Akira Inoue Consort —
Issimbow ... CD Chapter One (Japan), 2009. Used ...
$14.99
Akira Inoue on keyboards, Aska Kaneko on violin, Takuo Yamamoto on woodwinds, Mataro on percussion, and Hirokazu Ogura on guitars. CD
Meiko Kaji —
Hajiki Uta ... CD Teichiku/We Want Sounds (UK), 1973. New Copy ...
$14.9918.99
Really wonderful sounds from Meiko Kaji – an actress as well as a singer, one who was famous for her Nikkatsu work at the start of the 70s – and who delivers the songs here with a similar sense of darkly moody drama! The music often mixes rock touches with larger arrangements – ... read moreCD
Evocative fusion work from Japanese guitarist Osamu Kitajima – a record that mixes together LA electric with some folksier elements, in the continuing exploration of cross cultural patterns that drifted across Kitajima's work from this time. The album's got a compelling blend of electric and ... (Jazz, Japanese)read moreCD
Includes the songs "Catalina Island", "Rudy's Dream", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Lullaby Of Takeda", "Essence", "Lettin's Go", "Keep Hope Alive", "Baked Potato Man", "Innocence Of Spring", "Our ... (Jazz, Japanese)read moreCD
(Out of print XRCD pressing in a nice hardcover book.)
Suzken —
Barroco ... CD Urban Discos (Japan), 2022. New Copy ...
$7.9919.99
A mix of jazzy and soulful styles from Japanese artist Suzken – sometimes instrumental, sometimes vocal – often with some warmer touches that evoke a vintage mode as well! Yet the record's not the usual retro funk outing – as Suzken really has an ear that's all his own – a ... read moreCD
Blazing 60s & 70s string-shredding mastery from Japan's great guitar instrumentals guru Takeshi Terauchi – whose playing matches the greatest 50s & 60s rock guitar gurus in both dexterous ability and pulpy mood setting! Takeshi put his own unique spin on the chugging styles of the ... (Rock, Japanese)read moreCD
Incredible work from the Japanese scene of the end of the 60s – a record that mixes together traditional instrumentation, bossa rhythms, and groovier jazz touches – all in a sublime blend that would have been a feather in the cap of A&M or Verve Records at the time! The work here ... (Jazz, Japanese)read moreCD
The debut album from Hako Yamasaki, and a set that really bridges a few different eras of music on the Japanese scene! At some level, Hako's got the richly expressive style of female singers of the late 60s – but she works here with more acoustic guitar, and some more down-to-earth touches ... read moreCD
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 ... read moreCD
Mad sounds from the late 60s world of Japanese pop – a mindblowing, ear-opening batch of singles we never would have gotten our hands on otherwise! The music here feels like sounds coming out of some backroom jukebox in a Nikkatsu "new action" film – or maybe the kind of ... read moreCD
A totally wonderful compilation – and a fantastic way to dip into the world of Japanese city pop – a genre that most of us missed back in the day, in large part because most of these records never made it to the record racks in the US! As fans know, the movement was a huge crest of ... read moreCD
Beautiful grooves from the Japanese scene – most of them from a time when its singers and musicians were leaning heavily on influences from American funk and soul, and turning out some wonderful music of their own! Lyrics on most tracks are in Japanese, but there's a really universal vibe to ... read moreCD