Makoto Yotsuba

Brahms:Clarinet Sonata(all works), Schumann: fantastical small pieces, etc. / Makoto Yoshida (clarinet), Yu Kosuge (piano)

Whit ever! / THREESOME (Marlene, Jiro Yoshida, Makoto Kuriya) Following the release of"Cubic Magic" in the spring of 2016, 3 members of marine (vo), Kriya Makoto (p), and Yoshida Jiro (g)reunited, and the second album of the THREESOME that challenged the super high quality DSD recording that made use of the feeling of live without editing at all.

Upon graduating from Berklee College of Music, Makoto Ozone toured with Gary Burton, establishing a name for himself around the globe. He has continued to perform, recently garnering attention for his classical performances including one with the New York Philharmonic. Yet the starting point for his dazzling career was the big band in which he played as a 12-year old, among a group of adult musicians.With big bands occupying such a key place in his heart, it was only natural that Ozone would form his own band in March 2004. No Name Horses features 15 members, all of whom are top tier Japanese musicians, many leading their own bands. Their music is a fantastic showcase of the unique charm of big bands and has won the admiration of fans from around the world. To date, the band has toured in Japan, USA (playing at the world’s largest jazz convention, the IAJE in NY), France (Festival International de Piano in La Roque D’Anthéron), Scotland (Edinburgh Jazz Festival), Vienna, and Singapore (Mosaic Music Festival).

This CD features Gary Burton's vibes and Makoto Ozone's piano in ten classical duos with jazz improvisations. The two styles have never merged with more soul, spirit, or, well, virtuosity, and the material is rich and varied enough to please fans of both. It begins with one of Maurice Ravel's most popular compositions, Le Tombeau de Couperin, which in these masterful hands sparkles as it flows, reminding listeners why Ravel's harmonies inspired so many jazz musicians. The collection includes a thunderous Rachmaninoff prelude leavened with swing and a Latin feel, a Brazilian take on Brahms, the lush and passionate tango "Milonga," a gorgeous, extended medley from the opera Lakme with a familiar second part (arranged by Jay Kennedy, who worked on four of the tracks here), and a Samuel Barber gem where it's hard to tell the original from the improvisation.

“Creating new works for marimba” and “Playing works by Bach on the marimba” are the two vessels on which I have been sailing through an ocean called a concert career. Although it seems that they are two quite different areas of works, they are in fact connected in an unexpected place and that is what, I strongly believe, led me to open my eyes to the territory beyond the usual horizon.

Makoto Ozone is an exceptional jazz pianist with prodigious technique, classical lyricism, and precise delicacy who often works with Gary Burton and recorded several fine albums for Columbia before switching to Verve. The Trio is an ideal introduction to his talents, which also include writing tuneful, lingering melodies and arranging them into an optimum mix of freedom and form. The ten Ozone originals here range from lively bop excursions ("The Beginning" and "Stinger") to thoughtful beauties like "Home," "My Old Book," and "Fairy Dance," a lovely waltz that builds higher as it sways.