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

The debut album of the legendary pianist Masahiko Sato – a musician who's got a way with a piano that's unlike anyone else we can think of – almost creating these sinister moments at times, which are balanced by occasional moments of warmth, amidst a very groundbreaking sense of freedom! At this point in his career, Sato is so different than American or European avant pianists – and there's a clarity to the performance here that really demonstrates his unique approach – supported by superb work from Yasuo Arakawa on bass and Masahiko Togashi on drums – both players who have these deeper, organic qualities that balance the sharper edges of the piano. All titles are originals – save for an unusual version of "Michelle" – and tracks include "Der Zweig Von Salzburg", "Palladium", and "Closing". (Jazz, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning sounds from the Japanese jazz scene of the 70s – one of those key records that show how the scene was really moving forward with older jazz formats, and definitely finding new voices and styles in the process! The New Herd group here has nothing to do with older American big bands of years past – as they use the larger lineup of saxes, trumpets, and trombones to unlock all these insane colors next to the electric piano of Masahiko Sato – who guests with the group here, composing new material – and really taking things into some very heady territory! The record has breakout sonic passages that go out, but never too far – as things come back with a more standard swing from time to time – yet the overall structure is still quite loose too, very much its own thing – with maybe just a very slight comparison to the territory that Gil Evans might explore at his most avant 70s. Titles include "Ichi", "Ni", and "San". (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

An essential collection of work from the Japanese scene of the 70s – as set that really gets at the "something special" that made jazz from this generation so unique! Japanese musicians were early adopters of American modes – and the scene had great bop recordings from the 50s onward – but as the 70s approached, old and young musicians really started experimenting with a whole new range of styles – some mixed older Japanese instrumental modes with contemporary jazz, others tried a poetic approach to modal jazz, some were spiritual, and a few even got downright funky – but in ways that were very different than American jazz funk! This set brings together key examples of all those great styles – in a package that features detailed notes from Yusuke Ogawa, the man who's taught us plenty over the years – with titles that include "Mustache (live)" by Takeshi Inomata & Sound Ltd, "Fourth Expression" by Masahiko Togashi, "Do It" by Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Tochi Mo Kurumi Mo Fukiotose" by Masahiko Sato, "Breeze" by Soul Media, "Adult's Day" by Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd, "Sakura Sakura" by Tadaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, "Muraiki" by Minoru Muraoka, "Mago Uta" by Count Buffalo & The Jazz Rock Band, "D51" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, and "Breath Prologue" by Hozan Yamamoto, Masahiko Togashi, and Yosuke Yamashita. (Funky Compilations, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

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

Don't be mis-led by the title – as this isn't one of those "jazz meets classical" albums that were big on the European scene in the 60s – and instead, the album features very ambitious, very compelling sounds by one of the most free-thinking Japanese ensembles of the time! The album features four long pieces – penned by Masahiko Sato, Hiroshi Takami, Norio Maeda, and Kozaburo Yamaki – all interpreted by Toshiyuki Miyama with a strong sense of sound and texture – an approach that's still rooted in jazz, but which sounds like some of the more modern large group charts of the 60s. The sound isn't free at all, but definitely has some solo moments that are pretty unbridled – save for the last track, which brings back in a funky, swinging sort of vibe! That gem is titled "Sensyuraku" – and other tracks include "Shirabyoshi", "Ikisudama", and "Mumyoju" – the last of which features some koto by Kideaki Sakurai. (Jazz, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album