Tadaaki Misago & His Tokyo Cuban Boys - This Is Cuban Rock Sounds

Year : 1974
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Master Sonic Series
Genre : Jazz, Latin
Style : Afro-Cuban Jazz, Jazz Rock

The kings of japanese mambo honored by the Cuba state, explore the world of rock 'n' roll, including psychedelia, mixing it with Latin Jazz. Formed and conducted by Tadaaki Misago, The Tokyo Cuban Boys is the oldest japanese jazz big band actives since 1949, which took advantage of the mambo's whirlwind that swept Japan in the 50s, to become a major big band in Latin Music in which emerged the famous japanese latin percussionnist, Yoshinori Nohmi. Indeed, Tadaaki Misago & His Tokyo Cuban Boys have contributed to the expansion of  latin music in Japan, recording over 200 albums between 1949 and 1980, the year of their dissolution. They have associated acts alongside Sharps & Flats, collaborated with various artists from Jazz such as Norio Maeda, Jiro Inagaki & Minoru Muraoka, to japanese folk and pop music as backing band for Michiya Mihashi, the "King of Enka" or actress Eri Chiemi. Titles include the great standards of Latin Music including Boléro (Bésame Mucho, Historia De Un Amor, Perfidia), Mambo (Siboney, Quién Será) or Bossa Nova styles (La Cancion De Orfe). All tracks arranged by Takeshi Koizumi.

Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media, Tokyo Cuban Boys - Quad Dimension/Rock'N Latin

Year : 1971
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Master Sonic Series
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock, Latin Rock

An umpteenth recording jazz rock session performed by Jiro inagaki & His Soul Media featuring Ryo Kawasaki, Takeshi Inomata, backed themselves by the most famous japanese Latin Big Band, the Tokyo Cuban Boys conducted by Tadaaki Misago. Arranged by famous jazz producer Takeo Ogawa, although less interesting than the "Head Rock" album, "Rock'N Latin" leaves however its mark by its originality, and remains a well-made jazz fusion album mixing rock 'n' roll with latin beats including acid organ and guitar distortion. Titles include killer variation of Latin jazz standard "Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock and various international pop/rock hits from The Beatles (Hey Jude) to Blood, Sweet And Tears (Spinning Wheel) by Fleetwood Mac (Black Magic Woman) & The Creedence (Proud Mary).

MUSICIANS : Tadaaki Misago - conductor - Jiro Inagaki - tenor saxophone - Ryo Kawasaki - guitar - Yasuo Arakawa - bass - Masaru Imada - organ - Takeshi Inomata - drums - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Tadayuki Harada - baritone saxophone - Shigeo Suzuki - alto saxophone - Takehisa Suzuki & Shunzo Ohno - trumpet - Takashi Imai & Shigemichi Domoto - trombone

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Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - Wandering Birds

Year : 1971

Label : Nippon Columbia

Serie : Master Sonic Series

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Rock

The Soul Media led by saxophonist Jiro Inagaki featuring rock songstress Sammy and special guest pianist Masahiko Sato, supported by a heavy horn section, in another japanese Jazz Rock act, including progressive rock and pyschedelic music. "Wandering Birds" expands the group with the introduction of new members, iconic actors of the japanese progessive and experimental rock scene from the seventies, guitarists Kimio Mizutani (in groups Sound Limited, The Beat Generation) & organist Hiro Yanagida (Shinki Chen & His Friends, April Fool). Titles include "Wandering Birds" feat. Sammy, the psychedelic trip "Parajika" & the funky track "On The Grass" both feat. Masahiko Sato.

MUSICIANS : Sammy & Sawada Yasushi - vocal - Jiro Inagaki - tenor & soprano saxophone, flute - Tsunehide Matsuki & Kimio Mizutani - guitar - Masahiko Sato - moog synthesizer - Hiro Yanagida - organ - Hideaki Takebe - bass - Kiyoshi Tanaka - drums

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M. Sato + J. Inagaki & His Big Soul Media - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Year : 1971
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Master Sonic Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock, Free Rock

Masahiko Sato started as professional musician in the sixties joining the Masaaki Fujita Quintet  and  the Toshiyuki Miyama's New Herd Big Band, before to enter in the Berklee College of Music in order to become arranger. From 1968 to 1971, he formed his most famous jazz combo, the Masahiko Sato Trio with the bassist Yasuo Arakawa & drummer Masahiko Togashi (the trio won the Japan Jazz Award in 1970, in the best debut album category for "Palladium"). Prolific pianist, Masahiko Sato has left his indelible mark on the japanese jazz history, with various experimental iconic projects ("Amalgamation", "Tri-Piano" with Norio Maeda), Free Jazz albums such as "Holography" or "Astorama" (with french violinist Jean-Luc Ponty) and soundtracks as "Belladonna" for Tezuka Productions. "Astorama", recorded in 1970, opens the way to his future international collaborations, as composer & arranger, in considerable recordings from Nancy Wilson, Wayne Shorter, Roy Haynes, Gary Peacock, Art Farmer, Hank Jones passing by his fellow countryman Yohsuke Yamashita. Satoh enrolled the Jazz Rock band "Soul Media", in joint project with Jiro Inagaki featuring Ryo Kawasaki, Yasuo Arakawa plus Tadayuki Harada, Shunzo Ohno & Takeshi Inomata from the Sound limited. Titles include the killer groove "Sniper's Snooze", the psychedelic soul tune "Love & Peace", the pop ballad "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from Simon & Garfunkel & the bluesy "Somethin Goin On" from Al Kooper. All tracks arranged by Masahiko Sato.

MUSICIANS : Masahiko Sato - piano & electric piano - Jiro Inagaki - tenor saxophone - Tadayuki Harada - baritone saxophone - Shunzo Ohno - trumpet - Tadataka Nakazawa - trombone - Ryo Kawasaki - guitar - Yasuo Arakawa - bass - Takeshi Inomata & Hajime Ishimatsu - drums - Seiji Tanaka - percussion

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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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Norio Maeda - Revolution

Year : 1972
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Master Sonic
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz, Experimental, Avant-Garde

The meeting between avant-garde jazz and baroque music that showcases the use of pipe organ. As the French pianist Jacques Loussier who brings together Jazz and Classical music in his famous "Play Bach" serie, Norio Maeda was also inspired by the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. As the title suggests, "Revolution" it's a experimental project based on the repertoire of the great composer, in addition to various soundcapes like urban traffic, race car noises or organic sound samples extracted from natural environment (like birds). Titles include six interpretations of famous original Bach's compositions (Fugues I, XII, XXII & Preludes I, II, XXIV), but also the latin jazz track "Bossa Bossa Nova", the soul jazz "Cool Drive" & "In A State Of Nature" and the final "Unchikipar", an experimental scat including onomatopoeia performance by Maeda & his stooges. All tracks arranged and conducted by Norio Maeda.

MUSICIANS : Norio Maeda - piano, organ, pipe organ, vocal - Teruyuki Fukushima - trumpet, flugelhorn - Makoto 'Jun' Suzuki - bass - Sadanori Nakamure - guitar - Takeshi Inomata - drums

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Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media - In The Groove

 

Year : 1973
Label : Nippon Columbia

Serie : Master Sonic

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Funk

Since "Rough & Elegance" album released in 1972, Jiro Inagaki left the Jazz Rock to focus on Funk/Soul music featuring bassist Akira Okazawa, guitarist Tsunehide Matsuki & Norio Maeda in charge of arrangements & composition. As the "Funky Stuff" album released the next year, "In The Groove" is a careful blend of Jazz, Funk, Soul music and latin beats, all arranged in the same sound engineering approach of the Creed Taylor's CTI recordings. "In The Groove" was recorded such as an album that The Crusaders could have produce, moreover, two of their songs are included : "That's How I Feel" by Wilton Felder and "Put It Where You Want It" by Joe Sample. All tracks arranged by Norio Maeda.

MUSICIANS : Jiro Inagaki - alto & tenor saxophone - Tsunehide Matsuki - guitar - Takeshi Kamachi - electric piano - Akira Okazawa - bass - Takashi Imai - trombone - Hajime Ishimatsu - drums, percussion

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Kiyoshi Sugimoto - Guitar Method

Year : 1972

Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Master Sonic, Method Series
Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Rock, Pop

Among the best crossover jazz album taken from the "Method Series" of the Nippon Columbia including pop/rock hits revisited by japanese jazz guitarist, Kiyoshi Sugimoto featuring pianist/arranger Hiromasa Suzuki. "Guitar Method" is mainstream album in the manner of the Creed Taylor's productions, a more commercial approach with strings arrangements. The meeting between Jazz and Pop music in which Sugimoto fits into a guitar hero stance, discharging insane guitar solos like on "Get In On", supported by the acid organ sounds from Suzuki. Titles include iconic songs of the pop music ("Madman Across The Water" by Elton John, "Imagine" by John Lennon) and all Rock 'N Roll styles represented from Heavy Metal (Led Zeppelin - Black Dog) to Progressive rock (The Moody Blues - The Story In Your Eyes or "Everybody's Everything" by Santana) by Glam Rock (T-Rex - Get In On) or Soft Rock (Carol King - It's Too Late, Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline). All tracks arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki.

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