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

Yuji Ohno - The Boss & His Piano ~ Selected Works 1967 - 1975

Dedicated to the legendary japanese jazz pianist, "The Boss & His Piano" includes essential studio & live recordings by Yuji Ohno as a sideman and under his own name. Best known as composer of various background music for films and animation series, Yuji Ohno played alongside the greatest japanese jazz musicians among trumpeter Terumasa Hino, the drummers Masahiko Togashi & Hideo Shiraki or guitarist Ryo Kawasaki from Gil Evans Orchestra. From 1970 to 1975, his regular jazz trio consists of drummer Kazuyoshi Okayama and the bassists Yoshio Ikeda, Takashi Mizuhashi. During the seventies, he was an arranger in demand who regularly collaborated with various japanese jazz songstress such as Mieko Hirota, Martha Miyake, Kimiko Kasai, Hatsumi Shibata, the american Ann Young and brazilian Sonia Rosa. All tracks recorded between 1967-1975, featuring Terumasa Hino, Kimiko Kasai, Yuji Ohno, Sonia Rosa, Ann Young, Itaru Oki, Hiroshi Suzuki, Masahiko Togashi. Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Yuji Ohno & Friends - LUPIN THE THIRD [JAZZ] - Bossa & Fusion

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Year : 2002
Label : VAP
Genre : Jazz, Latin
Style : Bossa Nova, Jazz Funk, Fusion   

The 4th volume in the twelve LUPIN THE THIRD [JAZZ] discs serie recorded during the 1998-2008 decade. As the title suggests, it's a mostly Bossa Nova album featuring the mellow voice of Sonia Rosa (including classic themes from Lupin The Third sung in portuguese) and Jazz Funk tracks. "Bossa & Fusion" is the fourth collaboration between Yuji Ohno and Sonia Rosa after "Spiced With Brazil" released in 1974, "Space Kid" in 1978 and "Samba Amour" in 1979. The duo is supported by a rhythm section including guest musicians as the renowned guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto, saxophonist Masabumi Yamaguchi, percussionist Tatsuji Yokoyama and drummer Yasushi Ichihara from You & The Explosion Band. Titles include main themes of Lupin III and four songs especially composed for the TV Special "Episode 0 : First Contact". All tracks composed & arranged by Yuji Ohno.

Yuji Ohno - Y.O. Connection

Year : 2009
Label : LUPINTIC/VAP
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Latin Jazz

The second album of Yuji Ohno released for his new "LUPINTIC" label featuring the Lupintic Five group, including featurings and guest musicians among bassist Akira Okazawa, vibrationist Takashi Ooi, brazilian songstress Sonia Rosa, brothers Masami & Ejiro Nakagawa from Pretty Good, all supported by the Masatsugu Shinohara strings group. Titles include the cover "Theme From M.A.S.H." taken from the original soundtrack, jazz standards such as "How High The Moon" by Nancy Hamilton or "Five Spot After Dark" by Benny Golson, the classic of Bossa Nova "Desafinado" from Antonio Carlos Jobim and the traditional Russian Gypsy song "Dark Eyes" popularized in 1940 by Django Reinhart (in french "Les Yeux Noirs"). All tracks produced & arranged by Yuji Ohno.

MUSICIANS : Yuji Ohno - keyboards - Satoshi Izumi & Takayoshi Baba - guitar - Masayuki Tawarayama, Akira Okazawa & Daiki Yasukagawa - bass - Yoshihito Eto - drums - Hisatsugu Suzuki - saxophones - Keiji Matsushima - trumpet - Masami Nakagawa - flute - Ejiro Nakagawa - trombone - Takashi Ooi - vibes - Masato Kawase - percussion - Sonia Rosa - vocal

TRACKLIST : Yuji Ohno - Theme From M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless) / Yuji Ohno Feat. Pretty Good - Undecided / Yuji Ohno Feat. Sonia Rosa - Desafinado / Yuji Ohno - I'm Not In Love / Takashi Ooi & Y. O. Jam - How High The Moon / Yuji Ohno Feat. Pretty Good - Five Spot After Dark / Yuji Ohno Feat. Keiji Matsushima - Sweet Memories / Takashi Ooi & Y. O. Jam - Dark Eyes / Yuji Ohno Feat. Sonia Rosa  - Where or When

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Sonia Rosa - A Bossa Rosa De Sônia

 

Year : 1967

Label : Continental

Genre : Latin Jazz
Style : Bossa Nova

Debut album of Sonia Rosa recorded in Brazil when she was just eighteen with guitarist Chiquinho De Moraes who was arranger for Brazilian singers Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa. Sonia sings and plays guitar featuring great orchestra with groovy horns & mellow strings conducted by Chiquinho De Moraes. Titles include six original songs composed by Sonia, Chico Buarque's "Quem Te Viu, Quem Te Vé" and the Bossa Nova standard "Cheiro De Saudade" by Djalma Ferreira. Produced by Alfredo Borba and arranged by Chiquinho De Moraes.

Sonia Rosa With Yuji Ohno - Spiced With Brazil

Year : 1974

Label : CBS

Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz

Style : Pop, Bossa Nova

"Spiced With Brazil" is a joint project between a Brazilian native living in Japan and japanese jazz legend, pianist Yuji Ohno featuring Akira Okazawa (eb), Takao Naoi (g), Tsunehide Matsuki (eg), Kazuyoshi Okayama (ds), Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (ep), Larry Sunaga & Pepe Anai (per). In order to get to closer to the sound of the iconic Bossa Nova Verve's productions to the sophisticated sweetness, Yuji enrolled strings ensemble the "Ohno Group". Sonia Rosa started in 1967, recording her debut album with Chiquinho De Moraes, before to leave Brazil for Japan at the age of 20. In 1970, she released covers album of Bossa Nova "Sensitive Sound Of Sonia Rosa" with the Sadao Watanabe Quintet, her first record in Japan. Shortly after, she recorded "Spice With Brazil", her best-known album marking the beginning of a fruitful professional relationship with japanese jazz pianist Yuji Ohno, including "Space Kid" in 1978, "Samba Amour" in 1979 or "Lupin The Third [JAZZ] : Bossa & Fusion" in 2002. Titles include the classics of Bossa Nova from Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa to Chico Buarque by Edu Lobo ("Casa Forte" feat. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on piano), jazz standards of Jimmy Van Heusen ("Here's That Rainy Day"), Paul Francis Webster ("Secret Love"), pop covers of James Taylor ("Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight") and Linda Creed ("You Make Me Feel Brand New" feat. backing vocal band Time Five). All tracks arranged and conducted by Yuji Ohno except "Chove Là Fora" by Sonia Rosa.

Sonia Rosa - Sensitive Sound Of Sonia Rosa ~ Bossa Nova Greatest Hits

 

Year : 1970

Label : Express
Genre : Latin Jazz
Style : Bossa Nova

The first recording of brazilian songstress and guitarist Sonia Rosa in Japan, featuring renowned japanese jazz musicians within the Sadao Watanabe Quartet featuring Sadao Watanabe (ts), Yoshiaki Masuo (g), Yoshio Suzuki (b) & Hiro Tsunoda (ds). "Sensitive Sound Of Sonia Rosa" is a Bossa Nova album including the songs which made its fame from Antonio Carlos Jobim (The Girl From Ipanema, Desafinado, Meditation...), jazz standards (Fly Me To The Moon, The Shadow Of Your Smile), cover songs of Bacharach (The look Of Love, I'll Never Fall In Love Again), variation on "Corcovado" with english lyrics called "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars" and "La Chanson D'Orphée" taken from Marcel Camus' film "Orfeu Negro".