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

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Helen Merrill - Bossa Nova In Tokyo

Year : 1967
Label : Victor
Genre : Latin Jazz
Style : Bossa Nova

The third album recorded in Japan by Helen Merrill with the Sadao Watanabe Quintet featuring Masabumi Kikuchi (p), Isao Suzuki (b), Masahiko Togashi (ds),  Sadanori Nakamure (g) & Hideo Miyata (per), conducted and arranged Norio Maeda. Helen Merrill revisits the greatest hits of Bossa Nova among others, original compositions from the forerunner Antonio Carlos Jobim ("So Danço Samba", "How Insensitive", "Agua Di Beber"), just as some Japanese popular Pop songs ("Yume Wa Yoru Hiraku", "Shinjite Itai") & Jazz standards ("Fly Me To The Moon", "The Shadow Of Your Smile"). 

Isao Suzuki Trio/Quartet ‎- Blow Up

Year : 1973
Label : TBM
Genre : Jazz
Style : Contempory Jazz, Avant Garde, Progressive Jazz

Nicknamed the "Jazz Godfather" in Japan, Isao Suzuki is one of the most famous modern jazz bassist, versatile and avant-gardist, in charge of more 50 albums from Jazz to Samba by Hip-Hop & Electronic. Suzuki has gained experience playing alongside Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald or Ron Carter, before contribute to the development of the japanese Jazz Fusion and the Progressive Jazz movement, throughout the seventies. Many times awarded, the timeless "Blow Up" still remains a reference and an essential of Japanese Jazz, featuring two japanese jazz greats, pianist Kunihiko Sugano & drummer George Otsuka, as well as Takashi Mizuhashi, session bassist for TBM label, passing from the trio to a quartet formation when Suzuki plays cello. Titles include three compositions of Suzuki, the cello piece "Aqua Marine", the funky eponymous track, "Blow Up" & "Low Flight", the jazz standards "Everything Happens To Me", "I Can't Get Started"  & "Like It Is" played in the New Orleans style. All tracks arranged by Isao Suzuki, on tracks 1, 3, 5 & 6, Takashi Mizuhashi is added.

  

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Ace 7 - Latin Rhapsody

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Year : 1968 

Label : RCA 

Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz 

Style : Easy Listening, Afro Cuban Jazz

"Ace 7" was formed by the japanese jazz giant pianist, Hachidai Nakamura, former member in the late fifties of the first incarnation of legendary jazz quartet led by drummer George Kawaguchi, "The Big 4", featuring Hidehiko Matsumoto & Mitsuru Ono. The Ace 7 are among legends of japanese jazz musicians including "Sleepy" Matsumoto (sax), Isao "Jazz Godfather" Suzuki (b), Shungo Sawada/Sadanori Nakamure (g), Akira "Count Buffalo" Ishikawa (ds), Akira Nakano (tp), Takashi Onodera (per) & Seiji Hiraoka (vibes). Their singularity is to produce showcase albums highlithing cinema ("Ciné Jazz", "Memories Of American Movie Themes") or jazz standards ("Modern Jazz Best"). "Latin Rhapsody" is a tribute to Latin music and its own declinations like Bolero (Quizas, Quizas, Quizas, Besame Mucho), Tango (El Choclo), Rumba (Rumba Rhapsody), including classics from Cuba, Mexico passing by Argentina & Spain. All tracks arranged by Hachidai Nakamura.

Kimiko Kasai - Tokyo Special

Year : 1977
Label : CBS
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk

"Tokyo Special" is the eighth album and second recorded by Kimiko Kasai in japanese tongue since "Umbrella" in 1972. Kimiko back to the japanese studios after a three albums serie recorded in US, supported by "The Colgen Band" lead by pianist/arranger Hiromasa Suzuki featuring guest soloists :tumpeter Terumasa Hino, bassist Isao Suzuki & saxophonist Takeru Muraoka. Terumasa Hino takes part on "Very Special Moment" & "Tokyo Special (Manhattan Special)", Isao Suzuki plays cello and composes "Yarikake No Jinsei", while Hiromasa Suzuki takes over the arrangements. The Colgen Band is supported by strings ensemble, The Tadaaki Ono group.

THE COLGEN BAND : Kimiko Kasai - vocal - Hiromasa Suzuki - keyboards - Akira Okazawa - bass - Tsunehide Matsuki - guitar - Yasushi Ichihara - drums - Masafumi Yamaguchi - saxophones - Pepe Anai - percussion - Shin Kazuhara - trumpet - Koji Hatori - trumpet & flugel horn - Eiji Arai - trombone

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Sadao Watanabe Sextet - Bossa Nova '67

Year : 1967
Label : Victor
Genre : Latin Jazz
Style : Bossa Nova

"Bossa Nova '67" is the second bossa nova album recorded by the Sadao Watanabe Sextet featuring Sadao Watanabe (as, fl), Masabumi Kikuchi (p), Isao Suzuki (b), Masahiko Togashi (ds), Sadanori Nakamure (g) & Hideo Miyata (cabasa), supported by a strings ensemble. Sadao Watanabe is the most famous japanese jazz musician and was the main actor of the Bossa Nova boom in Japan from 1966 with the "Jazz & Bossa" album. The album consists of a collection bringing together all the big hits which made the fame of Bossa Nova from Antonio Carlos Jobim (The Girl From Ipanema, Meditation) to Luiz Bonfa (Black Orpheus) by Jorge Ben (Mas Que Nada), including also Jazz standards (Fly Me To the Moon, The Shadow Of Your Smile) and "A Man And A Woman" extracted from the musical score of the eponymus film composed by Francis Lai. 

Isao Suzuki & New Family - The Thing

Year : 1979

Label : Flying Disk
Genre : Jazz

Syle : Fusion

Isao Suzuki supported by his "New Family" featuring pianist Masayoshi Yoneda, guitarist Takayuki Katoh, drummer Shigeo Hirayama and trumpeter Shuji Miyake. Best known as the 'Jazz Godfather', Isao Suzuki is a japanese bassist, among the best of his generation, one of these japanese jazz giants who still influences numerous Japanese contemporary artists from Jazz to Hip-Hop. Isao started his professional career in 1956, when he played in the American military band camp. Thereafter, he was enrolled by saxophonist Hidehiko Matsumoto in his "Sleepy Latin Band" and joined the legendary George Kawaguchi's Big Four in the late sixties. Then, as session musician, he played for Motohiko Hino, Sadao Watanabe, songstress Kimiko Kasai, Mari Nakamoto, later within Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Mal Waldron and Baden Powell. "The Thing" brings together various titles ranging from Jazz Funk (Open Space) to Latin Jazz (Sunburn Samba), including free improvisations (The Thing) and a tribute to Miles Davis (For Miles). 

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