Yuji Ohno - The Boss & His Piano ~ Selected Works 1967 - 1975

Dedicated to the legendary japanese jazz pianist, "The Boss & His Piano" includes essential studio & live recordings by Yuji Ohno as a sideman and under his own name. Best known as composer of various background music for films and animation series, Yuji Ohno played alongside the greatest japanese jazz musicians among trumpeter Terumasa Hino, the drummers Masahiko Togashi & Hideo Shiraki or guitarist Ryo Kawasaki from Gil Evans Orchestra. From 1970 to 1975, his regular jazz trio consists of drummer Kazuyoshi Okayama and the bassists Yoshio Ikeda, Takashi Mizuhashi. During the seventies, he was an arranger in demand who regularly collaborated with various japanese jazz songstress such as Mieko Hirota, Martha Miyake, Kimiko Kasai, Hatsumi Shibata, the american Ann Young and brazilian Sonia Rosa. All tracks recorded between 1967-1975, featuring Terumasa Hino, Kimiko Kasai, Yuji Ohno, Sonia Rosa, Ann Young, Itaru Oki, Hiroshi Suzuki, Masahiko Togashi. Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

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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The Freedom Unity - Down By The Naked City

Year : 1971
Label : Victor
Genre : Jazz
Style : Free Jazz, Post Bop, Modal

Iconic avant-garde masterpiece from the legendary jazz supergroup featuring keyboardist Hiromasa "Colgen" Suzuki, saxophonist Takeru Muraoka, bassist Kunimitsu Inaba, trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki and drummer Akira Ishikawa. The group was formed by all-stars japanese jazz musicians, members of Terumasa Hino Quintet, Count Buffalos & The Soul Media, starting with "Something" in 1970 (highlighting saxophonist Takeru Muraoka), recorded "Salute To Soul" & "Dynamic Rock" featuring japanese rock songstress Masami Chino (Sammy) in 1971, and Hiroshi Suzuki's album "Cat" released in 1975. The album opens on the title-track, an extended modal suite over 23 minutes played in two parts ("The Doors Of Perception" & "The Dancing Protoplasm"), composed by Hiroshi Suzuki, follow by "The Equator", "The Old Castle" & the Muraoka's original composition, "Light Up". All tracks arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki.

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Takeshi Inomata - Drum Shot

Year : 1968
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Hard Bop, Modal

Recorded in the late 1967, the modern jazz album, "Drum Shot" of Takeshi "Mr. Drum" Inomata was produced & arranged by Norio Maeda (p), featuring jazz legend Konosuke Saijo (ts), Sadanori Nakamure (eg) from the West Liners, Tatsuro Takimoto (b) from Norio Maeda Trio and Hiroshi Suzuki (tb) in addition. In "Drum Shot", all structures of jazz drums are explored, passing by a variety of rhythms including free expressions and insane syncopated beats, in particular on the two drum sessions "Drum Shot" & "Hole Out". Titles include also the Maeda-Inomata duo "Birdie", "Singing On A Cab", "Unlucky Seven" & the soul jazz track "Go Go A Go Go" feat. Hiroshi Suzuki composed by Maeda. All tracks arranged by Norio Maeda.

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Sadao Watanabe - Sadao Plays Bacharach & Beatles

Year : 1969
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Pop, Soul Jazz, Jazz Rock,

As title suggests, "Sadao Plays Bacharach & Beatles" is a compilation album of their best known songs. It brings together three studio recordings and six live recordings from the Sadao Watanabe's 1968 performance at Sankei-Hall, Tokyo, featuring Terumasa Hino, Kazuo Yashiro, Yoshiaki Masuo, Hiroshi Suzuki & Yoshio Ikeda. Titles include some famous Burt Bacharach's pop songs (Look Of Love, Walk On By) and from The Beatles, including three tracks from their "Magical Mystery Tour" album, all played in the Soul Jazz/Rock styles. All tracks of the side B are studio recordings whose a over 14 min variation of George Harrison's "Blue Jay Way" including free rock expressions.

MUSICIANS : Sadao Watanabe - alto saxophone, sopranino - Yoshiaki Masuo - guitar- Yoshio Ikeda - bass - Isao Eto - electric bass - Fumio Watanabe - drums - Yuji Imamura - percussion- Kazuo Yashiro - organ, electric piano, hapsicord -  Terumasa Hino & Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Yasushi Ichihara - baritone trombone

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Nobuo Hara And Sharps & Flats - Double Exposure

Year : 1970
Label : Liberty
Genre : Jazz
Style : Big Band, Modal, Funk/Soul, Folk

A project mixing Jazz with Oriental expressions by the most famous Japanese Big Band featuring the great "Lady of Jazz", pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi as arranger and composer. As the Count Basie Orchestra, "Sharps & Flats" has been a springboard for many outstanding japanese jazz musicians like Hiroshi Suzuki (tb), Takao Naoi from The Count Buffalos (eg), Toshihiko Ogawa (p), Hiroshi Takeuchi (b), Koji Suzuki (as) or Teruyuki Fukushima (tp), all playing on "Double Exposure". Toshiko brings her contribution with four own compositions : "Let's Roll In Sake" including dynamic drums breaks, the oriental piece "Sumie", "Fool" & the extended bluesy tune "Double Exposure". Titles also include "Ostinatism" & "Lonely Girl Of East" composed by Eiichi Fujii.

Hiroshi Suzuki=Masahiko Togashi Quintet - Variation

Year : 1969
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Modal, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde

Essential jazz album among the influences of the future-jazz quartet Sleep Walker by trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki. "Variation" is a joint project including the legendary jazz drummer Masahiko Togashi featuring pianist Yuji Ohno, saxophonist Jun Suzuki and trumpeter Tetsuo Fushimi. Masahiko Togashi was a major figure alongside Masahiko Sato, Masayuki Takayanagi and Yosuke Yamashita in the blooming of free jazz in Japan in the late sixties whose "Variation" is one of the iconic masterpiece. Masahiko Togashi started in 1957, when he joined the Sadao Watanabe Quartet, which will bring him to play for various legends of Jazz as pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, Helen Merrill, Masayuki Takayanagi, Yosuke Yamashita or Charlie Mariano and also in jazz big bands such as the famous Toshiyuki Miyama's New Herd. He recorded various free jazz sessions in 1969, with the Masahiko Sato Trio, several solo projects (the first "We Now Create"), and the same year, formed his best known quintet, the J.J. Spirits. Titles include "Castle Cats" selected in the  "Shibuya Jazz Classics - Sleep Walker Collection", compilation released in 2003.

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Sammy, Freedom Unity - Salute To Soul

Year : 1971
Label : Nippon Columbia

Serie : Master Sonic

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Rock, Blues Rock

"Salute To Soul" is a duet album by the jazz quintet "Freedom Unity" introducing Sammy featuring Hiromasa Suzuki (keys), Kunimitsu Inaba (b), Takeru Muraoka (sax), Akira Ishikawa (ds) & Hiroshi Suzuki (tb). Sammy is the pseudonym of Masami Chino, a versatile soul-rock songstress, the japanese counterpart of Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin. Mostly actives during the seventies, Sammy recorded another album with the group, "Dynamic Rock" feat. the Singers Three, collaborated with saxophonist Jiro Inagaki & his Soul Media on two albums ("Wandering Birds", "Woman Robinson Crusoe-Rock Steady") and with the Akira Ishikawa's Count Buffalos on "Soul & Soul". From Jazz to Soul passing by psychedelic rock, Sammy revisits the classics of british and american rock (Nobody's Fault But Mine, See See Rider) including jazz standards (St. James Infirmary, Willow Weep For Me, Summertime). All songs arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki.

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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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Hiroshi Suzuki & His Happy Cats - Up Up And Away

Year : 1969
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Hard Bop, Soul Jazz

Hiroshi Suzuki, the most famous japanese trombonist, member of legendary quintet "Freedom Unity", in first work as a leader featuring Takeshi Inomata, Tetsuo Fushimi & Shigeo Suzuki. As many young japanese jazz musicians, Hiroshi Suzuki started in Sharps & Flats (conducted by saxophonist Nobuo Hara) and evolved in others big bands like The Tokyo Cuban Boys. Later, he becomes a session trombonist in demand playing as a sideman for trumpeter Terumasa Hino, guitarist Shungo Sawada or pianist Yuji Ohno. From 1968, he stands out on the duet album "Variation" with the Masahiko Togashi Quintet and thereafter joins the super jazz group, The Freedom Unity featuring Akira Ishikawa, Hiromasa Suzuki, Kunimitsu Inaba & Takeru Muraoka. Titles include pop & jazz covers from The Bealtes (The Fool On The Hill, Eleanor Rigby), Burt Bacharach (The Look Of Love), Fifth Dimension (Up Up And Away), Oliver Nelson (125th St. & 7th Avenue). "125th St. & 7th Avenue" was selected by Yasuharu Konishi from Pizzicato Five for his compilation "Midgnight Tokyo").

MUSICIANS : Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Shigeo Suzuki - alto saxophone - Ichiro Mimori - tenor saxophone - Shiro Ohno - baritone saxophone - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Tsuneo Shibata - bass - Shigeaki Ikeno - organ - Takeshi inomata - drums 

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Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats + 1 - Electronics

Year : 1970

Label : Nippon Columbia

Genre : Jazz

Style : Soul Jazz, Funk/Soul, Jazz Rock

Crossover Jazz album by the Sharps & Flats big band lead by saxophonist Nobuo Hara featuring Hiroshi Suzuki (tb), Koji Suzuki (as) Toshihiko Ogawa (p), Hiroshi Takeuchi (eb), Kazuhiro Ebisawa (ds), Takao Naoi (eg) among others, and special guest, Takehiro Honda on Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3 organ. As the title suggest, Nobuo Hara introduces for the first time electronic elements in "Sharps & Flats" in particular electric bass & piano. It's also the first incursion in the R&B genre, that's why Masahiko Satoh & Yasuo Arakawa were recruited in charge of arrangements. Titles include Rock & Soul covers from Jethro Tull (Bourree), The Beatles (Come Together) and original compositions by Nobuo Hara (Tumblin! Tambourine!, Horse Laugh Blues) and Masahiko Sato (Nervous Breakdown). 

 

Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats, Hozan Yamamoto - Sharps & Flats In Newport

Year : 1967
Label : CBS
Genre : Jazz
Style : Modal, World, Traditional, Big Band

Sharps & Flats lead by saxophonist Nobuo Hara meet Hozan Yamamoto, featuring Hiroshi Suzuki (tb), Koji Suzuki (as), Teruyuki Fukushima (tp), Toshihiko Ogawa (p) Hiroshi Takeuchi (b) among others. Hozan Yamamoto was the most famous shakuhachi musician (japanese bamboo flute), internationally renowned as pioneer for the traditional instruments introduction into modern music, in particular in Jazz. All tracks were extracted from recording sessions in studio under a replay form of their first live performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1967. "Sharps & Flats In Newport" is the meeting between Jazz and the japanese folk music, including the bamboo flute on various tracks inspired by japanese traditional music and composed by Nobuo Hara (Hakone Mago Uta, Midare, Geisha Girl). Titles include also japanese jazz standard "Sakura Sakura", songs in the Buddy Rich Big Band style (Sohran-Bushi, Awa Dance) and the Bobby Timmons' classic "So Tired" played in the Bossa Nova mode. All tracks conducted by Nobuo Hara, arranged by Norio Maeda & Kiyoshi Yamaya.

Akira Ishikawa Trio & R&B All Stars - Soul Session Jazz Goes R&B

Year : 1969

Label : Philips
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz, Funk/Soul

"Soul Session" is a crossover jazz album recorded by the Akira Ishikawa Trio featuring bassist Masaoki Terakawa and pianist Masahiko Sato, themselves supported by the R&B All Stars including Kiyoshi Sugimoto and Hiromasa Suzuki. Akira Ishikawa takes over some famous massive hits of the western pop music (I Say A Little Prayer, Day Tripper), Funk and R&B standards coming from the kings & queens of Soul such as Otis Redding (...The Dock Of The Bay), Eddie Floyd (Knock On Wood), Sam&Dave (Hold On, I'm Comin') or Aretha Franklin (Chain Of Fools). "Day Tripper", "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" & "Sunny" are exclusively performed by the Akira Ishikawa Trio. All tracks arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki, Masahiko Sato & Kunihiko Murai.

   

MUSICIANS : Akira Ishikawa - drums - Masaoki Terakawa - bass - Masahiko Sato - piano, electric piano - Hiromasa Suzuki - electric piano - Kiyoshi Sugimoto - guitar - Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Tetsuo Fushimi & Koji Hatori - trumpet

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Hiroshi Suzuki - Cat

Year : 1975
Label : Nippon Columbia
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Fusion

The masterpiece by japanese jazz trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki within the jazz supergroup "Freedom Unity" featuring drummer Akira Ishikawa, keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki, saxophonist Takeru Muraoka & bassist Kunimitsu Inaba. With Hiroshi Fukumura and Shigeharu Mukai, Hiroshi Suzuki is the best known japanese trombonist who appeared in the front of the japanese jazz scene, when he joined the Sharps & Flats big band conducted by saxophonist Nobuo Hara. In 1969, he recorded his debut album, the Free Jazz/Modal masterpiece "Variation", a joint project with the Masahiko Togashi Quintet released on the famous Takt Jazz Series (the japanese 'Blue Note'), and the same year the big band album "Up Up And Away". From the late sixties Hiroshi becomes a sought-after musician playing as sideman for various japanese jazz artists such as Sadao Watanabe, Takeshi Inomata, Yuji Ohno or Shungo Sawada, joining up thereafter the top Jazz combo "Freedom Unity". Titles include the popular Jazz standard "Walk Tall" composed by Joe Zawinul, the jazz funk "Cat" by Takeru Muraoka, the ballad "Romance" by Hiromasa Suzuki and two original compositions by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Shrimp Dance" & "Kuro To Shiro" with the Kunimitsu Inaba's solo.

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Nobuo Hara And His Sharps & Flats '68 - Forest Flower

Year : 1968
Label : Nippon Columbia
Genre : Jazz
Style : Big Band, Contempory Jazz

"Forest Flower" is an album recorded by the best known japanese Big Band outside Japan featuring guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo & trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki. Nobuo Hara was a band leader and saxophonist, one of the man who contributed to the Jazz expansion in Japan. He formed his "Sharps & Flats" in 1951, in which started some future japanese jazz greats such as Koji Suzuki, Norio Maeda or Hiroshi Takeuchi. The big band supported worlwide artists as well as on stage than on studio including Toshiko Akiyoshi, Hozan Yamamoto, Sadao Watanabe, Elvin Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Oliver Nelson, Yves Montand. Titles include Jazz standards from Herbie Hancock (Watermelon Man), Ramsey Lewis (The "In" Crowd), Lee Morgan (The Sidewinder), Joe Zawinul (Walk Tall, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy) and covers from Bobby Hebb (Sunny) and The Beatles (A Day In The Life). All tracks arranged by Norio Maeda.

MUSICIANS : Nobuo Hara - tenor saxophone - Koji Suzuki, Kazunori Taniguchi & Hajime Maekawa - alto saxophone - Nobuyuki Morikawa - baritone saxophone - Shuzo Morikawa, Teruyuki Fukushima, Kunitoshi Shinohara & Hiroshi Saba - trumpet - Tadao Taniyama, Hiroshi Suzuki & Haruo Ochi - trombone - Toshihiko Ogawa - piano - Yoshiaki Masuo - guitar - Hiroshi Takeuchi - bass - Yoshio Nakamura - drums

S.Sawada = T.Muraoka & The All-Stars - Hit And Hit In Bossa Nova

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Year : 1968
Label : Nippon Columbia
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz, Pop
Style : Bossa Nova, Easy Listening

Twelve nice tracks to the latin mood recorded by one of japanese jazz greats, the guitarist Shungo Sawada featuring saxophonist Takeru Muraoka. They are supported by the Nippon Columbia All-Stars formed by Norio Maeda (p), Hiroshi Suzuki from Freedom Unity (tr), Yo Tokuyama (vb), Yoshio Ikeda (eb) and Nishikawa Takaaki (ds). It's not only talking about Bossa Nova but rather of a subtle blend of Pop, Easy Listening & Latin tunes including japanese classic pop songs of the 1968 year, revisited by Shungo Sawada and arranged by Norio Maeda. Titles include "Angel Love" (Jun Mayuzumi) and covers from various GS bands (for Group Sounds, a japanese rock genre) from The Tigers (Flower Necklace) to The Tempters (The Legend Of Emerald) by the Folk Crusaders (Kanashikute Yarikirenai).

Yuji Ohno & His Project - Proof Of The Man (Original Soundtrack)

Year : 1977
Label : Atlantic
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Disco

"Proof Of The Man" ("Nigen No Shomei") is a crime drama film directed by Junya Sato and starring Yusaku Matsuda & Joe Yamanaka from the japanese psychedelic rock group "Flower Travellin' Band". Yusaku Matsuda (1949-1989) was a famous japanese actor who played the Sato role in the Ridley Scott's Black Rain Movie (1989) and inspired Spike Spiegel, character from Cowboy Bebop serie (1998). Behind the "Yuji Ohno & His Project" featuring saxophonist Takeru Muraoka, guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto, keyboardist Kentaro Haneda & trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki, hides future Ohno's group "You & The Explosion Band" in charge of the "Lupin The 3rd Original Soundtrack". Titles include the heavy funk ("Scorch To Kirizumi"), disco song ("Get Up All The People"), opening and ending themes sung by Joe Yamanaka ("Nigen No Shomei Theme"). Composed & arranged by Yuji Ohno.

MUSICIANS : Yuji Ohno - keyboards - Kentaro Haneda & Minoru Kuribayashi - organ - Akira Okazawa - bass - Kiyoshi Sugimoto & Tsunehide Matsuki - guitar - Yasushi Ichihara - drums - Takeru Muraoka & Jake H. Concepcion - saxophone - Eiji Arai & Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Koji Hatori & Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Larry Sunaga & Pepe Anai - percussion - Minoru Suzuki Group - strings

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