyuki Kikuchi - alto saxophone - Akio Nishimura - tenor saxophone - Hironori Takiya - bass - Takahiro Suzuki - drums

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