A record that certainly makes us smile – as it's got the fantastic cornet of Terumasa Hino in a group that features Cedar Walton on piano, David Williams on bass, and Michael Carvin on drums – all working together as almost a "Walton plus one" sort of date – but with specially sparkling solos from the leader! The mix of Walton and Hino is one that we never would have thought possible 20 years before – but here, the maturing players come together wonderfully with energy that's very intuitive, as they make their way through the set of mellow ballads you might expect from the title. Tunes include the original "Blue Smiles", plus "Alfie", "My Funny Valentine", "Smile", "You Are So Beautiful", "Unforgettable", and "My One & Only Love". CD

One of the most striking mid 70s sessions from Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – an extended suite of tracks performed by a very hip group that includes Mtume on congas and percussion, Cecil McBee on bass, and Motohiko Hino on drums! The approach here is almost in a mid 70s spiritual soul jazz mode – with lots of spare percussion and bass work at the beginning, building in mood and meaning as the set goes on and things heat up. Hino plays trumpet and percussion, and all players vocalize at parts of the performance – chanting along with the tunes in a way that really adds a soulful undercurrent to the record. Titles include "The Good People", "Hohjoh", "Hogiuta", and "Yuhkyu". CD

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 "Into The Darkness", and a sweet mellow take on "Round Midnight". CD

A classic set from Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – and a record that's filled with long, open-ended tracks that rank with his best work of the time! Hino's got all the boldness of his best early years here – none of the smoother sounds that marked some of his albums in the US, and a very spacious approach to trumpet that's clearly inspired by Miles and Freddie Hubbard, but which has all the sharp tones that we love in Hino's work too. The instrumentation is mostly non-electric, but there's an undercurrent of fusion-based ideas – with a lot of free-wheeling solos, and lots of space to open up – and the titles are wonderfully sensitive numbers that include "Speak To Loneliness", "Little Lovers", and "Hi Nology". CD

A searing live performance from this brilliant Japanese trumpeter – working here at the height of his stretched-out, open-ended powers – but with a style that's a bit more inside than some of his work from the start of the 70s! Hino really shows himself to be a great leader here – working with a group that includes Hideo Miyata on tenor, Kiyoshi Sugimoto on guitar, and Fumio Itabashi on some especially great Fender Rhodes and piano – a wonderful player who really gives the album a solid grounding, which then allows the horn players to really soar! Hino's really finding his voice here – growing into one of the best trumpet talents of his generation – and this first volume features two long tracks – "Mocco" and "In The Darkness", both of which spin out for over 15 minutes! CD

A searing live performance from this brilliant Japanese trumpeter – working here at the height of his stretched-out, open-ended powers – but with a style that's a bit more inside than some of his work from the start of the 70s! Hino really shows himself to be a great leader here – working with a group that includes Hideo Miyata on tenor, Kiyoshi Sugimoto on guitar, and Fumio Itabashi on some especially great Fender Rhodes and piano – a wonderful player who really gives the album a solid grounding, which then allows the horn players to really soar! Hino's really finding his voice here – growing into one of the best trumpet talents of his generation – and this second volume features two long tracks, "Speak To Loneliness" and "Round Midnight". CD

Really evocative work from pianist Mal Waldron – a rare Japanese session cut with trumpeter Terumasa Hino, and a hip group of players who really make the set sparkle! The album's easily one of the most spiritual that Mal ever cut – and features two side long tracks that build beautifully, with soaring, searching rhythms that are unlike anything else we've ever heard in another Waldron record. Other players include Takao Uematsu on tenor, Isao Suzuki on bass, and Motohiko Hino on drums – and the set also feature added percussion, which really adds to the spiritual quality of the music. Titles include "Reminiscent Suite" and "Black Forest". CD

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One of the boldest and most powerful 70s albums we've heard from trumpeter Terumasa Hino – a live date that rivals the sharp edges and strong lines of his similar album for Enja at the time! The tracks here are all quite long, and mostly show a freely exploratory Hino – one who's far more experimental than the smoother artist that emerged later in his electric years – and a player with a tremendous range of sounds on the trumpet! Other players include Mikio Masuda on piano and Motohiko Hino on drums – and the album features 2 long tracks that go quite outside, "Stella By Starlight" and "Be & Know" – plus a more lyrical version of "Sweet Lullaby". CD

An excellent mid 70s Japanese fusion set, led by the Gil Evans protege Masabumi Kikuchi – with a very similar group to the one on his awesome Susto LP! The vibe isn't quite as funky on this outing – in fact it's a bit more reminiscent of Miles' spacey electric explorations – though there are some pretty hard groovin' moments should definitely appeal to fans of funky fusion. Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman play some nice coloristic lines on reeds, and Terumasa Hino is in fine form on trumpet. The rest of the group is rounded out by Reggie Lucas on guitar playing some hard choppy accompaniment to Kikuchi's synths and electric piano, Mtume on percussion, Al Foster on drums and Anthony Jackson on bass. We're especially keen on the dark and heavy "Auroral Flare", the spacious "Pacific Hushes" which opens with a beautiful line played by Hino and the set's closer "Alone". CD

A majestic set of spiritual jazz numbers – performed by a core trio of Japanese pianist Miko Masuda, bassist Tsutomu Okada, and drummer Motohiko Hino – with guest performances by Terumasa Hino on trumpet, Takao Uematsu on tenor, and Hideo Miyata on flute! The added horns really push the album strongly past the usual trio style of the time – and it's clear that all players are drawing lots of inspiration from the post-Coltrane generation in the US – using new freedoms to really express themselves in their music, yet never going to far outside in their pursuit of a soulful sound. The tracks are all long and soaring, with some really great rhythms – and titles include "Prayer", "Add Some", "Pinocchio", "Black Daffodils", and "Hard Luck". CD

Lyrical beauty from trumpeter Blue Mitchell – one of those records that really has him coming into his own, sounding fantastic on Blue Note in a way he never did on his earlier albums as a leader! it's clear that Blue learned a lot while playing in the group of Horace Silver – a way of balancing rhythm with warmer emotion – and moving past more standard hardbop into the more sophisticated territory you'll hear on this set. A young Chick Corea is on the set on piano, shading the tunes with some slightly Latin touches – and fitting in surprisingly well with a quintet lineup that also includes Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Al Foster on drums. Cook is great too – matched with Mitchell as on some of the Silver sessions – and titles include an early version of the Terumasa Hino tune "Alone Alone & Alone", plus "One Shirt", "March On Selma", and "Samba De Stacy". CD

A really striking mix of straight jazz and avant moments – served up here by a Japanese ensemble who were definitely ahead of the curve for their generation! The record stands as one of a handful of excellent Japanese dates of this sort – music that really pushes the boundaries of the jazz orchestra format – maybe not in the way of an improvising orchestra, but with colors, tones, and instrumental passages that move in modes that are far past the modern jazz groups of this type from the 50s and 60s! The set features work by some great soloists – Terumasa Hino on trumpet, Kenji Mori on alto, Hideto Kanai on bass, Masayuki Takayanagi on guitar, Shuko Mizuno on organ, and Joe Mizuki on percussion – and although the whole thing works well as a whole, the second half breaks out into a few more swinging moments. CD

Rare early 60s recordings from the Japanese scene – issued here in a 70s album on Three Blind Mice, and with a depth and complexity that's a fair bit like some of the more modern work on that label! The tracks here are all quite long – and feature interplay between the bass and drums that recall the more openly creative Three Blind Mice mode – a style that shakes off more conventional combo rhythms, in exchange for a more equally-weighted approach. Players here vary from track to track, and include drummer Masahiko Togashi, trumpeter Terumasa Hino, guitarist Sadanori Nakamurei, and bassist Hideto Kanai – and tracks include "If I Were A Bell", "Obstruction", "Nardis", and "Greensleeves". CD

Excellent work from reedman Carlos Garnett – caught here during the great first chapter of his career, when he cut some really unique albums for Muse Records! This set really has Carlos coming into his own – still working at the spiritual jazz level of earlier releases, but also finding a way to complicate the rhythms a bit – bringing in modes that are really fresh and inventive – sometimes slightly funky, but never slick or polished at all – and still with plenty of bite on all the instrumentation! Garnett plays tenor and soprano sax – the latter with an especially sharp tone – and the group also features Terumasa Hino on trumpet, Joe Bonner on keyboards, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – plus lots of added percussion. There's a great mix of acoustic reed and trumpet lines with the sweet keyboards of Bonner – and titles include "Bolerock", "Uncle Ben & Aunt Jemma", "The New Love", "Memories Of Coltrane", and "Dance of The Virgins". CD