Nippon Jazz Meets The Beatles

Following "A Day In The Life" mixtape, this volume is dedicated to the classics of The Beatles performed in jazz by iconic japanese Big Band & All-Stars Jazz musicians featuring Sadao Watanabe, Norio Maeda, Akira Ishikawa, Hiroshi Suzuki, Jiro Inagaki, Nobuo Hara, Takehiro Honda and others, including Soul Jazz, Hard Bop, Bossa Nova, Modal & Jazz Rock styles. All tracks recorded between 1967-1971, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

New Stream In Jazz

First volume introducing the compilation series dedicated to the golden era of Japanese Jazz scene through the years 60-70's. Titles include various Japanese rare groove from Soul Jazz to Hard Bop recorded by some of Japanese Jazz Giants and released under famous J-Jazz labels such as iconic Takt Jazz Series, TBM or Toshiba Pro Use Series. All tracks recorded between 1967-1975, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Takeshi Inomata - Drum Shot

Year : 1968
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Hard Bop, Modal

Recorded in the late 1967, the modern jazz album, "Drum Shot" of Takeshi "Mr. Drum" Inomata was produced & arranged by Norio Maeda (p), featuring jazz legend Konosuke Saijo (ts), Sadanori Nakamure (eg) from the West Liners, Tatsuro Takimoto (b) from Norio Maeda Trio and Hiroshi Suzuki (tb) in addition. In "Drum Shot", all structures of jazz drums are explored, passing by a variety of rhythms including free expressions and insane syncopated beats, in particular on the two drum sessions "Drum Shot" & "Hole Out". Titles include also the Maeda-Inomata duo "Birdie", "Singing On A Cab", "Unlucky Seven" & the soul jazz track "Go Go A Go Go" feat. Hiroshi Suzuki composed by Maeda. All tracks arranged by Norio Maeda.

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The Cast Five - Popsound N. 1

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Year : 2014/1971

Label : Sonor Music Editions/Flirt Records
Genre : Jazz, Stage&Screen
Style : Jazz Rock, Soul Jazz, Psychedelic

Out of the darkness thanks to the "Speedball Experience" released in the mid 90's, compilation of obscure pop jazz songs extracted from early 70's italian music library, including "Diatomea" & "Gospel 71". Originally first released on "Flirt" records in 1971, "Popsound N. 1" was finally reissued by the Sonor Music Editions, a label dedicated to the italian library music. It includes psychedelic grooves (Quadrante, Diatomea, Esse 4), Soul Jazz expressions (Rifrazione, Conker) and Heavy Funk sounds (Pacific 2000, Gospel 71). All tracks are performed by a trio of italian composers called "The Cast Five" formed by Ernesto Nicelli, Stellio Subelli & Pasquale Castiglione.

Brother Jack McDuff - Moon Rappin'

Year : 1970
Label : Blue Note
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz, Jazz Funk

Recorded in four days in New York, december 1969, "Moon Rappin" is a typical Soul Jazz-Funk album of its time, featuring Richard Davis, Joe Dukes and the voice of Soul/Jazz songstress Jean DuShon. "Moon Rappin" explores the space soundscapes including reverb effects, straight-ahead jazz codes, bluesy inspirations. An iconic album sampled many times by various Hip-Hop artists such as A Tribe Called Quest on "Scenario" (The Low End Theory - 1991), which contains a sample of "Oblighetto", or more recently the eponymous track by the Hip-Hop collective from Brooklyn "Pro Era" on "Vinyls" (P.E.E.P: The aPROcalypse - 2012). All tracks produced & arranged by Brother Jack McDuff.

MUSICIANS : Brother Jack McDuff - organ - Bill Phillips - tenor saxophone, flute - Richard Davis - bass - Jerry Byrd - guitar - Joe Dukes - drums - Jean DuShon - vocal

Arawak ‎– Accadde A.......

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Year : 2017/1970
Label : Golden Pavilion Records/Squirrel records
Genre : Jazz, Stage&Screen
Style : Jazz Funk, Easy Listening, Smooth Jazz

Reissue of rare italian music library record by the portuguese label, Golden Pavilion Records, also in charge of the beautiful Stefano Torossi's "Feelings" album reissue. "Arawak" is one of the most famous pseudonym for Luciano Simoncini, an italian pianist, composer, arranger and conductor of various film scores, background music in radio and TV programs. "Accadde A...." is a jazz fusion album including Funk/Soul accents associated to folk music according to the localities Luciano visits. Recorded all over the world, he invites us to a sound journey passing by Bali, Lima or Belfast. "Accadde A Bali" was sampled by Madlib on "Real Eyes" for his Quasimoto project, "The Unseen" album released in 2000.

Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Stillness

Year : 1970
Label : A&M Records
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : MPB, Samba, Bossa Nova 

"Stillness" is the last album recorded by Sérgio Mendes with his famous Brasil '66 group, featuring guest saxophonist Tom Scott. The original band was created in 1966, based on initiative by Richard Adler, Sergio Mendes & Herb Alpert, to form a band ables to sing in English as well as Portuguese, cut for an international audience including pop, jazz and latin music. They quickly gained international recognition with their first success, the cover song of Jorge Ben "Mas Que Nada" released in 1966. Titles include various brazilian songs from Gilberto Gil (Viramundo) to Caetano Veloso (Lost In Paradise) by Oscar Castro-Neves (Celebration Of The Sunrise) and western pop songs songs from Joni Mitchell (Chelsea Morning), Blood Sweet & Tears (Sometimes In Winter). All tracks produced by Herb Alpert & Sérgio Mendes.

Isao Suzuki Trio/Quartet ‎- Blow Up

Year : 1973
Label : TBM
Genre : Jazz
Style : Contempory Jazz, Avant Garde, Progressive Jazz

Nicknamed the "Jazz Godfather" in Japan, Isao Suzuki is one of the most famous modern jazz bassist, versatile and avant-gardist, in charge of more 50 albums from Jazz to Samba by Hip-Hop & Electronic. Suzuki has gained experience playing alongside Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald or Ron Carter, before contribute to the development of the japanese Jazz Fusion and the Progressive Jazz movement, throughout the seventies. Many times awarded, the timeless "Blow Up" still remains a reference and an essential of Japanese Jazz, featuring two japanese jazz greats, pianist Kunihiko Sugano & drummer George Otsuka, as well as Takashi Mizuhashi, session bassist for TBM label, passing from the trio to a quartet formation when Suzuki plays cello. Titles include three compositions of Suzuki, the cello piece "Aqua Marine", the funky eponymous track, "Blow Up" & "Low Flight", the jazz standards "Everything Happens To Me", "I Can't Get Started"  & "Like It Is" played in the New Orleans style. All tracks arranged by Isao Suzuki, on tracks 1, 3, 5 & 6, Takashi Mizuhashi is added.

  

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Sadao Watanabe - Sadao Plays Bacharach & Beatles

Year : 1969
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Pop, Soul Jazz, Jazz Rock,

As title suggests, "Sadao Plays Bacharach & Beatles" is a compilation album of their best known songs. It brings together three studio recordings and six live recordings from the Sadao Watanabe's 1968 performance at Sankei-Hall, Tokyo, featuring Terumasa Hino, Kazuo Yashiro, Yoshiaki Masuo, Hiroshi Suzuki & Yoshio Ikeda. Titles include some famous Burt Bacharach's pop songs (Look Of Love, Walk On By) and from The Beatles, including three tracks from their "Magical Mystery Tour" album, all played in the Soul Jazz/Rock styles. All tracks of the side B are studio recordings whose a over 14 min variation of George Harrison's "Blue Jay Way" including free rock expressions.

MUSICIANS : Sadao Watanabe - alto saxophone, sopranino - Yoshiaki Masuo - guitar- Yoshio Ikeda - bass - Isao Eto - electric bass - Fumio Watanabe - drums - Yuji Imamura - percussion- Kazuo Yashiro - organ, electric piano, hapsicord -  Terumasa Hino & Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet - Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Yasushi Ichihara - baritone trombone

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Sadao Watanabe & Brazilian 8 - Sadao Meets Brazilian Friends

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Year : 1968 

Label : Nippon Columbia

Serie : Takt Jazz Series 

Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz 

Style : Bossa Nova, Samba

"Sadao Meets Brazilian Friends" is the first studio recording outside Japan for the main actor of the japanese Bossa Nova 'boom' during the sixties decade. Recorded in 1968 at Sao Paulo, it features the Brazilian 8 aka "Brazilian Octopus", in which evolved a famous brazilian latin jazz pianist, Hermeto Pascoal. Titles include the standards of Bossa Nova composed by its masters João Gilberto (Bim Bom), Djamel Ferreira (E Nada Mais), João Donato (Muito A Vontade), Chico Buarque De Hollanda (Carolina) and three original compositions of Sadao Watanabe whose the two samba "Ritmo". All tracks arranged by Sadao Watanabe.

Brazilian Tapestry ~ Bossa Nova And Other Favorites

Essential grooves from Bossa Nova, Psychedelic rock & others Samba beats of Brazil recorded between 1966-1971 and performed by Jazz musicians, main actors of the Tropicália movement, Samba Singers, the Kings & Queens of Brazilian Pop featuring Gal Costa, Erasmos Carlos, Elis Regina, Wilson Simonal, Chico Buarque, Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil & many more... Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.