ITABASHI FUMIO TRIO – Toh (Frasco – FS-7011 / LP-1976)

Label: Frasco – FS-7011

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Japan / Released: 1976

Style: Contemporary Jazz, Post Bop

Recorded live at Daichi Seimei Hall, 1st March, 1976.

Design [Cover Design] – Ishikawa Hideomi

Photography By – Uchida Takumi

Engineer [Recording Engineering] – Miyasaka Tsuyoshi

Producer – Honmura Ryohnosuke, Kitazawa Yasutaka

Management [Promoting Staff] – Shimabukuro Akira, Asano Keiko, Itoh Yohichi

Typography [Title Lettering] – Ueda Tadao

Matrix / Runout: (Side A runout, stamped) FS7011A +

Matrix / Runout: (Side B runout, stamped) FS7011B

A1 - Alligator Dance ......................................................................................... 10:49

A2 - Good-Bye ................................................................................................... 9:15

B  -  Toh ........................................................................................................... 19:53

Personnel:

Fumio Itabashi  –  piano

Okada Tsutomu  –  bass

Kusumoto Takuji  –  drums, percussion

Press: NIPPON PHONOGRAM JAPAN 1976 (FS-7011)

Presented by Pitt Inn Music / ⓟ 1976 Printed in Japan JASRAC

We recently met pianist Fumio Itabashi in "Flush Up" - TAKEO MORIYAMA QUARTET and "Wheel Stone - Live In Nemuro" - TERUMASA HINO (SEPTET). Today I present his album "Toh", the first author project (all compositions written by Fumio Itabashi), released by Frasco Records [FS-7011]. The other two musicians on this LP are superb bassist Okada Tsutomu and excellent drummer Kusumoto Takuji.

Believe me in the word, another extraordinary Japanese ride.

If you find it, buy this album!

TERUMASA HINO – Wheel Stone - Live In Nemuro (East Wind / LP-1979)

Label: East Wind – 15PJ-1002

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Japan / Released: 1979

Style: Avant-garde, Modal, Free Improvisation

Recorded live, April 8, 1975 at the Nemuro-Shi Kohmikan.

Design [Album Design] – Heyqlow Kobayashi

Album Director – Hiroshi Mitsuka, Nobuo Kondoh

Photography By [Back-Cover] – Masakatsu Sasaki

Photography By [Cover] – Fumio Tomita

Engineer – Masayoshi Ohkawa, Toshiaki Kanazawa

Executive-Producer – Toshinari Koinuma

Producer – Kiyoshi Itoh

Liner Notes – Shun-ichi Morita

Matrix / Runout (side A): EW-8065-A 15PJ-1002 - 1

Matrix / Runout (side B): EW-8065-B 15PJ-1002 - 2

A - Mocco .................................................................................................... 21:24

B - In The Darkness .................................................................................... 15:35

Written-By – Terumasa Hino

Personnel:

Terumasa Hino – trumpet, flugelhorn

Hideo Miyata – tenor saxophone

Fumio Itabashi – piano, electric piano

Kiyoshi Sugimoto – electric guitar

Tsutomu Okada – bass

Motohiko Hino – drums

Yuhji Imamura – percussion

A live recording that brought the legendary playing style of Terumasa Hino before he embarked on a national tour 1975. There are two original long tracks in front of us, rhythmic embodiment in the thrilling " Mokko" and "Into the Darkness," recorded in the " live -in-the- concert," format.

A searing performance from this brilliant Japanese trumpeter – working here at the height of his stretched-out, open-ended powers – but with a style that's a bit more inside than some of his work from the start of the 70s! Hino really shows himself to be a great leader here – working with a group that includes Hideo Miyata on tenor, Kiyoshi Sugimoto on guitar, and Fumio Itabashi on some especially great Fender Rhodes and piano – a wonderful player who really gives the album a solid grounding, which then allows the horn players to really soar! Hino's really finding his voice here – growing into one of the best trumpet talents of his generation – and this is his first volume of two, recorded at Nemuro-Shi Kohmikan.

If you find it, buy this album!

TAKEO MORIYAMA QUARTET – Flush Up (LP-1977 / Union Records - Re-1982)

Label: Union Jazz – KUL-5021, Union Records – KUL-5021

Series: Union Jazz 1500 Series – 2nd pressing

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue / Country: Japan / Released: 1982

Style: Avant-garde Jazz, Modal, Free Improvisation

Recorded Live at Shinjuku Pit Inn, Tokyo, in March 1 and 2, 1977.

Originally release 1977 (Teichiku Records ‎– GM-5008)

Made By – Teichiku Records Co., Ltd.

Engineer – Shinichi Kikuchi

Mastered By – Shuji Sakaguchi

Executive-Producer – Toshio Imai

Matrix / side A, Runout: LS - 5333 X1

Matrix / side B, Runout: LS - 5333 X2

A  -  Flush Up .................................................................................................. 18:13

         (Fumio Itabashi)

B1 - Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise .............................................................. 14:59

         (O. Hammerstein II, S. Romberg)

B2 - Yellow Bear ............................................................................................... 8:09

         (Fumio Itabashi)

Personnel:

Takeo Moriyama – drums, percussion

Fumio Itabashi – piano

Tomoki Takahashi – tenor saxophone, sopranino saxophone

Hideaki Mochizuki – bass

Note:

"Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is a song with music by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II from the 1928 operetta The New Moon.

Drummer Takeo Moriyama recorded a live album in 1977, 1 and 2 March at Shinjuku Pit Inn, Tokyo, the first after the end work with the Yosuke Yamashita Trio.

"Flush Up" and "Yellow Bear" the original songs of Fumio Itabashi who played a musical staff at Takeo Moriyama Quartet during this period. The quartet consists of: drummer Takeo Moriyama, saxophonist Tomoki Takahashi, jazz pianist Fumio Itabashi and bass player Hideaki Mochizuki.

"FLUSH UP" is alongside "HUSH-A-BYE", LP where can fully enjoy the talented masterful performances based on the powerful druming of Moriyama full-length.

A masterpiece of Japanese spiritual jazz.

If you find it, buy this album!