Masahiko Togashi Spiritual Nature

Sadao Watanabe - Recital (1976) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000 UCCJ-9178}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 324 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 126 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 159 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering
© 1976, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9178
Jazz / Post Bop / Neo Bop / Fusion / Saxopohone

A great live set from Sadao Watanabe – one that shows the wealth of influences he'd been drawing on, from post-Coltrane spirituality, to African-oriented rhythms, to a slight bit of funk! The group's great – with Watanabe on flute, alto, and soprano sax, Takehiro Honda on Fender Rhodes and piano, Kazumi Watanabe on guitar, plus added bass, trombone, and percussion – and we especially like Honda's keyboards, which make any session like this an instant treat! The album's got a warm, soulful feeling, but a sharper edge than most of Watanabe's smoother work of the time – and titles include "Hiro", "Maraica", "Wana Tanzania", and "Mathari Terbenam".

Terumasa Hino - Live In Concert (1975) {DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000 UCCJ-9146 rel 2015}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 326 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 150 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering
© 1975, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9146
Jazz / Fusion / Post Bop / Trumpet

Reissue with DSD remastering. A real lost treasure from trumpeter Terumasa Hino – a warm and wonderful live set, and one that's neither too free, nor too smooth – just perfectly set up right down the middle to open up on these beautiful long performances! The lineup is all Japanese – a great array of players that includes Shigeharu Mukai on trombone, Hideo Miyata on tenor, Sadao Watanabe on alto sax, Motohiko Hino on drums, and Fumio Itabashi on Fender Rhodes – part of a slightly larger ensemble who can be tight at times, but still allow plenty of room for open freedom on the solos. Hino's only part of the picture, as the other soloists get in some great space too – and the set includes the 23 minute groover "Logical Mystery", the long soulful original "In The Darkness", and a sweet mellow take on "Round Midnight".

For the better part of the 50s and 60s, Masayuki Takayanagi was among Japan's best-respected jazz guitarists. But it wasn't until his experiments with tabletop guitar led him down the seductive path of sonic experimentation that he became the stuff of legend. “Ginparis” (literally translated as Silver Paris) was known as the chanson cafe in Tokyo, Ginza, and the performances often centred around chansons but eventually became the session venue for young jazz musicians. They left their mark on a record, Ginpari Session, with Masayuki Takayanagi on guitar, Masahiko Togashi on drums, Masaaki Kikuchi and Yosuke Yamashita on piano, Terumasa Hino on trumpets.

Japan has produced some exceptionally talented jazz drummers and among them is Tatsuya Nakamura, who joins the BBE Music J Jazz Masterclass Series with his album ‘Locus’ from 1984, a session covering several bases, from heavy percussive samba to meditative avant-ambient. This is the album’s first ever reissue, although a track from ‘Locus’, ‘1⁄4 Samba’, was included on J Jazz vol. 3.

Three Blind Mice revitalized the Japanese jazz scene during the 1970s and 1980s. Its initial mission was to proactively produce albums of new musicians. Another goal was to expand its fan base, which was done by releasing albums of famous musicians. Through these efforts, TBM has greatly contributed to enriching the Japanese jazz scene. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto and Isao Suzuki were two of the leading figures who gained prominence by their works on TBM. Yamamoto quickly became a star in the Japanese jazz scene by releasing a series of excellent albums on the label.