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).

Toshiaki Yokota & The Beat Generation - Flute Adventure

Year : 1971

Label : King Records
Serie : New Emotional Work Series
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz,
Style : Jazz Rock, Free Jazz, Bossa Nova, Psychedelic Rock

"Flute Adventure" is a concept album including latin jazz, progressive rock & free jazz, recorded by The Beat Generation lead by Toshiaki Yokota (indian, alto & bass flute) featuring Kimio Mizutani (eg), Larry Sunaga (perc), Sadanori Nakamure (g), Masaoki Terakawa (eb) & Hideo Ishikawa (keys). The Beat Generation is a japanese avant-garde jazz collective influenced by French symbolism, american counterculture and psychedelic rock. Toshiaki Yokota is part of these japanese pioneers who introduced some traditional flutes in modern music with Minoru Muraoka & Hozan Yamamoto, and was member others iconic jazz rock formations in Japan such as the Takeshi Inomata's The Sound Limited or the progressive rock band, Love Live Life. The first side is a tribute to the Arthur Rimbaud's poetry, called "Le Soleil Etait Encore chaud" including four tracks within a Jazz Rock suite including african rhythms, psychedelia and free improvisations. The side B takes us on board in a Brazilian journey from Bossa to Samba including original Yokota's composition "Ofélia", "Samba De Orfeu" (played in a Samba-Rock fusion), "Orfeu Negro (Manhã De Carnaval)", both composed by Luiz Bonfa, and a rock variation of "Reza" coupled with his "Ending Samba".