★Three Blind Mice
Alone Together
*2022 stock* "A lyrical duo work that was created during the legendary Czech-American jazz bass player, composer, also occasional saxophonist George Mraz's tight schedule. Imada's original, light "Blue Road" and romantic "Blue Rain" will make you intoxicated." - Koki Hanawa
Masaru Imada Piano
Sublime solo piano from Masaru Imada – a Japanese player with talents in a range of different styles, but who sounds especially nice up-close here in an intimate setting! Imada's got a way of letting a tune really find its way organically – almost as if the songs here are little flowers opening up in his fingers on the keyboard of the piano – although never in a style that's "flowery" at all, because Imada's a master of finding just the right notes at the right moment – never embellishing things…
Poppy
Poppy was pianist Masaru Imada's second album for the Three Blind Mice label. Imada brought the idea of playing slow ballads by himself to the TBM producer Takeshi Fujii, who greenlit the project but requested Imada to perform his original compositions with his current trio. The result was this album. Side A consists of four solo piano performances of jazz standards, and the trio takes on Imada's three originals on Side B.Produced by Takeshi Fujii. Recorded at Aoi Studio in Tokyo on January 25 a…
Live At Moers Festival
Guitarist Masayuki "Jojo" Takayanagi (1932-1991) was a towering leader in the Japanese jazz world. His first influence was Lennie Tristano, but through the 1960s and 1970s he explored and pushed the boundaries in free form jazz.Takayanagi was invited to play with his group New Direction Unit at the 9th annual Moers New Jazz Festival in Germany in 1980, which, as the name suggests, featured only free jazz performances. In front of the 3,000 plus audience, Takayanagi and company had their most rad…
Sonnet
"Tee" in Tee and Company is the nickname of Three Blind Mice's founder and producer Takeshi Fujii, who formed the all-star group of eight top Japanese jazz musicians in 1977 for a series of concerts and seven days of studio recording that produced three separate albums. This supergroup included who's who of the Japanese jazz scene: Kenji Mori and Takao Uematsu on saxophones, Masaru Imada on piano, Masayuki Takayanagi on guitar, Hideto Kanai on bass, Nobuyoshi Ino on electric bass, Hiroshi Muraka…
Remember Of Love
Imada's last album for TBM. The lyrical and flowing solo opening "Maki" is a reprise of the title track from his first solo album (JVC), the title track from TBM5003 (2), a reprise of TBM14 with electric piano (3) (2), a reprise of the title track from TBM5003; (3), a reprise of TBM14 with electric piano; and (4), an ethereal synth piece." - Koki Hanawa
Maiden Voyage
"Five of Japan's most famous arrangers (Miki, Yamaya, Takahashi, Ueda, Maeda) have come together to create a rare big band work. Highlights include the title track with its electric sound arranged by Miki and the dynamic "Giant Steps" arranged by Maeda. "Koki Hanawa
Spanish Flower
“Spanish Flower” by Tee & Company, an all-star band assembled by producer Takeshi “Tee” Fujii, is an extended (nearly 19 minutes) modal workout very much in the mode of Coltrane or McCoy Tyner‘s 1970s solo work, but the tasteful guitar solo that appears at the 11:30 mark, right after the flute fanfare, is by none other than Masayuki Takayanagi!
Dragon Garden
Masayuki Takayanagi, a charismatic artist who relentlessly pursued new jazz. Three albums by Tee & Company, the strongest big combo of the 20th century under Takayanagi. This is their second album. Includes the fast-paced "Dragon Garden". The other three tracks, in which Takayanagi, Mori and others interplay with a unique sense of time, are also must-listen.
My Back Pages
"This is Kunio Ohta's second TBM album, known as a favorite of listeners who love the TBM label. The original "Umi to Taiyo (The Sea and the Sun)" features all the members in lively action, and Takano's melancholy tenor solo on the over 16-minute title track is a must-hear." - Koki Hanawa
The World Of Shuko Mizuno
"This is a live recording of "Shuko Mizuno's World Evening" on the fourth day of "5 Days In Jazz 1976", which made the genius Shuko Mizuno known to the world. The massive, fast-paced jazz-rock piece "Concentration" and "Jazz Orchestra '75 Part II" are breathtaking performances. Katsumi Watanabe's superb solo is also noteworthy!" - Koki Hanawa
Ode To Birds
"Hideto Kanai's first album is fairly hit-or-miss free jazz, but here he's in full-blown Black Saint and the Sinner Lady mode. There are twenty three musicians on this album (twenty three!), and while the undercurrent of free jazz is still running through, it's much closer to experimental big band or avant-garde jazz. And it's extremely compelling. Two side-long pieces, both of which go in and out of being quite elaborate and being complete chaos. There's some unusual and dissonant guitar and sy…
Yokohama Concert
Stunning duo comprised of two of the most important musicians of the Japanese underground/avant-garde, Otomo Yoshihide in a duo with the great Japanese drummer, Hiroshi Yamazaki – who has Kaoru Abe among his extensive list of past collaborators, and was also a member of Masayuki Takayanagi’s pioneering New Directions group. This album is dedicated to Masayuki Takayanagi.Otomo Yoshihide moves between free jazz, noise, improvisation, composition and the unclassifiable with a generosity that opens …
Air
Reissue of the Japanese group Air featuring percussionist Yuji Imamura. Seems like half split between moderate Jazz Rock with monster improvised parts and outlandish Avant Jazz with strong percussion minimalism and tribal rhythms, the instrumental arsenal is huge and promising (various strings, winds, keyboards, electronic equipements). Two side long instrumental tracks, the material is mostly based on individual soloing depending on each musician.
Orang-Utan
Bassist Isao Suzuki's popularity shot up to stratosphere with the release of Blow Up from the Three Blind Mice label. By the time he recorded this, fourth album for the label, he was actually the winner of the Swing Journal Readers' Poll. And this rather strangely titled album doesn't disappoint.Suzuki had a knack for surrounding himself with superb musicians and playing brilliant, groovy music that is firmly rooted in the jazz tradition. This time, he picked as the all-important horn player Ken…
Ginparis Session
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…
Lonely Woman
*2022 stock* Guitarist Masayuki "Jojo" Takayanagi (1932-1991) was a towering leader in the Japanese jazz world. His first influence was Lennie Tristano, but through the 1960s and 1970s he explored and pushed the boundaries in free form jazz, leading a group called New Direction, among others. Ever a fighting spirit, in 1982, shortly after recovering from a life-threatening medical condition and surgery, Takayanagi decided to take on a challenging task for any guitarist: To record an entire solo …
Green Caterpillar
Pianist Imada Masaru was 42 years old when he recorded this album in 1975. His adventurous spirit led him to use the electric piano for the first time in a recording, and thanks to his musicianship, he made it sound like he'd been playing the instrument for years. The program opens with the title track, a sophisticated urban funk. Guitarist Kazumi Watanabe plays a big role here. It is followed by a more intricate, fusion-like "Straight Flash."The all-original-composition program switches gear on…
Moon Ray
"Otomo is an alto player from the Jackie McLean school of tone and the Art Pepper institute for improvisation. In other words, his tone has an edge, but he always phrases and improvises melodically. With Tsuyoshi Yamamoto leading the rhythm section, the other two members, Tamiko Kawabata on bass and Arihide Kurata on drums, had to be ever watchful and vigilant that these proceedings didn't escape them altogether. The set opens with the hard blues wing of the title cut by Artie Shaw. Otomo pushes…
cool jojo
Third volume in a series of Takayanagi reissues on this Japanese jazz label. As with the prior Free Form Suite, this features super deluxe hardbound book-like packaging and "extended resolution CD" sound. First reissue of this obscure album, originally recorded in Dec. of 1979; with four bonus alternate takes issued for the first time. Takayanagi (guitar), Kenji Kohsei (piano, electric piano), Nobuyoshi Ino (bass), Yasuhiro Yamazaki (drums). A "cool jazz" recording in the Tristano tradition, All…