Free Jazz in Japan

Hugh Hopper - Numero D'Vol (2007) {2014 Japan Mini LP SHM-CD Remaster}
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© 2014 Vivid Sound / MoonJune Records / Hopper | VSCD-4268
Jazz / Modern Creative / Avant-Garde Jazz

Cardboard sleeve reissue. Features SHM-CD format. For those who may regard free jazz as inherently unapproachable, Numero D'Vol proves that it is possible to be completely spontaneous while creating music that maintains an instinctive focus. Saxophonist Simon Picard, keyboardist Steve Franklin and drummer Charles Hayward join Soft Machine Legacy's Hopper for a session that proves there's even room for a backbeat in purely improvised music.

Cecil Taylor - Live In The Black Forest (1978) {MPS Japan Mini LP, UCCU-9014 rel 2003}
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© 1978, 2003 MPS / Universal Japan | UCCU-9014
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

A leader in the revolution that overtook jazz in the late 50’s and early 60’s, pianist Cecil Taylor’s ‘Unit’ groups reflect the move towards total ensemble Play. The concept of soloist and accompanist is abolished; instead, the improvisations consist of a continual interchange of ideas between players. Alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons played with Taylor from 1961 until Lyon’s death in 1986. Heavily influenced by Charlie Parker, his lyrical style helped tie Taylor’s style to more traditional jazz roots.

Albert Ayler - New York Eye And Ear Control (1964) {ESP-Disk Japan}
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© 1964 ESP-Disk / Venus Japan | TKCZ-79111
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

This is a very interesting set, music that was freely improvised and used as the soundtrack for the 34-minute short film New York Eye and Ear Control. Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler leads the all-star sextet (which also includes trumpeter Don Cherry, altoist John Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray) on two lengthy jams. The music is fiery but with enough colorful moments to hold one's interest throughout.

Max Roach & Archie Shepp - The Long March (1979) {2CD Hat Hut, Nippon Crown Japan, CRCJ-2009~10 rel 1992}
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© 1979, 1992 Hat Hut Records / Nippon Crown Japan | CRCJ-2009~10
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Post Bop / Drums / Saxophone

The historic meeting of two truly influential and individual composers, arrangers, and instrumentalists on The Long March. The album appeared in 1979 on Swiss label Hat Hut. This date pairs Max Roach and Archie Shepp playing both solo and as a duo for one night in 1979 at the Willisau Jazz Festival. Roach's truly astonishing solo "J.C. Moses" is a tribute to Detroit jazz great J.C. Heard. The kinds of rimshots, trap stops and starts, and continuous rolling thunder take the breath away and make the listener wonder if this is really only one drummer. Next up is Shepp's solo tenor reading of Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," where he coaxes all the ballad's idiosyncrasies and fluidly combines them with his new jazz flourishes, without once disrespecting the integrity of the original.

John Coltrane - Ascension (1965) {Impulse! Japan, 32XD-577, Early Press rel 1987}
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© 1965, 1987 Impulse! / MCA Japan | 32XD-577
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Free Jazz / Saxophone

Digitally remastered from the original stereo master tapes. This is the 1st take of the piece (Edition II). By accident Bob Thiele put out the wrong take. After he went through the initial press run, he switched the masters to the other take and inscribed Edition II on the inside of the runout circle. So there are really two versions of Ascension.

Charlie Haden - "Closeness" Duets (1976) {Horizon–A&M Records, D32Y3826, Japan Early Press}
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© 1976, 1987 Horizon / A&M Records / Canyon Records Japan | D32Y3826
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Bass

One of Charlie's best albums of the 70s – a beautifully stripped down set of duets with well-matched players that include Alice Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Paul Motian, and Keith Jarrett! The spare format is an extremely wonderful showcase for Haden's expressive bass work – and the intimacy of the tracks is different from some of the ECM recordings made during the same stretch – as the feel here is less a muted exploration of sound than it is a deeply personal interaction with some of the best talents of his generation.

Marion Brown Septet - Juba-Lee (1966) {Fontana Japan PHCE-1007 rel 1990}
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© 1966, 1990 Fontana Japan | PHCE-1007
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

Recorded only a month before his classic Impulse debut, Three for Shepp, this much overlooked session, though quite different, is more than reputable in its own right. The reason for its obscurity is pretty simple. Juba-Lee, as of May 2003, had yet to see formal release anywhere in the world other than its original Dutch pressing and subsequent reissues in Japan. Otherwise, it bears a good deal of resemblance to his Marion Brown Quartet date on ESP, so listeners familiar with that session should know what to expect here. Among other reasons, this is because both sessions share the talents of Alan Shorter and bassist, Reggie Johnson. Also on hand were tenor man Bennie Maupin, pianist Dave Burrell, drummer Beaver Harris, and trombonist Grachan Moncur III.

Miles Davis - The Original Jacket Collection (2006) [30 Albums, 37 CDs] {DSD Japan Mini LP Analog Collection} (part 3of6)
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© 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1211~15 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

Miles Davis' concert of February 12, 1964, was originally divided into two LPs, with all of the ballads put on My Funny Valentine. These five lengthy tracks (which include "All of You," "Stella by Starlight," "All Blues," "I Thought About You," and the title cut) put the emphasis on the lyricism of Davis, along with some strong statements from tenor saxophonist George Coleman and freer moments from the young rhythm section of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.

John Coltrane - The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (1961) {Impulse! Japan, 55XD-590~591, Early Press, 2CD}
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© 1961, 1987 Impulse! / MCA Records Japan | 55XD-590~591
Jazz / Modal Music / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

John Coltrane is undoubtedly in the upper echelon of elite jazz musicians, but deciding which album to listen to is complicated because his sound changed every week. Some groups exhaust a sound or just feel compelled to change direction, while some bands successfully keep the same sound for decades. The currency of Coltrane’s assessment is practically in days, not years. Was Coltrane content as a relentless explorer, or was he a tortured soul who constantly yearned for something else? In any case, choosing an album requires considering where it falls along his musical spectrum. The album The Other Village Vanguard Tapes was recorded in late 1961, when the improvising was very free and modal, but the rhythms had a strong pulse. It stands at the fifty yard line between his early outings and his later “out there” freer stuff.

Jaga Jazzist - Live With Britten Sinfonia (2013) {Ninja Tune-Beat Records BRC-372 Japan edition}
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© 2013 Ninja Tune / Beat Records Japan | BRC-372
Jazz / Electronic / Future Jazz / Experimental / Modern Big Band / Progressive Jazz / Jazz-House

Given the depth of Jaga Jazzist's sophistication and their wide-ranging musical vision that encompasses everything from free jazz to hip-hop, from techno to funk, from rock to modern composition, this Norwegian ensemble is a natural partner for a collaboration with the internationally renowned Britten Sinfonia under the direction of Christian Eggen. The material was chosen from JJ's catalog (particularly from the One-Armed Bandit album, which they were touring in support of), and is beautifully arranged, performed, and recorded. While the lengthy treatment of "One-Armed Bandit" opens with strings, brass, and winds playing something that resembles a cadenza from one of the Sinfonia's namesake's symphonies, it quickly quiets down into the nearly pastoral for a few minutes before JJ enters with a persistent beat-head pulse, and the piece morphs into a symphonic, progressive jazz workout with a fantastic array of colors.