The drums are definitely exciting here – really tight rhythms that drive most of these cuts into a funky frenzy – even if the groove is more based on American soul of the late 60s than the African rock promised in the title! Most of the tunes are covers, but remade here as really hip instrumentals – often with bold work from the Count on his drum kit – which then sets fire to the larger group's blend of tight horns and electric rhythmic instrumentation – all coming across with that perfect cusp of the 70s Japanese jazz sound we love so much! Most tracks are shortish, and very groovy – and titles include "The Cat", "Touch Me", "Amen", "Soul Limbo", "Hold Tight", "Otis Sleep On", "Sidewinder", "Going Up The Country", and "Windy". (Jazz, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

The lovely Kim Sang Hee takes on the music of both Tom Jones and Burt Bacharach – in a setting that has her working with nicely different backings for each of the different sources! The Burt Bacharach material is maybe our favorite – as Kim's sweet voice works wonderfully with the small combo backing of pianist Masahiko Sato, who really seems to get the right sense of space and timing for the Bacharach tunes that include "April Fools", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", and "This Girl's In Love With You". The Tom Jones material includes a range of different songs associated with Jones, not necessarily written by him – with groovy larger backings from the New Herd of Toshiyuki Miyama, with arrangements by Norio Maeda – on cuts that include "It's Not Unusual", "Little Green Apples", "Delilah", and "Green Green Grass Of Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A really groovy little record from singer Kim Sang Hee – a vocalist who works here in English throughout, but gets backing from a few different forces on the Japanese jazz scene! Things change up nicely throughout the record – so that some tracks have Fender Rhodes backings from the trio of Masahiko Sato, some have the groovy sound of the Freedom Unity group, and others have larger backings from the New Herd of Toshiyuki Miyama – who gets great arrangements from Norio Maeda! Kim's vocals are nice too – but it's the overall instrumental vibe that really sends the album home, and makes things groovy – as you'll hear on cuts that include "The Look Of Love", "We've Only Just Begun", "Close To You", "Scarborough Fair", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Spinning Wheel", and "Love Story". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a very striking cover, but which features music done for the more warm-tinged program Mu – a 70s drama represented here by a really great range of different themes! The mix of modes is great – one tune might have a playful Fender Rhodes solo, another a more serious koto line, and another might have groovy use of sitar, or slide guitar, or other inventive instrumentation – all to illustrate the different scenes and characters in the show! There are slight moments of sentiment, but the music is never sappy at all – and in a way, the whole thing really reflects the way that the Japanese listening scene was so strongly influenced by Euro soundtrack styles of the late 60s and very start of the 70s. All titles are in Japanese, and the set is instrumental throughout! (Soundtracks, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

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". (Jazz, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful little record that's every bit as sexy as you might guess from the cover – and which also has some of the groovy French elements you might expect from the title! The set's got this slinky, erotic vibe that's almost in Serge Gainsbourg territory – save for the fact that the tunes are mostly instrumental, and Monica Lassen seems mostly on the set to moan, giggle, and make other expressions of pleasure as the set goes on – a bit like the presence of a woman on a sexy French record at the end of the 60s! The music is very cool, too – somewhere in a space between late 60s European soundtrack modes and bossa nova – with lots of cool organ lines, soulful sax, captivating rhythms, and cool effects that further underscore the sound of the set – on titles that include "Dalliance In Wave", "On Rollin Yacht", "A Lodge Of Joy", "Embrace Ment", "Path For Two", and "Che Vuole Quesat Musica Stasere". (Vocalists, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

60s jazz meets Japanese bamboo flute – all in a session with a great mix of groovy and exotic touches! The record's a unique meeting of jazz and folkloric elements – done in a style that's a bit like some of the late 60s sessions of this nature on MPS, but a fair bit groovier overall – as the tracks are shorter and more focused, and often have a nice sort of bounce at the bottom. Flute is by Minoru Muraoka, and arrangements are by Takashi Ikeda and Kozaburo Yamaki, conducting their New Dimension and New Emotion groups respectively. Bits of sitar bring in an even groovier sound to the record – and the flute itself has some oddly off-kilter notes that further trip out the tunes. Titles include "Soul Bamboo", "Take Five", "The Positive & The Negative", "Call Me", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", and "Scarborough Fair". (Jazz, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

There's no shrieking going on here, as the music's got this gently groovy style that's warm and wonderful – post-folk, maybe a bit sunshine pop influenced – and coming across as almost like a Japanese attempt to hit some Carpenters territory! The songs are often more sophisticated than pop, and the arrangements by Takahiko Ishikawa are really great – never too commercial, but just the right direction to give the lighter vocals the push that they need – on titles that include "2001 Nen No Boku No Heya", "Tongarashi", "Kujira No Su San Sora Wo Iku", "Suginokiyama", "Oyashirazu", and "Kaeru No Tabi". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a really special sound – Japanese pop moving past some of the more emotive modes used a few years before, and working with a gentle, breezy style that sometimes echoes the best A&M Records styles from the Cali scene of the late 60s! Both singers intertwine in a wonderful way, often harmonizing with a great sense of balance – and the backings are often nicely groovy, with electric bass creating a gentle glide that's mighty nice! The whole thing is well-produced, but also has a laidback vibe that fits the barefoot image on the cover – and titles translate as "Being Astray On The Corner", "Another World For Lovers", "The Day We Lose Our Peace", "Moment By Moment", "A Rose & An Apple", and "Early Days". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy album from 70s Japan – one that makes all the best use of the sexy vocal style of Kaoru Yumi, set to a warm mix of funky and easygoing backings! Yumi's as famous for her appearances on screen as she is on record – a role that was unified here through the scandalous album cover – which maybe gets at the way her music was marketed. Yet despite that crass approach, Kaoru's got a strong vocal style too – one that really fits well with the backings, no matter the style – just the right subtle sense of drama from the earlier generation, but refitted here for a nice 70s approach. Lyrics are in Japanese throughout – and titles include "Delta Queen", "Miami Beach Rumba", and "Taboo". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. CD

A fantastic dip into the world of Japanese funk during the 70s – a great place to start if you don't want to slap down big money for expensive imports – and a set that's also got a fair bit of obscure numbers in the lineup, even if you have some of the material from this time! The collection's got a specific ear for a groove – and often focuses on tracks that mix US styles of jazzy funk with specific Japanese styles of instrumentation – a wood flute here, a bit of koto there – all used in very cool, very groovy ways – and in a setting that's still very appealing if you're a fan of more familiar funky jazz from the 70s! Titles include "Incitation" by Monica Lassen & The Sounds, "Soran Bushi" by Toshiiko Yonekawa, "Touch Of Japanese Tone" by Takeo Yamashita, "Cloudy" by Chikara Ueda & The Power Station, "Downtown Blues" by Chumei Watanabe, "Sidewinder" by Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalos, "Sniper's Snooze" by Masahiko Sato and Jiro Inagaki, and "Hanagas Onda" by Kifu Mitsuhashi. (Funky Compilations, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album