Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd - New Herd

Year : 1974

Label : TBM

Genre : Jazz

Style : Jazz Funk, Big Band, Contemporary Jazz

Recorded straight away after their concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1974, "New Herd" is the ommemorative reproduction of this performance. Played as the same way as the Buddy Rich or Woody Sherman big bands,it includes great jazz covers from Miles Davis (Donna Lee), Chic Corea (La Fiesta) and some japanese musical folk expressions (Furisode, Kappa Shijo). The Toshiyuki Miyama's Big Band's name was probably given in tribute to the legendary "Thundering Herds", formed in the late forties by Woody Sherman. "New Herd" album is a japanese jazz masterpiece which cleverly combining Big Band style with Jazz Funk, in particular on the amazing killer groove song "Sniper's Snooze", sampled by Cut Chemist for "React"'s interlude on "Power Numbers", the third album of Jurassic 5.

THE NEW HERD : Toshiyuki Miyama - conductor - Kiyoshi Takano - piano, electric piano  Kozaburo Yamaki - guitar, arrangements - Masaaki Ito - bass - Isao Yomoda - drums - Koji Suzuki, Atsuo Shirai, Mamoru Mori & Seiji Inoue - reeds - Masamichi Uetaka, Takahide Uchida, Takashi Hayakawa & Teruhiko Kataoka - trombone - Fumio Shirayama, Kazumi Takeda, Shigeru Kamimori & Yoshikazu Kishi - trumpet

New Herd - Perspective

Year : 1969
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Modern Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style :  Big Band, Modal, Jazz-Rock, Avant-garde

Also presented as Masahiko Sato's work in co-leading alongside saxophonist Toshiyuki Miyama, "Perspective" is an essential album to the forefront of Japanese music, a masterpiece representative of the best japanese jazz productions recorded during the late sixties. The title-track is an original avant-garde composition including free improvisations, written and arranged by Masahiko Sato. "Lazy Lazy" is composed & arranged by pianist Norio Maeda on the modal form with Jazz Rock. Yamaki Kozaburo has composed, meanwhile, the "Furisode Girl", based on far east folklore played also in modal. Titles include also iconic Charlie Mingus' piece "Pithecanthropus Erectus", cover song of The Beatles, "Tomorrows Never Knows" played in the jazz rock style and "Africa" by John Coltrane.

MUSICIANS : Toshiyuki Miyama - leading, alto & soprano saxophone - Hiroshi Takami - alto saxophone - Kosuke Ichihara - tenor saxophone - Shunzo Sunahara - baritone saxophone - Kōji Hatori - trumpet - Seiichi Tokura - trombone - Masahiko Sato & Norio Maeda - piano - Kōzaburō Yamaki - guitar - Masao Kunisada - bass - Sadaichi Tabata - drums

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Toshiyuki Miyama & His New Herd - Your Best Pops 12

Year : 1969
Label : Crown
Genre : Jazz
Style : Pop, Jazz Rock, Big Band

Toshiyuki Miyama revisists the greatest hits of western pop music in big band mode including The Beatles (Get Back), Creedence Clearwater Revival (Proud Mary), Marie Laforêt (Manchester Et Liverpool), The Zombies (Time of the Season) or The Doors (Touch Me). Toshiyuki Miyama is one of the greatest japanese jazz saxophonist/clarinetist, arranger, bandleader, who recorded over 70 albums, composed and produced various music materials for radio, cinema and television. In 1958, he formed his first "New Herd", one of the most prominent big band in the Japanese Jazz history, a talent nursery where were formed many iconic young musicians (including saxophonist Kosuke Ichihara or pianists Norio Maeda, Masahiko Sato), and which known an international recognition. Among his musical feats, The New Herd played for Charlie Mingus (Charles Mingus With Orchestra - 1971), took part to the Monterey Jazz festival in 1974 and supported Nancy Wilson on stage in Japan. All tracks conducted & arranged by Toshiyuki Miyama.

MUSICIANS : Toshiyuki Miyama - alto & soprano saxophone - Hiroshi Takami - alto saxophone - Kosuke Ichihara - tenor saxophone - Shunzo Sunahara - baritone saxophone - Koji Hatori - trumpet - Seiichi Tokura - trombone - Masahiko Sato & Norio Maeda - piano - Kozaburo Yamaki - guitar - Masao Kunisada - bass - Sadaichi Tabata - drums

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