A wonderful little record from pianist Joanne Brackeen – unlike anything the artist ever recorded, as it's just a set of duets with guitarist Ryo Kawasaki, who brings in some really beautiful elements to the mix! Ryo plays an acoustic nylon string guitar, but with a dexterity that most other players would use on electric – and the balance of his instrument with Brackeen's piano is sublime – full of colors and imaginative tones, but also a fair degree of rhythmic impulses too – which guide the duo in ways that are completely refreshing throughout! And yes, Ryo could be slick on other records, but he's definitely not here – and instead finds a special space alongside those choppy blocks of sound that Joanne plays so well. Titles include a great reading of Kawasaki's "Trinkets & Things" – plus "Shadowbrook Air", "Spring Of Things", "Fair Weather", "Whim Within", and "Winnie & Woodstock". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few American releases by this legendary Japanese fusion artist – and a pretty funky little record as well! Ryo Kawasaki plays lead guitar and the very cool "string synthesizer" on the set – making for a sweet mix of electric grooves that has some really great spacey touches! Tracks have a core funky base at the bottom – grooving in a mode that's tight, but never too slick – and which allows just the right amount of space to make the album work in equal parts electric jazz and funky fusion. The whole thing's great, and tracks include the great sample cut "Bamboo Child", the nice break cut "Raisins", plus other nice groovers like "East Side Boogie", and "El Toro". CD

One of the few American releases by this legendary Japanese fusion artist – and a pretty funky little record as well! Ryo Kawasaki plays lead guitar and the very cool "string synthesizer" on the set – making for a sweet mix of electric grooves that has some really great spacey touches! Tracks have a core funky base at the bottom – grooving in a mode that's tight, but never too slick – and which allows just the right amount of space to make the album work in equal parts electric jazz and funky fusion. The whole thing's great, and tracks include the great sample cut "Bamboo Child", the nice break cut "Raisins", plus other nice groovers like "East Side Boogie", and "El Toro". LP, Vinyl record album

Of course Ted heard Mingus – he was in the guy's band! But more than most, Ted really did "hear" Mingus – and even though he only spent a short time working with the great bassist, Ted absorbed a heck of a lot of Mingus' best modes of expression – dangling precariously between modern jazz and hardbop, always playing with a large degree of soul, and realizing that swing, more than anything, would get a message across where other modes of expression might fail. This obscure 1980 session is a really wonderful one – cut by Ted with a strangely assembled octet that includes Montego Joe on percussion, Ryo Kawasaki on electric guitar, and Mike Richmond on electric bass. The rest of the instrumentation (drums, piano, tenor sax) is acoustic – and the mix of styles makes for an unforgettable session that's one of the few of Curson's from the time that really captures the power of his earlier work. Titles include "Lin's Garden", "I Heard Mingus", "Lost Her", and "Please Please Please Don't Put The Pigs Foot In The Kreplach Soup". LP, Vinyl record album

Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus alternate tracks – not on the original album! CD

The first-ever western collection of work from Japanese jazz giant Jiro Inagaki – a great saxophonist in his own right, and a real master of the groove with his Soul Media band! The double-length set is overflowing with gems from the golden age of Jiro and that group – tunes that effortlessly mix together acoustic and electric elements, with occasional nods to Japanese cultural styles – all at a level that's every bit as groovy as European work from the MPS/Saba generation! Jiro blows tenor, soprano, and flute on the tracks – and other players include the great Norio Maeda on organ, Hiromasa Suzuki on electric piano, and Ryo Kawasaki on guitar – on titles that include "Wandering Birds", "That's How I Feel", "Sniper's Snooze", "Head Rock", "Breeze", "Twenty One", "By The Red Stream", "Back Off Boogaloo", "Theme", "Express", "Barock", and "Painted Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a staid sort of cover, one that hides all the great funky energy underneath – as the set's a killer album from Japanese drummer Takeshi Inomata, working here with his Sound Ltd group in a wonderful blend of jazz, funk, and psychedelic mode! There's a fantastic swirling of elements going on here – including guitar from a young Ryo Kawasaki, plus trumpet from Shunzo Ohno, flute from Toshiako Yokota, and tenor from Takao Uematsu – as well as trombone from Takashi Imai, who handled the arrangements with Inomata and Norio Maeda. The record is a key evolution of the late 60s Japanese way of serving up new jazz takes on American hits – as the record is funky, yet filled with original material that really pushes the boundaries – on titles that include "It Better End Soon", "Sometimes In Winter", "South California Purples", "Tell All The People", "Tag 5 Tune", and "Pacific C55". LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Elvin Jones is listed as the main force on the cover – but as with all of his 70s albums, the whole outing is very much a strong group affair – thanks to a killer core quartet that features Ryo Kawasaki on guitar, Pat LaBarbera on reeds and Dave Williams on bass – working with a great blend of sax and guitar that really helps refine the Elvin Jones sound of the 70s! As with other records by Elvin, there's some great guest work too – reeds from a shifting lineup that includes Dave Liebman, Frank Foster, and Steve Grossman – providing that wailing intensity that Elvin sought after the passing of Coltrane, but in a fresh new way – and Albert Dailey also adds in some sweet keyboards as well. Titles include "Salty Iron", "Sweet Mama", "Mini Modes", "Philomene", and "Song Of Rejoicing After Returning From A Hunt". CD

A real standout in the 70s catalog of Elvin Jones – for a number of key reasons! First up, the set's got more of an electric vibe than usual – thanks to Fender Rhodes from Kenny Barron and guitar from Ryo Kawasaki, who really help shape the sound of the set! Second, production is by Ed Bland – who does a masterful job of blending soul, spirit, and harder-edged jazz modes – on tunes that often have a nice modal vibe at the core! The group also features excellent alto work from Bunky Green – who really sparkles strongly throughout, and who also wrote more than half the material on the album. Guests include Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on soprano, and George Coleman on tenor – and titles include "Frost Bite", "Digital Display", "Moon Dance", "Time Capsule", and "Spacing". LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful fusion from the mighty Tarika Blue – a group who recorded for the Chiaroscuro label around the same time that James Mason gave the imprint his classic Rhythm Of Life album – recording here in a sound that's not only a bit like James, but which also features his guitar on a number of tracks! The group's way different than the standard fusion acts of the time – as they blend together spiritual currents that allow for breezier instrumentation – sounds that take off to the skies, while still grooving at the core – thanks to an excellent lineup that also includes guitar from Ryo Kawasaki and soprano sax from Justo Almario! The core of the group features Philip Clendeninn on Fender Rhodes and Arp, with bass from Barry Coleman and drums from Kevin Atkins – and the record's got some very James Mason-like vocals at some points, from singers Dolores Smith and Irene Datcher. Titles include "Jimi", "My Love Is So Free", "Love It", "Dreamflower", "Things Spring", "Truth Is The Key", and "Charlie". LP, Vinyl record album

A really nice album by vocalist Joe Lee Wilson – a soulful, spiritual singer who didn't always make great albums! Wilson's got a mellow style of singing that's very much in the Leon Thomas tradition – and on this record, he's working with a group (and material) that really lets him hit his stride vocally. The band features Ryo Kawasaki on guitar, Ronnie Boykins on bass, Monty waters on reeds, and Rashied Ali on congas, playing in a remarkably restrained way (which sounds great!). The album features an incredibly soulful vocal version of Dave Burrell's "Crucificado", a nice remake of Coltrane's "Blue Train", and some strangely spiritual numbers like "Parting" and "The Lady". LP, Vinyl record album