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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Soul Media - Funky Stuff

Year : 1974

Label : Nippon Columbia
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk

From 1972, with the "Rough & Elegance" album saxophonist Jiro Inagaki takes turn to the Soul music. Since "In The Groove" released the following year, Jiro Inagaki renewed his "Soul Media" band recruiting new members featuring the master of Japanese Jazz Funk, keyboardist/arranger Hiromasa 'Colgen' Suzuki, bassist Akira Okazawa, trombonist Takashi Imai, guitarist Hiroshi Yasukawa and drummer Hazime Ishimatsu. "Funky Stuff" is a musical Funk joint project with Suzuki, in charge of all arrangements and six of the eight compositions what does the album contain. Close to the sound of a Groover Whashington Jr. or The Crusaders productions (One For Jiro, Four Up), it includes covers from Kool & The Gang (Funky Stuff), Wayne Henderson ("Scratch", composed for The Crusaders), the latin vibe "Gentle Wave" and "Funky Motion" with the heavy funk slapping-bass solo of Okazawa who has nothing to envy to Bootsy Collins.

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Takeshi Inomata & Sound L.T.D. - Sounds Of Sound L.T.D.

Year : 1970
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Groovy Sound Series/Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Rock

"Sounds Of Sound L.T.D." is an iconic album out from the Japanese Jazz Rock scene including psychedelic grooves (Mustache), heavy funk breaks (Joint), melodic jazz (Monster) & progressive rock (Tak's Tune). Takeshi Inomata introduced here "The Sound Limited", his regular group during the seventies, featuring the legendary guitarist Ryo Kawasaki, flutist Toshiaki Yokota and trumpeter Shunzo Ohno, barely in his 19 year. In the early sixties, Takeshi Inomata was enrolled in the Hidehiko Matsumoto Quintet and was a regular sideman of jazz pianist Norio Maeda, also within groups Norio Maeda Trio, The Wind-Breakers & The Third. During the sixties, he participated on most japanese recordings of jazz songstress Helen Merrill (such as "In Tokyo", "Plaisir D'amour" or "Sings The Beatles"), formed his best known jazz formation "The West Liners" and evolved within the Mal Waldron Trio. 

MUSICIANS : Takeshi Inomata - drums - Jun Suzuki - bass - Ryo Kawasaki & Shigenori Kamiya - guitar - Yusuke Hoguchi - organ - Toshiaki Yokota - flute - Takao Uematsu - saxophone - Shunzo Ohno & Takashi Kumagai - trumpet - Shigemichi Domoto & Takashi Imai - trombone

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