Miyazawa

John Cage & Marcel Duchamp - Reunion (1968) {LP Takeyoshi Miyazawa} (Released on VINYL but not CD)
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - VINYL RIP -> 57 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 38 Mb
Complete Art Book @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 808 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968 Takeyoshi Miyazawa | [none]
Electronic / Non-Music / Fluxus / Avant-Garde / Spoken Word

The year 2008 marked the fortieth anniversary of Reunion, a performance in which games of chess determined the form and acoustical ambience of a musical event. The concert – held at the Ryerson Theatre in Toronto, Canada – began shortly after 8:30 on the evening of March 5, 1968, and concluded at approximately 1:00 a.m. the next morning. Principal players were John Cage, who conceived (but did not actually “compose”) the work; Marcel Duchamp and his wife Alexina (Teeny); and composers David Behrman, Gordon Mumma, David Tudor, and Lowell Cross. Except for a brief curtain call with Merce Cunningham and Dance Company in Buffalo, NY five days later (March 10, 1968), Duchamp made his last public stage appearance – in the role of chess master – in Reunion.

A fishy little record from saxophonist Akira Miyazawa - but a great one too, and an indication that he was probably one of the greatest modernists on the Japanese scene of the time! The set's built around four long tracks - all played with a main focus on the tenor, handled here in a boldly confident, spiritually searching way that reminds us a fair bit of early Archie Shepp at his best. Akira's prone to angular tones, but never too much so - and although he's often concerned with carving lines out of sound and space, there's always a strong sense of soul and swing here - one that really keeps the record flowing! Other instrumentation includes piano, bass, drums, and a bit of percussion.

The name Akira Miyazawa, rarely if ever, appears in jazz reference books, at least not in ones available in North America. Other than some sites selling his CDs, the internet does not offer much about the saxophonist. This is a shame since his recordings tell the story of an accomplished musician whose work has remained intriguing and fresh after almost four decades. Four Units is a reissue of a 1969 session that teams him with a Japanese rhythm sections for four originals and a jazzy reworking of "Scarborough Fair." The music threads the outer reaches of hard bop, adjacent to but not quite into the avant-garde realm. It also has a very Oriental feel to it, with the beautiful serenity of a Japanese Zen garden and the bluesy edge of a late night jam session.