The Buttshakers Better Days

Kazumi Watanabe - To Chi Ka (1980) {Better Days Japan 28CY-2368 rel 1988}
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© 1980, 1988 Better Days / Nippon Columbia Japan | 28CY-2368
Jazz / Fusion / Contemporary Jazz / Guitar

Recorded in 1980, most of the world was drifting away from fusion, but Watanabe was just starting to get into it. He more greatly defined his fusion persona in subsequent works, but this album is a very fine early stab at the fusion genre. Watanabe is a fabulous, and much under-rated guitarist. The writing on this album shows a strong, worthy grasp of American fusion.

Heady work from Paul Butterfield's second great group – his mighty Better Days ensemble, heard here in a nicely unbridled live set from the early 70s! Paul himself is mighty great on vocals and harmonica - but the group's a very cohesive unit, too - with additional vocals and guitar from Amos Garrett and Geoff Muldaur, organ and piano from Ronnie Barron, and some mighty heavy drums from Billy Rich! The music seems to have even more punch than on some of Butterfield's studio sessions - blues rock, but with a little something extra, too.

Kazumi Watanabe (渡辺香津美) is a Japanese jazz fusion guitarist. He was born on October 14, 1953 in Tokyo, Japan. In the 1980s, he toured as guest soloist with Steps, the Brecker Brothers, and Word of Mouth, led by Jaco Pastorius. Watanable created the jazz-rock/jazz-fusion band Mobo in 1983 with Mitsuru Sawamura (saxophone), Ichiko Hashimoto (piano) , Gregg Lee (gutiar), Shuichi Murakami (drums), and Kiyohiko Senba.

Paul Butterfield's post-Blues Band outfit's second album is a bit more laid back than its predecessor, but it definitely has its moments, and as before the musicianship is stellar. The opening "Too Many Drivers," for example, is a churning Chicago blues, with Butterfield's horn impressions figuring as intensely as ever, that would have fit in perfectly with anything on his old band's debut. Geoff Muldaur turns in a haunting rendition of a delicate Rick Danko-penned R&B ballad "Small Town Talk," while "Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It," co-written and co-sung by Butterfield and R&B legend Bobby Charles, is a clavinet-driven funk workout whose instrumental sections work up a real Little Feat-style froth.

The Beatles’ Get Back sessions have been written about to death, so we'll keep it brief. The Beatles gathered on January 2, 1969 at Twickenham Studios with the intention of rehearsing brand new songs for a concert that would be televised live throughout the world. They also agreed to have the entire process filmed for an accompanying documentary.