Jazz — Recently Added

A rare Japanese session from American reedman Charlie Mariano – and one of the few recorded documents of his time on the Tokyo scene! The album really captures Charlie at a pivotal – and under-recorded – point in his career – definitely stretching out from the tight lines ... CD

Not sure what they mean by "Ameriachi" in the title – but from the sound of the music, there's definitely a great A&M Records-styled mix of jazz, Latin, and South American modes! The set begins with a set of cookers from drummer Hideo Shiraki – working with an excellent ... CD

The punch here is in the groove – a nice little burst down at the bottom of the rhythms, which makes most of these tunes swing nicely! The set's a bit hard to describe right off the bat – but it's kind of a mix of jazz ensemble swinging with some groovier 60s modes – bits of ... CD

A great Japanese take on the sound of Thelonious Monk at the end of the 50s – one that's led by pianist Masao Yagi, and which features some of the same dynamic horn interplay as Monk's best work on Riverside! Yagi's got a really great group here – with Sadao Watanabe on alto sax and ... CD

A wicked wicked set of tracks from Japan – one that blends together jazzy riffing and Brazilian rhythms, all played with a surprisingly soulful bent! Suzuki's on bass and piccolo bass, and Yamamoto plays not only electric piano but also a bit of electric harpsichord – which adds a cool ... CD

Bossa jazz from 60s Japan – a set recorded right around the same time that Verve first started hitting bossa grooves in the US! The sound here is sharper than a Verve bossa album, though – with some of the same hardbop inflections you'd hear on other Hideo Shiraki albums from the time ... CD

The music of Horace Silver is magically presented here by drummer Hideo Shiraki – grooving nicely in the same exotic approach to soul jazz you'd find on Silver's best Blue Note sides of the late 50s! Shiraki's always had a bit of a Jazz Messengers approach in his music – at least at ... CD

Hardly the staid affair you might guess from the "recital" in the title – and an all-out drum frenzy event from the legendary Hideo Shiraki! This late 50s live session has Shiraki working in a mode that's even more open and bombastic than his studio albums from the time – ... CD

One of the sharpest altos of the east – heard here in a great early album! Sadao Watanabe sounds wonderful on the set – blowing in a quintet setting, with a groove that's a bit like Lou Donaldson on Blue Note at the same time – slightly modern at moments, but also laidback and ... CD

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 ... CD

Is that barock or baroque? Whatever the case, the album's a pretty darn groovy affair – twin flutes from Sadao Watanabe and Akira Miyazawa – two of Japan's best reedmen at the end of the 60s – working here with some sweet arrangements that mix classical roots with mod ... CD

A definite flute adventure from Japanese reedman Toshiaki Yokota – one that's got some wonderfully trippy elements, in the best spirit of some of the most groundbreaking MPS sessions at the end of the 60s! Yokota plays a variety of flutes, and he's backed by electric guitar, bass, and plenty ... CD

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 ... CD

Keyboardist Masaru Imada in a really great setting – working alongside a tight trombone lineup with a really bold sound! The style's still very much in the spirit of some of Imada's other 70s records – and he plays both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes – yet the trombone work of ... CD

That's Torys, as in Suntory's – the big Japanese distillery who's hosting this special performance of The Big Four – a crackling lineup that features soulful tenor from Hidehiko Matsumoto and drums from George Kawaguchi! The core group have an energy that's like the best American bop ... CD

It could well be argued that in the 70s, the Japanese jazz scene was possibly the greatest place to be a bassist – as players like Yoshi Ikeda really had a chance to stretch out their sound, and try something new with records like this! The album's a really inventive little set – warm, ... CD

Inventive percussion and amazing bass work – plus a host of other interesting elements as well – all wrapped up beautifully in this unique collaboration between Isao Suzuki and Masahiko Togashi! Both players were some of the most creative of the mainstream Japanese scene of the 70s ... CD

A really inventive little record from Japanese bassist Isao Suzuki – and a set that, like most of his best 70s work, really defies any sort of easy categorization! Suzuki's got a wonderfully wide range of ideas running through his music – at one level a really close-up and personal ... CD

An excellent 70s European session recorded by Mal Waldron – one that shows off some of his more avant jazz inclinations at the time! The group's a searing one, with an unusual combination of players – Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Manfred Schoof on trumpet, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Makaya ... CD

Prime Keith Jarrett on Impulse Records – and a still-wonderful session that features work by the great group that featured Dewey Redman on tenor, Charlie Haden on bass, and Paul Motian on drums! The sound here is a bit more focused than on some of Jarrett's earlier Impulse sides – but ... CD

Subtle, spacious sounds from two understated masters of jazz – bassist Red Mitchell and pianist Hank Jones – both working here in a superbly-recorded setting! The tunes are mostly standards, but they've got a warmth and personality that could only come from top talents like this – ... CD

Pure genius throughout – two great albums on a single CD! Trombone Jazz Samba is an overlooked gem from Bob Brookmeyer – and a set that fits in strongly with the other Verve Records bossa nova albums of the 60s! Bob's the center star on valve trombone, but the record's awash in work ... CD

Sweet electric fusion from Japanese drummer Motohiko Hino – a set that's got a deeper vibe than some of his other work of the 70s! The set's a live one, and all tracks are quite long – played with an open, exploratory feel by the group – in ways that are almost an extension of ... CD

A definite spiritual session from percussionist Masahiko Togashi – one that features key contributions from Steve Lacy on soprano sax and Kent Carter on bass – both players who come together in a trio with Togashi, to make the set one of his greatest albums ever! Togashi's nicely ... CD

A stone smoker from tenorist Seiichi Nakamura – thanks partly to some great trombone from Shigeharu Mukai! Shige's one of our favorite Japanese trombonists from the 70s, and he really gives this session a deep degree of soul – working strongly in the frontline with Seiichi, and getting ... CD

Long tracks, lots of open energy, and plenty of freewheeling solos too – just the sort of Japanese jazz album from the 70s we treasure so much! The group here is led by drummer George Ohtsuka – sometimes spelled Otsuka – and features Fumio Karashima on piano and Fender Rhodes ... CD

The Wes here, of course, is Wes Montgomery – a great inspiration for this excellent quartet session from Japanese guitarist Yoshiaki Miyanoue! Things are relatively bare bones, and basic – more the Wes Montgomery small combo modes of the earliest years – as Miyanoue plays with a ... CD

A sweet early set from Japanese pianist Aki Takase – a player who would go onto have a huge international reputation – but working here in a nicely homegrown groove overall! The album's got a warm feel right from the start – not mellow or commercial, but soulfully lyrical, in a ... CD

A document of an incredible shift in style for the Crusaders – and one that helped them soar even higher in the jazz funk stratosphere! By the time of these albums, the group had changed significantly from their youthful days as the Jazz Crusaders – mostly a trio, with Joe Sample on ... CD

A quintet of classic albums from keyboardist Chick Corea – all served up in a single package! First up is Light As A Feather – a classic bit of jazzy fusion from Chick Corea and the legendary Return To Forever group that included Flora Purim and Airto! The sound of the album ... CD