Joe Henderson - In Japan

Year : 1973/1971
Label : Milestone Records/Victor

Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz

Style : Hard Bop, Post Bop, Bossa Nova

Originally released as "Henderson's Habiliment" on Victor in 1971, "In Japan" is a live recording performed at the Junk Club, Tokyo, by american saxophonist Joe Henderson featuring pianist Hideo Ichikawa, bassist Kunimitsu Inaba & drummer Motohiko Hino. Titles include jazz standards from Thelonious Monk (Round Midnight) & Kenny Dorham (Blue Bossa), Henderson's original compositions "Junk Blues" and the variation of his "In 'N' Out" song called "Out 'N' In" that replaces "Black Narcissus" on the original release.

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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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Terumasa Hino Quintet - Hakuchu No Shugeki (Original Soundtrack)

Year : 2011

Label : Disk Union

Serie : Ciné Jazz

Genre : Jazz, Stage & Screen

Style : Post Bop, Hard Bop, Jazz Funk, Modal

Original Soundtrack from the japanese iconic action movie "Hakuchu No Shugeki" produced by TOHO. Released in 1970, the movie was directed by an aficionado of Jazz, Kiyoshi Nishimura and starring Toshio Kurosawa in the main role. Originally released in 1969, the single "Snake Hip" was edited by Nippon Columbia on 45rpm with "Hakuchu No Shugeki - Theme" on side b, but the full music files of the original score had never been edited. Disk Union store's own label released the complete soundtrack for the Ciné Jazz serie in 2011. The music was performed by the legendary Terumasa Hino Quintet featuring Takeru Muraoka, Hiromasa Suzuki, Kunimitsu Inaba & Motohiko Hino. Titles include "Snake Hip" in the original extented version under "On The Corner" name, "Supermarket" (original recording in short version of "Hakuchu No Shugeki - Theme"), and the long modal piece "Getaway". All tracks composed & arranged by Terumasa Hino.

MUSICIANS : Terumasa Hino - trumpet - Takeru Muraoka - tenor saxophone, flute - Hiromasa Suzuki - piano, Fender Rhodes - Kunimitsu Inaba - double bass, electric bass - Motohiko Hino - drums

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Terumasa Hino, Masabumi Kikuchi - Hino=Kikuchi Quintet

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

Essential japanese jazz masterpiece from Takt Jazz Series by the Masabumi Kikuchi Quintet featuring trumpeter Terumasa Hino in duet album including Takeru Muraoka on tenor saxophone, Kunimitsu Inaba on bass & Hino's brother, Motohiko on drums. "Hino=Kikuchi Quintet" introducing the future Hino's legendary quintet from 1969 to 1970, later joined by keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki on "Hi-Nology", "Hakuchu No Shugeki Original Soundtrack"& "Into The Heaven". All tracks composed & arranged by Masabumi Kikuchi. Titles include "H.G. And Pretty" selected for 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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Terumasa Hino Quintet - Hi-Nology

Year : 1969

Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series

Genre : Jazz

Style : Post Bop, Fusion

The japanese jazz masterpiece recorded by the legendary Terumasa Hino Quintet featuring saxophonist Takeru Muraoka, bassist Kunimitsu Inaba, pianist Hiromasa Suzuki & drummer Motohiko Hino. "Hi-Nology" is an essential japanese jazz album released on the Takt Jazz Series, recorded under live conditions at the famous Yamaha Hall, Tokyo, with the full expressions of Terumasa Hino at the top of his game. "Hi-Nology" was inspired by "Miles In The Sky" album which contributed to the electrification in Jazz, and therefore, opening the fusion era. The album opens on the tribute to Miles Davis, "Like Miles", passing by Muraoka's tune "Electric Zoo" including free forms of jazz, the heavy funk "Hi-Nology" and the jazz avant-garde "Dupe".

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Hiromasa Suzuki - Rock Joint Biwa ~ Kumikyoku Fulukotofumi

Year : 1972
Label : RCA
Serie : DYNAGROOVE
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock, World Music, Psychedelic Rock

"Rock Joint Biwa", is the first part of experimental musical project, the unfinished trilogy of pianist Hiromasa Suzuki called "Rock Joint", mixing Jazz Rock with Oriental music featuring Akira Ishikawa, Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Kunimitsu Inaba and Takeru Muraoka. The album is a psychedelic work based on the "Kojiki" (also called Fulukotofumi), a compilation of myths, legends and oral traditions from the ancient Japan. Recorded during the same session as the "Rock Joint - Cither", the album showcases japanese traditional instruments including wadaiko and biwa played by Akira Ishikawa & Kuifumi Miyake. Titles include the musical piece for biwa, "Yamatoshi Uruwashi", "Hi No Kawa" featuring the Tamaki Quartet, from heavy-metal (Ananiyashiewotomewo) to smooth-jazz (Watatsumi No Irokonomiya). All tracks arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki.

MUSICIANS : Hiromasa Suzuki - piano, electric piano - Kunimitsu Inaba - bass - Hideo Sekine - drums - Kuifumi Miyake - biwa - Akira Ishikawa - wadaiko - Kiyoshi Sugimoto - guitar - Takehisa Suzuki - trumpet - Takeru Muraoka - tenor saxophone - Tadataka Nakazawa - trombone - Tamaki Quartet - strings

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Hiromasa Suzuki - Rock Joint Cither ~ Silk Road

Year : 1973
Label : RCA
Serie : DYNAGROOVE
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock, World, Psychedelic Rock

"Rock Joint Cither" is the second part of an unfinished trilogy, an oriental-Jazz-Rock project including traditional eastern instruments, recorded by the Hiromasa Suzuki feat. Kunimitsu Inaba, Takeru Muraoka and sitar musician Yoko Uehara. Hiromasa 'Colgen' Suzuki was one of the greatest japanese jazz pianist, composer, arranger in demand for various prominent jazz groups whose he takes part, among others the Terumasa Hino Quintet, Akira Ishikawa's Count Buffalos, The Freedom Unity or the Jiro Inagaki's Soul Media. He was the founder member of the Colgen "backing" Band who supported, in particular, japanese songstress Mieko Hirota or Kimiko Kasai. He collaborated to several concept albums like "Electro Keyboard Orchestra" or "Pianic Pianism" within the Super Tri Piano jazz trio, all alongside Norio Maeda & Masahiko Sato. All compositions & arrangements by Hiromasa Suzuki. 

MUSICIANS : Hiromasa Suzuki - piano & electric piano - Kunimitsu Inaba - bass - Hideo Sekine - drums - Yoko Uehara - sitar - Takeru Muraoka - tenor & soprano saxophone - Takehisa Suzuki - bugle - Tadataka Nakazawa - trombone - Yukio Eto - flute - Hiroshi Yoshinaga - oboe - Katsuyoshi Kurusawa - horn

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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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Terumasa Hino Quartet - Alone, Alone And Alone

Year : 1970/1967
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Hard Bop,  Modal, Cool Jazz

"Alone, Alone And Alone" is the debut album of Terumasa Hino, considered as the japanese counterpart of Freddie Hubbard, the most famous Jazz trumpeter outside Japan, and one of Japan's finest jazzman influenced by Miles Davis and Fumio 'Satchmo' Nanri. Hino gained experience in the US military camp dance band, then within the Hideo Shiraki Quintet, and contributed to the Hard Bop expansion in Japan in the sixties. As sideman, he played with Sadao Watanabe and others Jazz giants such as Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones, Gil Evans or Jackie McLean. "Alone, Alone And Alone" introduces his first quartet featuring bassist Kunimitsu Inaba, pianist Yuji Ohno and his young brother, drummer Motohiko. After an interlude in 1968 with Masabumi Kikuchi (Hino=Kikuchi Quintet), the group change into quintet including pianist Hiromasa Suzuki (who replaces Yuji Ohno) and saxophonist Takeru Muraoka in addition, opening a fruitful collaboration with "Hi-Nology" in 1969 & "Into The Heaven" in 1970. All tracks are  composed & arranged by Terumasa Hino except "Summertime" by George Gershwin.

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