A great set from Japanese vocalist Kimiko Kasai – recorded live with spare backing by the Cedar Walton trio, in a mode that's quite different than her better-known 70s electric set with Herbie Hancock! If anything, Kimiko's sound here is more dynamic than the Herbie session – as the Walton trio's backing is often light and airy, so that Kasai is hanging out there on her own a lot, really filling the tunes with a warmth and dynamic range that's incredible. Tunes shift from groovers to mellow numbers effortlessly – and Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins exercise their talents with amazing understatement, but also just enough soul to kep keep the spirits of the session nice and strong. There's plenty of great numbers here – including the jazz dancers "Sad Song" and "No Tears", plus "Dat Dere", "Jazz Ain't Nothin But Soul", "I Am The Girl", and "Moondance". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's far more beautiful than you'd guess from the "carcass" in the title – a strong set of vocal work from singer Kimiko Kasai – easily one of the hippest Japanese singers of the 70s! Although Kasai's sometimes straight on the album, she also stretches out in freer, more expressive modes – at a level that's quite similar to some of the more experimental modes used by Karin Krog during the same period – although with a slightly unique feel as well. Backings are from the quartet of reedman Kosuke Mine – whose lines on soprano and alto sax are almost worth the price of the album alone – and all tracks are long, with titles that include "Be Still My Soul", "Round Midnight", "Yellow Carcass In The Blue", "Alone Together", "River Dry", and "Blues In C Minor". CD

A record that's far more beautiful than you'd guess from the "carcass" in the title – a strong set of vocal work from singer Kimiko Kasai – easily one of the hippest Japanese singers of the 70s! Although Kasai's sometimes straight on the album, she also stretches out in freer, more expressive modes – at a level that's quite similar to some of the more experimental modes used by Karin Krog during the same period – although with a slightly unique feel as well. Backings are from the quartet of reedman Kosuke Mine – whose lines on soprano and alto sax are almost worth the price of the album alone – and all tracks are long, with titles that include "Be Still My Soul", "Round Midnight", "Yellow Carcass In The Blue", "Alone Together", "River Dry", and "Blues In C Minor". CD

A mighty nice live performance from Japanese vocalist Kimiko Kasai – one that features Oliver Nelson leading the band, soloing on alto, and even writing all the arrangements! Nelson brings the same soulful swing to the record as his famous late 60s backings for American jazz singers – although Kimiko definitely makes the tunes her own, with her unique phrasing – which partly comes from her slightly-accented approach to the English language! Nelson steps out on the instrumental theme "3210" – and other titles include "Guess Who I Saw Today", "Goody Goody", "Go Away Little Boy", "Some Other Day", "It's Alright With Me", and "How Insensitive". CD

A legendary pairing of talents – as Japanese jazz singer Kimiko Kasai works alongside Herbie Hancock – in a setting that's very much on the soul side of the spectrum! Both Herbie and Kimiko started out with a straighter jazz sound in their early years – but by the end of the 70s, they'd both picked up plenty of influences from R&B – although Kasai's work was largely unknown to American audiences. This set is one of those rare Japanese-only sessions by Herbie at the time – a few of which have gotten released overseas as the decades have gone on – and Hancock is in his best keyboard groove, and also gets additional help on the keys from Webster Lewis – who no doubt brings a strong soul current to the music too. Other musicians include Bennie Maupin on soprano and tenor sax, Paul Jackson on bass, Ray Obeido on guitar, Alphonse Mouzon on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion – in a groove that's like a tighter take on the sound of The Headhunters. Kimiko sings in English – and titles include some great versions of Herbie Hancock tunes – including "Maiden Voyage", "Sunlight", "Butterfly", "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", and "Harvest Time" – plus a great take on Stevie Wonder's "As", the cut "Head In The Clouds", and the funk-steeped opener "I Thought It Was You". CD

Sweet sounds from a real golden age in Japanese music – a time when the scene had picked up plenty of influences from the US scene, but was carefully crafting some great styles of their own! The music here has touches of jazz, fusion, soul, and AOR – but there's a special balance that's a bit different than American chartbound material of the time – tight, but never too slick – and with a great ear for allowing the more interesting sides of the music to come forth in all the best ways – so that although catchy, the tunes aren't just going slavishly for a hook or a hit! There's a lot of resonance in the instrumentation with some of the scene that had Japanese jazz musicians working with American fusion players – but the overall approach is maybe more soul-based overall. An even deeper set than the first volume – with titles that include "Kanpoo" by Yumi Murata, "Hidari Mune No Seiza" by Tetsuji Hayashi, "Yubikiri" by Eiichi Ohtaki, "Vibration" by Kimiko Kasai, "Pink Shadow" by Bread & Butter, "The Tokyo Taste" by The Sadistics, "Blind Curve" by Momoko Kikuchi, "Skyfire" by Eri Ohno, and "Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break" by Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet sounds from a real golden age in Japanese music – a time when the scene had picked up plenty of influences from the US scene, but was carefully crafting some great styles of their own! The music here has touches of jazz, fusion, soul, and AOR – but there's a special balance that's a bit different than American chartbound material of the time – tight, but never too slick – and with a great ear for allowing the more interesting sides of the music to come forth in all the best ways – so that although catchy, the tunes aren't just going slavishly for a hook or a hit! There's a lot of resonance in the instrumentation with some of the scene that had Japanese jazz musicians working with American fusion players – but the overall approach is maybe more soul-based overall. An even deeper set than the first volume – with titles that include "Kanpoo" by Yumi Murata, "Hidari Mune No Seiza" by Tetsuji Hayashi, "Yubikiri" by Eiichi Ohtaki, "Vibration" by Kimiko Kasai, "Pink Shadow" by Bread & Butter, "The Tokyo Taste" by The Sadistics, "Blind Curve" by Momoko Kikuchi, "Skyfire" by Eri Ohno, and "Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break" by Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. CD

Sweet sounds from a real golden age in Japanese music – a time when the scene had picked up plenty of influences from the US scene, but was carefully crafting some great styles of their own! The music here has touches of jazz, fusion, soul, and AOR – but there's a special balance that's a bit different than American chartbound material of the time – tight, but never too slick – and with a great ear for allowing the more interesting sides of the music to come forth in all the best ways – so that although catchy, the tunes aren't just going slavishly for a hook or a hit! There's a lot of resonance in the instrumentation with some of the scene that had Japanese jazz musicians working with American fusion players – but the overall approach is maybe more soul-based overall. An even deeper set than the first volume – with titles that include "Kanpoo" by Yumi Murata, "Hidari Mune No Seiza" by Tetsuji Hayashi, "Yubikiri" by Eiichi Ohtaki, "Vibration" by Kimiko Kasai, "Pink Shadow" by Bread & Butter, "The Tokyo Taste" by The Sadistics, "Blind Curve" by Momoko Kikuchi, "Skyfire" by Eri Ohno, and "Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break" by Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. LP, Vinyl record album