DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite.jp & Chintam - Wamono A To Z Vol. II

 

Year : 2021

Label : 180g

Serie : Wamono A to Z

Genre : Jazz, Pop

Style : Jazz Funk

Compilation series by DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite, a renowned japanese DJ/producer, and DJ Chintam owner of Blow Up shop settled in the Tokyo's Shibuya district since 2018. Nowadays, the serie includes three volume based on the "Wamono A to Z Record Guide" from Jazz to City-Pop of the 70s-80s japanese groove scene, than Yoshizawa published in 2015. This second volume brings together some of the best jazzy-funky tracks and disco grooves produced during the seventies in Japan including killer dance club song "I Hope It's Fine" by School Band. It features also by Mieko Hirota, Jiro Inagaki & The Soul Media, Hatsumi Shibata, Akira Yasuda & Beat Folk.

Kentaro Haneda, The Mystery Kindaichi Band - The Adventure Of Kohsuke Kindaichi

 

Year : 2020/1977

Label : We Want Sounds/King Records

Genre : Jazz, Soundtrack

Style : Jazz Funk

The sought-after fictional soundtrack based on the adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi, an iconic japanese investigator character created in the mid-1940s for a novel serie by Seichi Yokomizo. This cult album for all worlwide DJs and japanese's lovers reminds the original score of "The Inugamy Family" movie composed by Yuji Ohno. Especially composed by Kentaro Haneda (the man behinds the "Space Adventure Cobra" ost), with Hiroshi Takada's contribution, the album includes the hottest musicians of the japanese jazz fusion '70 scene featuring Kimio Mitzuhani (eg), Takeru Muraoka (sax), Koji Hadori (tp), Eiji Arai (tb), Hideo Ichikawa (keys) and Kayoko Ishu (vo) from the Singers Three. "The adventure of Kohsuke Kindaichi" prefigures the Yellow Magic Orchestra's sound, an infectious grooves collection including eastern flavor (Yatsuhakamura, Honjin Murder), space funk with crazy ghost voice (Theme of Kohsuke Kindaichi), mighty disco-funk songs (Gokumonto) and even classical (Inugamy family).

Nippon Jazz Meets The Beatles Vol. 3

Volume 3 of the compilation series dedicated to the classics and most popular songs of The Beatles performed in jazz by iconic japanese Big Band & All-Stars musicians featuring Terumasa Hino, George Otsuka, Jiro Inagaki, Toshiyuki Miyama, Sadao Watanabe and others, including Soul Jazz, Hard Bop, Modal & Jazz Rock styles. All tracks recorded between 1968-1971, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Toshiaki Yokota & The Beat Generation - Elévation

 

Year : 2019/1970

Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Express
Serie : Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Rock, Soul Jazz, Psychedelic Rock

The first master stroke of The Beat Generation, lead by the iconic japanese flutist Toshiaki Yokota from the Takeshi Inomata's  Sound Limited and Love Live Life. Arranged by the japanese jazz master Masahiko Satoh, it features Takeshi Inomata (ds), Hideo Ichikawa (keys), Jun Suzuki (eb), Sadanori Nakamure (eg) & Larry Sunaga (perc), all supported by strings ensemble. Unlike their following album, the experimental "Flute Adventure" released the next year, "Elévation" is more a mainstream record to the baroque pop occured by the Ichikawa's harpsichord play and chamber music (Easy To Be Hard), soul jazz (What'd I Say) and psychedelic pop styles (And When I Die). Titles include also compositions by Toshiaki Yokota (Elevation pt1&2, On The Road), Takeshi Inomata (Curved Navel) & Hideo Ichikawa (How Long Have I Been Waiting For You).

Yuji Ohno - The Boss & His Piano Vol. 3 ~ Selected Works 2000 - 2012

 

Volume 3 of the compilation series dedicated to the japanese jazz pianist Yuji Ohno including the classics "Zenigata March", "Magnum Dance" and others original songs recorded for the soundtrack of the annual Lupin III TV Special. It features his usual line-up during the 2000 decade including "Yuji Ohno Trio" & the "Lupintic Five" with Hisatsugu Suzuki (sax), Keiji Matsushima (trumpet), Satoshi Izumi (electric guitar), Yoshihito Eto (drums), Yosuke Inoue & Masayuki Tawarayama (bass) and guests among guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto and flutist Masami Nakagawa. Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Nippon Jazz Meets The Beatles Vol. 2

Volume 2 of the compilation series dedicated to the classics and most popular songs of The Beatles performed in jazz by iconic japanese Big Band & All-Stars musicians featuring Hiroshi Suzuki, Terumasa Hino, Hiroshi Suzuki, Akira Ishikawa, Takeshi Inomata, Kiyoshi Sugimoto and others, including Soul Jazz, Hard Bop, Modal & Jazz Rock styles. All tracks recorded between 1968-1971, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Tadao Sawai, Hozan Yamamoto - Jazz Rock Koto / Japanese Folk Song

Year : 2020/1973

Label : Mr Bongo/RCA

Genre : Jazz, Folk

Style : Soul Jazz, Jazz Rock, Min'yo

Originally released in 1973 on RCA, "Jazz Rock Koto" is actually the meeting between spiritual jazz with iconic japanese folk songs called "Min'yō", including funk elements, traditional japanese instruments use the shakuhachi (bamboo flute) and koto (national instrument of Japan). It features renowed koto players Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai on koto and the "Living National Treasure of Japan", Hozan Yamamoto on shakuhachi. They are supported by Norio Maeda (p) and his rhythm section with Takeshi Inomata (ds), Tatsuro Takimoto (b) and Sadanori Nakamure (g) plus Jake H Concepcion on saxophone. Titles include popular folk songs in Japan among "Soran Bushi", "Sado Okesa", "Hokkai Bonuta", "Kuroda Bushi", "Kiso Bushi" and many more.

Sadao Watanabe - Swing Journal Jazz Workshop 2 ~ Dedicated To Charlie Parker

Year : 1969 

Label : Nippon Columbia 

Serie : Takt Jazz Series 

Genre : Jazz 

Style : Bop, Post Bop

Recorded at Yamaha Hall, Tokyo, "Swing Journal Workshop 2" follows the first volume devoted to Terumasa Hino, previously released the same year from an idea by the most famous japanese jazz magazine. Performed by the legendary saxophonist, the tracks were caught during live session from 1969, played in quartet formation including Kazuo Yashiro (p), Masanaga Harada (b), Fumio Watanabe (ds) and in quintet featuring the great trumpeter Terumasa Hino. The album is tribute to Charlie Parker which contains the bop classics regurlarly performed by the jazz genius, in a modal variation including "Song For Bird", "Parker's Mood", Sadao's solo performance "I Can't Get Started", "If I Should Lose You" and "Au privave" feat. Terumasa Hino. "Swing Journal" was the most long-standing jazz magazine from the land of the rising sun and leader in the jazz culture diffusion in Japan since 1947. Indeed, the magazine played a key role in the jazz expansion in the country, contibuting to the popularity of renowned american musicians such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Chet Baker, Art Blakey or natives musicians like Sadao Watanabe, Terumasa Hino and Yosuke Yamashita. Similar to other famous jazz magazines as "Down Beat", "Swing Journal" was a reference in order to know japanese jazz essential albums, awarding best jazz albums every years in various cathegory.

New Stream In Jazz Vol. 13 ~ Japanese Jazz Meets Folk (Impressions Of The Far East)

 

Compilation series dedicated to the golden era of the Japanese Jazz scene through the years 60-70's. This volume focuses on the meeting between jazz with iconic japanese folk songs (Min'yō) and Eastern music including traditional japanese instruments use among shakuhachi (bamboo flute), koto, biwa and shamisen. It features the japanese legends Tadao Sawai (koto), Rinsyoe Kida (shamisen), Minoru Muraoka (shakuhachi), Kisaku Katada (taiko) and the "Living National Treasure of Japan", Hozan Yamamoto (shakuhachi), Akira Ishikawa, Kosuke Ichihara, Nobuo Hara, Norio Maeda, Toshiaki Yokota and Toshiyuki Miyama. Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Bop or Not Session #4 for Radio RAPTZ ~ Japanese Soundtrack Special

Bop or Not Session #4 for Parisian webradio RADiO RAPTZ including Hip-Hop, Breakbeat & Jazz Funk songs dedicated to Japanese soundtracks, TV screen animated series (Cowboy Be Bop, Samurai Champloo...) and iconic movies themes. It features Yuji Ohno, Kentaro Haneda, The Seatbelts, Yoko Kanno, DJ Muro, RZA, Luke Vibert and many more...

TRACKLiST : Yuji Ohno - Theme From Golden Dog - Hozan Yamamoto, Yu Imai - Kindaichi Kōsuke Nishi E Iku - The Mystery Kindaichi Band - Eight Village Grave (Yatsuhakamura) - Kentaro Haneda - The Heroes Of Wu - Jake H. Concepcion & The Sound Limited - On Any Sunday - Jimmy Takeuchi - Enter The Dragon - The Seatbelts Feat. Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch - Mushroom Hunting - Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro - Dandy's Fly - Yoko Kanno - High Heel Runaway - Kassin - Corre Michiko, Corre!!! - Latin Quarter - Kogarashi - RZA Feat. Black Knights, Dexter Wiggle & Thea Van Seijen - Bloody Samurai - DJ Muro Feat. Big-O, Chief Low & Suiken - V.I.P. -  FORCE OF NATURE Feat. Suiken & S-Word - Hiji Zuru Style - Mocky - Two Of Us - Takeo Yamashita Feat. Kayoku Ishu - Scat Theme - Yasuharu Konishi - Lupin The Third 1 (Readymade All That Jazz! Remix) - Luke Vibert - Tank! Remix - Soil & Pimp Sessions - Paraiso (TV Version)

LiSTEN TO MiXCLOUD - FOLLOW ON RADiO RAPTZ

Hozan Yamamoto With Sharps & Flats - Beautiful Bamboo Flute

Year : 2019/1971
Label : Mr Bongo/Philips
Genre : Jazz
Style : Big Band, Folk, World, Fusion

Recognized as a “living national treasure” by the Japanese government in 2002, Hozan Yamamoto was the best known shakuhachi player outside Japan. "Beautiful Bamboo Flute" is the fourth collaboration between Hozan Yamamoto and saxophonist Nobuo Hara within his famous big band, after two albums as Sharps & Flats ("Sharps & Flats In Newport" in 1967, "New Jazz In Japan" in 1968), and one under his own name ("New Dimension Of Bamboo Flute" in 1968). The album is result of a clever mix between japanese folk music (called "Min'yō") and Jazz including Jazz Rock, Soul Jazz & Big Band styles, featuring arranger Masahiko Sato, guitarist Takao Naoi from Akira Ishikawa's Count Buffalos. Impossible to find original album nowadays, it was finally reissued by Mr Bongo Records.

MUSICIANS : Hozan Yamamoto - bamboo flute - Nobuo Hara - tenor saxophone - Hajime Maekawa, Koji Suzuki - alto saxophone - Nobuyuki Morikawa - baritone saxophone - Masahiro Nakajima, Tadao Taniyama - trombone - Hiroshi Saba, Shuzo Morikawa - trumpet - Sadayasu Fujii - piano - Hiroshi Takeuchi - bass - Takao Naoi - guitar - Yoshio Nakamura - drums

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.

Kosuke Ichihara & 3 L - Now Sound '75

Year : 2017/1975
Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Victor
Serie : HMV Project Re:Vinyl
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock, Fusion, Folk

Last testimony of Love Live Life (also known as 3L), japanese psychedelic jazz rock band born in full expansion of the japanese new rock era initiated by the Flower Travellin' Band (himself influenced by the Woodstock generation). Love Live Life's frontman Kosuke Ichihara is a japanese saxophonist, composer and arranger who evolved in famous Toshiyuki Miyama's New Herd big band, in groups Tokyo Ensemble Academy, Takayuki Inoue Band, Masami Kawahara & The Exotic Sounds, was sideman for japanese jazz songstress Maki Asakawa, Mari Nakamoto and played alongside pianist Masahiko Satoh or drummer Jimmy Takeuchi. Among  japanese works mixing Jazz, Rock with popular folk songs from different parts of Japan (Okinawa to Hokkaido), "Now Sound '75" is one of the finest production of the genre, including deep grooves, catchy bass line, synthesizer sounds floating, soundscapes with cinematographic atmosphere and oriental melodies, all played in a psychedelic mood. 

LOVE LIVE LIFE : Kosuke Ichihara - tenor saxophone, flute - Toshiaki Yokota - flute, saxophone - HiroYanagida - piano, organ - Masaoki Terakawa - bass - Kimio Mizutani, Takao Naoi - guitar - Chito Kawachi - drums - Naomi Kawahara - percussion

Yuji Ohno - Space Kid

Year : 1978
Label : CBS
Serie : Master Sound 76
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Disco, Smooth Jazz

"Space Kid" is a concept album which prefigures the future sound of You & The Explosion Band, formed for the original soundtrack of "Lupin The 3rd". Indeed, some sounds seem to us familiar, various soundscapes have been used in the serie and in particular the moog synthesizer effects heard in the "Cagliostro No Shiro" movie (1979). The core of You & Explosion Band is based on the rhythm section featuring Akira Okazawa, Tsunehide Matsuki, Yasushi Ichihara, Pepe Anai & Larry Sunaga, supported by horn section feat. Jake H. Conception & the Suzuki Group (strings). Tiltes include the disco funk song "Space Kid", a variation on the "Mayflower" recording taken from "Electro Keyboard Orchestra", where accoustic piano replaces moog synthesizer, two featurings with brazilian songtress Sonia Rosa (Never More, Dancing Raccoon) and the latin funk "Solar Samba". All tracks composed, arranged & recorded by Yuji Ohno.

MUSICIANS : Yuji Ohno - keyboards - Kazushi Sugihara - synthesizer programmer - Akira Okazawa & Kenji Takamizu - bass - Tsunehide Matsuki - guitar -Yasushi Ichihara - drums - Pepe Anai, Larry Sunaga & Fujio Saitoh - percussion - Jake H. Conception - saxophone - Sonia Rosa - vocal

Mieko Hirota - My Funny Valentine

Year : 1976
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Best Vocal Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk

"My Funny Valentine" is a cover album of western jazz & soul music by the most famous japanese songtress outside Japan, Mieko Hirota. "The Queen of Pop" in Japan, also nicknamed "MICO", started her professional career at 14, making her debut with cover song "Don't Treat Me Like A Child" released in 1961, but it's with the hit single "Vacation" that she really gained recognition in Japan from 1962. In July 1965, she was the first Japanese singer to perform at the american Newport Jazz Festival, and at the end of the sixties, she was also among the first japanese songstress to turn to the Soul and R&B music. During the seventies, she recorded several jazz funk albums with the Colgen Band led by arranger & pianist Hiromasa Suzuki, including some of the Akira Ishikawa's Count Buffalos group featuring Takeru Muraoka, Akira Okazawa or Takao Naoi. In the late seventies, she settled in New York city and recorded "Mieko Hirota in New York" featuring the Billy Taylor Trio and "Step Across" featuring Terumasa Hino, Joe Farrell, Stanley Cowell, Billy Cobham & Richard Davis. Tiles include the Soul classics of Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" & Aretha Franklin "Day Dreaming", the killer funk "Easy Evil", the Jazz standards "My Funny Valentine" & "There Will Never Be Another You" played in a samba fusion variation.

MUSICIANS : Mieko Hirota - vocal - Hiromasa Suzuki - synthesizer, piano - Takeru Muraoka - saxophones, flute - Takao Naoi & Tsunehide Matsuki - guitar - Akira Okazawa & Isao Eto - bass - Yasushi Ichihara - drums - Akira Ishikawa - drums, percussion

New Stream In Jazz Vol. 12 ~ Japanese Jazz Funk Experience

Compilation series dedicated to the golden era of the japanese jazz scene through the years 60's-70's. Following vol. 3 & 9, this compilation celebrates one more time the jazz groove into the boogie sphere, highly tinted of slapping bass, disco rhythms & funky beats, including twelve pure jazz funk tracks recorded between 1976-1982 featuring Terumasa Hino, Jun Fukamachi, Hiromasa Suzuki, Ryo Kawasaki, Native Son, Sadao Watanabe, Naoya Matsuoka, Mikio Masuda, Toshiyuki Honda, Jiro Inagaki & Chuck Rainey Rhythm Section, Kenji Omura, Kazumi Watanabe & Lee Ritenour. Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Norio Maeda & All Stars - Rock Communication "Yagi Bushi"

Year : 2017/1970
Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Teichiku Records

Serie : HMV Project Re:Vinyl

Genre : Jazz, Folk

Style : Fusion, Jazz Rock

"Rock Communication" is a concept fusion album by the piano master of japanese avant-garde (check his album "Revolution") featuring Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Kaoru Iiyoshi & Takeshi Inomata. As similar projects of drummer Akira Ishikawa, "Drum Yagibushi Drum" or saxophonist Kosuke Ichihara's "Now Sound '75" albums Norio Maeda revisits some popular standards of the japanese folk repertoire in the psychedelic rock style. During the late sixties and the early seventies, Norio Maeda collaborated as well as arranger and pianist to various jazz rock albums for eminent japanese jazz musicians among others the saxophonist Jiro Inagaki (This Is Jazz Rock), Akira Ishikawa (Bakishinba - Memories Of Africa) and Takeshi Inomata (Drum Method). 

MUSICIANS : Norio Maeda - piano - Kiyoshi Sugimoto - electric guitar - Mitsuo Murakami - rhythm guitar - Kaoru Iiyoshi - electric piano, Hammond organ - Mihiro Arai & Masahiro Arashi - bass - Koichi Uchida - vibes - Takeshi Inomata & Takahiro Suzuki - drums - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Shigeo Suzuki - flute, piccolo, clarinet, alto sax

Yasuo Higuchi & Doremi Band - New York Cut

Year : 1979
Label : Warner Pioneer
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk

Yasuo Higuchi is a pianist, bandmaster and arranger, best known through his musical works produced for japanese television series & cinema. Yasuo Higuchi was especially in charge of famous compositions for animation music such as Osamu Tezuka's "Phoenix 2772" movie, "Tetsuwa Atom" (Astro Boy) and "Mobile New Century Gundam X" series. "New York Cut" is a condensed of pure jazz groove played by the Doremi Band, formed around guitarist John Scofield, bassist Will Lee, keyboardist Jorge Dalto, drummer Chris Parker and percussionist Dwight Gassaway. Titles include "To The New World" (Gilles Peterson's inspirations), "Uncle From Uncle", "Giraffe (In Memory Of Taki San)" played in a kind of flamenco style, "A Magazine On The Street" to the disco-funk accents, all composed by Yasuo Higuchi. Recorded at CBS Studio, New York.

Masaru Imada Trio + 2 - Green Caterpillar

Year : 1975
Label : TBM
Genre : Jazz
Style : Modal, Post Bop, Contemporary Jazz

Best known record of pianist Masaru Imada released on the legendary japanese jazz label TBM. "Green Caterpillar" is a jazz masterpiece featuring talented musicians including guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, bassist Isao Fukui (also called Isoo), drummer Tetsujiro Obara (members of Imada's main trio formation) and percussionist Yuji Imamura in addition. The album opens with a top of the groove "A Green Caterpillar", a 11 minute piece played in the jazz funk style including the iconic guitar play of Kazumi Watanabe. The other titles include "A Straight Flash", "Blue Impulse" and the flamenco tune "Spanish Flower" rather played in a modal style. All tracks composed and arranged by Masaru Imada.

Hiromasa Suzuki - High-Flying

Year : 2016/1976

Label : Deep Jazz Reality/Nippon Columbia

Serie : HMV Project Re:Vinyl

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Funk

The crossover jazz masterpiece "High Flying" ws reissued for the HMV Japan stores by  the Yusuke Ogawa's Deep Jazz Reality. Recorded by master Hiromasa "Colgen" Suzuki (one leader of the post-jazz rock era during the seventies in Japan), "High Flying" was produced by Jiro Inagaki, the man who was the footbridge between Jazz Rock and Jazz Funk periods, with his group the Soul Media. Suzuki was an actives guest member of the Jiro Inagaki's band, collaborating on several records, in charge of arrangements and compositions on the "Funky Stuff" album recorded in 1974. "High-Flying" brings together some best players of the japanese Fusion scene as keyboardist Jun Fukamachi, guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto or drummer Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami. Titles include the disco-funk tracks "Scramble", "Straight Flash", "Between O&M" (reminiscence of the Herbie Hancock style including amazing bass line) and "Out Of Focus" featuring scat songtress Kayoko Ishu from Singers Three, selected by Kyoto Jazz Massive for their "Shibuya Jazz Classics - Kyoto Jazz Massive Collection" compilation. All tracks composed and arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki.

MUSICIANS : Hiromasa Suzuki & Jun Fukamachi - keyboards, synthesizer, piano - Jiro Inagaki - saxophones, flute - Akira Okazawa & Kenji Takamizu - electric bass - Fujimaru Yoshino, Kiyoshi Sugimoto & Masayoshi Takanaka - electric guitar - Shuichi Murakami - drums - Larry Sunaga - percussion - Kayoko Ishu - vocal