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Searing sounds from the Japanese scene at the start of the 70s – music that's equal parts noise and equal parts free jazz – served up on some freaky, fuzzy guitar from Masayuki Takayanagi – and a mix of alto sax, harmonica and bass clarinet from Karou Abe! Abe's a lot noisier here than on some of his later records – and maybe has to be, too – to match the frenetic sounds from Takayanagi's guitar – at a level that prefaces so much later electronic noise improvisation to come – as both musicians come together on two long, improvised tracks. Yet the intensity also abates a bit at points – making for a richer balance of tones as the set goes on – even though we'd guess that if Takayanagi had his way, the whole thing would be full-on, all the way through! CD

Really mindblowing work from Japanese guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi – a player we know from other records, but who may well be in one of his most creative settings here – a batch of live improvisations with the equally great reedman Karou Abe! Often, Takayanagi is playing with qualities that really echo some of the experiments of Derek Bailey in the early 70s – on both electric and acoustic guitars, but also with a much more spacious approach overall – which seems to bring out a very different spirit in Abe – who blows alto sax and harmonica, and also plays shakuhachi. The album would be right at home on a label like Incus – and titles include "Thursday/Gradually Projection" and "Jha/Gradually Projection". LP, Vinyl record album