A rare recording from Charlie Mariano's "lost" years in Japan – an under-documented period of his career next to earlier American work and later 70s European fusion! At the time of the set, Charlie was living in Japan with (then) wife pianist Toshiko Akioshi – and opening up tremendously from a musical standpoint – exploring new sounds and new modes of expression that really took him a long way beyond the straighter jazz of his roots. This set has Charlie working with Japanese reedman Sadao Watanabe, in a session that features both players on alto sax, but also using folkloric flutes as well – mixing the crisper sax work with earthier, more organic tones that really make the album sound tremendous! This aspect of the record is featured on 2 long tracks – "God Has Mercy" and "Stone Garden Of Ryoanji" – both of which were written by Mariano, and which have a wonderful "jazz meets world" feel – nicely balanced by the more traditional jazz numbers "I Thought About You" and "Iberian Waltz", the latter of which is still a relatively exploratory Mariano number that runs for over 16 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare look at a little-known chapter in the career of Charlie Mariano – recordings made while living in Japan in the late 60s, done in the company of up-and-coming Japanese reedman Sadao Watanabe! The pair seem perfectly matched here – no surprise, given that both players are ones that come from a mainstream background, but who can also bring in earthier, more primal tones to their instruments. And while the tracks in the set are mostly familiar 60s standards and soul jazz tunes, the interplay between the reeds is really tremendous – dipping, turning, and carving out notes with sharp edges and unusual turns that take the record way past the obvious. Many of the tunes have a bossa groove at the base – in keeping with Watanabe's Brazilian-influenced sound of the era – but the presence of Mariano makes the record sound a fair bit different as well! Titles include "One Note Samba", "Work Song", "Goin Home", "On The Trail", "Comin' Home Baby", "Black Orpheus", and "Lord Don't Let Them Drop that Atomic Bomb On Me". A landmark in Japanese jazz – issued here in the US pressing from the late 70s. LP, Vinyl record album