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

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.

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.

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