Akira Ishikawa & The Gentures - Beat Pops / Drum Hits

Year : 1970
Label : Denon
Genre : Jazz, Rock
Style : Jazz Rock, Pop

Originally recorded in 1969, "Beat Pops / Drum Hits" is a cover album of international pop hits from the late sixties, performed by the first incarnation of the Count Buffalos conducted by jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa. Titles include various western popular songs such as "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies, "Come Together" by The Beatles, "Green River" by The Creedance, "Love Me Tonight" by Tom Jones, "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley or the Rolling Stones' classic "Honky Tonk Women". Among others titles include a french song, "Aime Ceux Qui T'aiment" by Danièle Vidal, best known in Japan than in France under "Tenshi No Rakugaki" name. All tracks arranged by Masahiko Aoi.

MUSICIANS : Akira Ishikawa - drums - Takeshi Onodera - percussion - Hiromasa Suzuki - keyboards - Kiyoshi Sugimoto - guitar - Masaoki Terakawa & Isao Eto - bass - Takeru Muraoka - soprano saxophone - Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet

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Count Buffalo & The Jazz Rock Band - Soul & Rock

Year : 1969
Label : Denon
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock, Modal

Free Jazz Rock album including cover songs and original compositions recorded by the Count Buffalo band, pioneer of the Japanese Jazz Rock style featuring jazz giant pianist/arranger Masahiko Satō. The second album of Akira Ishikawa under the Count Buffalo nickname, who was actives since the mid-fifties as prolific percussionist and most famous jazz drummer with Motohiko Hino, Takeshi Inomata & George Kawaguchi. Titles include free forms of Jazz & psychedelic rock from The Beatles (Michelle, Hey Jude), the Motown's iconic song "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" which was performed by The Supremes, The Temptations & Stevie Wonder, the negro spiritual "Deep River", two compositions of Masahiko Satō "The Cougar" & "No More Than A Drop". All tracks arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki & Masahiko Satō.

MUSICIANS : Akira Ishikawa - drums - Masaoki Terakawa - bass - Masahiko Satō - piano - Hiromasa Suzuki - electric piano - Kiyoshi Sugimoto - guitar - Takeru Muraoka - saxophone

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Akira Ishikawa & The Gentures - Rock, Rock '70

Year : 1970

Label : Denon

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Rock, Funk/Soul

Rock cover album dedicated to the first classics which made the fame of Rock 'N' Roll, recorded by the predecessor band of the Akira Ishikawa's Count Buffalos featuring Shigeru Namuro, Takeru Muraoka, Hiromasa Suzuki, Isao Eto & Masaoki Terakawa. "Rock, Rock '70" is an acid rock variation of the Rock 'N' Roll standards from the late fifties, using reverberation, distortion & others psychedelic effects. Titles include mostly iconic songs from the Elvis Presley's repertoire such as "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "Blue Suede Shoes" or the killer tune "Hound Dog", but also others classics like "Lucille" by Little Richard "Be Bop A Lula", by Gene Vincent or "Sittin' In The Balcony" by Eddie Cochran. All tracks arranged by Masahiko Aoi.

MUSICIANS : Akira Ishikawa - drums - Hiromasa Suzuki - keyboards - Shigeru Namuro - guitar - Masaoki Terakawa & Isao Eto - bass - Takeru Muraoka - soprano saxophone - Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet

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Kaoru Iiyoshi & The Wip - Soul Tripper

Year : 1971

Label : Denon/Nippon Columbia

Genre : Jazz

Style : Soul Jazz, Soft Rock, Pop

Kaoru Iiyoshi, also known as Garo, is a japanese jazz pianist, organist, arranger & band leader of the pop-jazz band, The Wip (for War, Intelligence & Peace). This album reminds the work of French composer Serge Gainsbourg made on the Jane Birkin - Serge Gainsbourg album released in 1969, a Baroque pop album including Smooth Jazz, Bossa Nova, Easy Listening & Soft Rock, with beautiful strings arrangements in the same approach as the Verve recordings. Titles include pop covers from The Beatles (Eleanor Rigby, Ticket To Ride) or The Carpenters (We' ve Only Just Begun), the tribute "I Love Jobim", the Jazz standard "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", plus four original compositions from Garo, arranged by himself. "Soul Tripper" was included in the album reissue series of the Columbia Readymade collection, directed by Konishi Yasuharu from Pizzicato Five, and the title-track was selected in the "Midnight Tokyo" compilation released in 2000 (on the same label), also directed by Konishi.

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