KOSUKE MINE QUINTET – Mine (LP-1970 / re-1972)

Label: Three Blind Mice – 15PJ-1021

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo / Country: Japan / Released: 1972

Originally released in 1970, (TBM-1)

Style: Hard Bop, Modal, Free Improvisation

Recorded at Aoi Studio, Tokyo on August 4 and 5, 1970.

Art Director – Ben Nishizawa

Photography By [Cover] – Naoki Baba

Producer – Takeshi "Tee" Fujii

Recording Engineer – Katsuo Ohkawara

Assistent Engineer – Yoshihiko Kannari

A1 - Morningtide (K. Mine) ...................................................... 13:09

A2 - Isotope (J. Henderson) .................................................... 12:18

B1 - Dream Eyes (H. Ichikawa) ............................................... 13:56

B2 - Work I (H. Ichikawa) .......................................................... 9:09

Kosuke Mine – ato saxophone, soprano saxophone

Takashi Imai – trombone

Hideo Ichikawa – el. piano (Fender Rhodes)

Takashi Mizuhashi – contrabass

Hiroshi Murakami – drums, percussion

This album is the first album released on the label Three Blind Mice - TBM-1 / 1970 (my Kosuke Mine is a second pressing, reissue of the 1972, LP / TBM - 15PJ-1021), Japanese label whose ambition was to illustrate the creativity and excitement of Japanese jazzmen at the time. Under the leadership of passionate Takeshi "Tee" Fujii, TBM has quickly established a catalog of some 130 publications, ranging from the sharp cutting edge to the more traditional bop. The logo for the little mouse decked out in dark glasses has been well adorn the first discs of artists also essential that Masabumi Kikuchi, Masaru Imada, George Otsuka, Terumasa Hino, Honda Takehiro, Hideto Kanai, George Kawaguchi, Isao Suzuki, Shuko Mizuno, Nobuo Hara, and so on. Apart attention paid to the extreme in the bill of his vinyls (design attention, thick cardboard covers, pressings with very good behavior, inserts - some albums, as both Jazz Orchestra Shuko Mizuno going so far include fac simile partitions in a booklet, ...), TBM has built a reputation for its audiophile quality sound recordings (incidentally, the equipment used and the disposal of musicians in sessions are precisely documented on inserts), like his compatriots Audio Lab, East Wind, Flying Disk, Why Not, Denon, etc. Part of the catalog is republished today and Hybrid CD (SACD). If in addition, we have the chance of getting an edition still wearing her obi (colored paper strip serving as a kind of "belt" vertical disk), it then has a very unique purpose for which it will take all. The same often put their hands in the pocket ... (we'll talk about fetishism another time!)

Kosuke Mine (photo by Akihiro Takayama)

Mine "Morningtide" opens with a beautiful piece modal waves introduced by the Fender Rhodes and a steady beat on bass. Then the sweeping melody saxophone / trombone while the battery marks the rhythm rimshot. The theme is particularly successful, and swelling in waves, combined with the Fender Rhodes rightly evokes the atmosphere of the title (the morning tide). The end of the theme, which reminds me Julien Lourau. Soon enough, things get removed with the chorus Kosuke Mine that grows every sentence in a very fluid style to the extreme. When comes the turn of Ichikawa, things calm down while the battery plays nuance, power amount, before getting back down again, with a nifty work to cymbals. Murakami then muscle his game in a breakbeat on the edge of funky. Fender Rhodes whose new theme emerges again with confidence. Then it happens a weird thing: the song crashes (at first I thought there was a crash in the pressing level, but the same thing happens to the copy of Mr V.) before returning to zero. End in fade out (fully justified).

"Isotope" composed by Joe Henderson, slice in a hard bop style with a spiritual touch brought by Fender Rhodes. Kosuke Mine says its rather personal style, having digested his duly Parker and Coltrane: quite muscular, virtuoso, with phrases that seek, bypassing and eventually find. Very articulate, very readable, it also offers enough soulful moments and throughout the chorus flat shadow of the theme, demonstrating a good understanding of the game. What is incredible here is that what I said just before the solo Mine applies exactly the chorus Ichikawa, which takes also part of his instrument "funkisant" a little all by agreements in syncope. Chorus very energetic drums, toms favoring. Towards the end, just when one believes discern the theme again, everyone moves on ... the theme, precisely!

The two pieces of side B are in tune with the previous one, with a feeling that would not deny an Art Blakey.

"Dream Eyes", Kosuke Mine's alto sax is more striking while retaining its specificity and complementarity with Ichikawa, the composer, is perhaps even more evident if possible. Then the rhythmic generously indents to make room for a paperclip that is struggling a bit to convince despite some nice stunts. The transition to the chorus of Fender Rhodes is also rendered a tad laborious, but quickly, Ichikawa gets over volubly and a delicacy that's good to hear, when the battery starts to join shortly before his solo. Many skin again, and relatively little bronze. To finish, the theme is dissected, disjointed, broken and recomposed very pleasing way.

Small parkerienne flavor for "Work 1", very melodious theme and nested together played sax and trombone. The latter is more inspired on the chorus that follows, although it is still entitled to a few parasites trial and error, and other phrases cul-de-sac. The real wealth is the Mine's soprano with this amazing syncretism mentioned above and many agility. It's really the anti-pop, it never quite took off, but frustrating to me, Mine delights me. Chorus of Imperial Fender Rhodes again. Mizuhashi agrees to take for the first time in front of the stage time to a good organic chorus which proceeds in small steps and creeping reptile and opens to the final reprise of the theme.

It will be understood, Kosuke Mine and his quintet won a well deserved 10, with an album that, while proposing a kind of synthesis, also opens new perspectives. As such, opt for a Fender Rhodes rather than an acoustic piano is proving a real good idea. The three different composers are heard very distinct universe, but I still remember a uniformity in the interpretation. Other times I have listened Mine were really overwhelmed me, and it is regrettable that the records of guy who always so impressively blows in his saxophone, are so difficult to find, and so expensive (at this time, his First album with Philips with Masabumi Kikuchi is trading at 300 US $ on eBay!).

The text was translated from French and adjusted for the purposes of this blog.

I apologize for the spelling mistakes :)

If you find it, buy this album!

MASAHIKO SATO & YOSUKE YAMASHITA – Piano Duo (LP-1974)

Label: Nippon Columbia – YP-7033-N

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Japan / Released: 1974

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded live at Asahi Seimei Hall, Tokyo, December 25, 1973.

Cover design by – Koga Hirano

Photos by – Tadayuki Naito

Illustration by – Chinatsu Nakayama

Engineered by – Norio Okawa

Produced by – Masahiko Sato and Yosuke Yamashita

A - Piano Duo - Part I .......................................................................... 22:10

B - Piano Duo - Part II ......................................................................... 18:30

Masahiko Sato: piano (right channel, Steinway - semi)

Yosuke Yamashita: piano (left channel, Steinway - full)

Ultra-Rare 1974 original Japanese first pressing of  Masahiko Sato and Yosuke Yamashita „Piano Duo“ on Nippon Columbia, LP (YP-7033-N).

This exclusive Japanese release was recorded live at Asahi Seimei Hall, Tokyo, December 25, 1973 with Masahiko Sato on the right channel (Steinway - semi) and Yosuke Yamashita on the left channel (Steinway - full).

I'm sure you will enjoy. The sound is perfect.

If you find it, buy this album!

YOSUKE YAMASHITA TRIO – Umbrella Dance (LP-1977)

Label: Frasco – FS-7022

Format: Vinyl, LP / Country: Japan / Released: 1977

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded June 16, 1977 at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, West Germany.

Design [Album Design] – Hideomi Ishikawa

Producer – Horst Weber

Assistant producer by – Roppei Iwagami

Engineer [Recording Engineering] – Miyasaka Tsuyoshi

Composed by – Yosuke Yamashita

A1 - Umbrella Dance Part I ........................................................ 4:59

A2 - Umbrella Dance Part II a .................................................. 15:36

B1 - Umbrella Dance Part II b .................................................... 6:30

B2 - Umbrella Dance Part III ..................................................... 12:51

Yosuke Yamashita – piano

Akira Sakata – alto saxophone, alto clarinet

Shohta Koyama – drums, percussion

Yosuke Yamashita Trio - Umbrella Dance, original Japanese press from 1977 on the Frasco label (Frasco FS-7022). One of the best my acquisitions in recent years, completely preserved vinyl, does not have a single scratch. A beautiful design. Yamashita Trio with Shohta Koyama on drums, this one. Just about to spin it!

Japanese pianist Yosuke Yamashita (1942) formed a bass-less trio in 1969 with drummer Takeo Moriyama and tenorist Seiichi Nakamura, documented by the live albums Dancing Kojiki (july 1969), Jazz In Tokyo '69 (august 1969) and Concert In New Jazz (september 1969), and by the studio albums Mina's Second Theme(october 1969) and Mokujiki (january 1970), by the live albums Trio By Trio + One (may 1970), '70 Jazz Festival In Nemu (july 1970) and Summer Jazz In Tokyo (august 1970), and finally by the studio album April Fool/ Coming Muhammad Ali (november 1971).

Alto saxophonist Akira Sakata took Nakamura's place in 1973. The jams of the trio (and the pianist's stormy style) were captured on Live 1973 (july 1973), that contained a 19-minute version of Yamashita's Ballad for Takeo (19:01) and a 22-minute version of Akira Sakata's Zubo (22:22), Yosuke Yamashita Trio(november 1973), Clay (june 1974), with his signature theme Clay, Frozen Days(september 1974), Chiasma (june 1975),Banslikana (july 1976), Arashi (september 1976). 

Shohta Koyama replaced Moriyama on Umbrella Dance (june 1977)...

...

A great moment of Japanese free jazz, one of my favorite albums. Enjoy, and if you can, necessarily to purchase this trio. The magic is intoxicating, is waiting for you.

If you find it, buy this album!

MARC LEVIN AND HIS FREE UNIT – The Dragon Suite (LP-1969)

Label: BYG Records – BYG 529 112

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold jacket / Country: France / Released: 1969

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded by Stereo Sound Studios, N.Y.C., 1967.

Liner Notes – Philippe Carles

Producer – Bill Dixon

Recorded By – Jerry Newman

Matrix / Runout: BYG 529 112 A

Matrix / Runout: BYG 529 112 B

A1 - Morning Colors .......................................................................................... 16:07

A2 - The Dragon And The Rainbow: Forum With Modernmen .......................... 3:49

B1 - The Rainbow ............................................................................................... 0:32

B2 - Twilight Dance ............................................................................................ 7:39

B3 - Meditation: The Sea, The Fire, The Earth ................................................. 12:07

Marc Levin : flute,  trumpet, woodwind [wind instruments], composed

Jonas Gwanga : trombone

Cecil McBee : bass

Calo Scott : cello

Frank Clayton : drums, percussion

I have not heard this vinyl for a long time but I remember that I loved this fine album (and kept it), it's free jazz, but not as wild as some other recordings, rather a chamber-jazz approach with its exciting and dense moments, but at times very subtle and never lost in screaming.

Players are Marc Levin on wood flutes and some smaller cornet-type brass instrument, South African trombonist Jonas Gwanga, Calo Scott on cello (who is magnificent as always), Cecil McBee on bass and Frank Clayton on drums. Bill Dixon (Levin's teacher) produced the album.

 Originally released: Savoy Records ‎– SMG-12190

Levin is a rather obscure figure - he recorded another self produced album in the 1970's (again with Scott and Clayton and the drummer's wife at the time, Jay Clayton), and one for ENJA after he moved to Europe, but I haven't heard of him since.

Both sides of this probing avant-garde LP begin with unaccompanied flute intros that sound almost more like electro-acoustic classical sounds rather than flute. They gradually open up as others join in, and in both cases the results sound remarkably the similar. This I emphasize, of course, in the positiv context, in order to better understand the essence and structure of this unusual work. The added instrumentation (trombone, cello, bass, percussion, and other various brasses) is a combination of low-key and mellow sounds that, perhaps because of the exclusion of reed instruments, maintains a calm demeanor despite the sporadic increases in volume and fervor. Where other sessions of this genre tend to include an alto or tenor player here we have something else. The Dragon Suite sounds more like an instrumental dinner conversation. Levin's varying brasses and Jonas Gwanga's trombone in particular keep these free excursions grounded and their speech-like patterns sound. This is a perfectly enjoyable record, and like the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Tutankhamun session, it tends to wander rather aimlessly at times. With all this must be added a typically fine performance from bassist Cecil McBee and unusual excitement that provides Calo Scott on cello, as well as Frank Clayton's magical percussion.

I think that you should love this beautiful LP.

If you find it, buy this album!

JOSEPH JARMAN / ANTHONY BRAXTON – Together Alone (LP-1974)

Label: Delmark Records – DS-428

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1974

Style: Free Jazz, Avantgarde

Recorded At Delmark Records, December 29, 1971.

Design [Cover And Liner Design] – Turtel Onli

Producer – Robert G. Koester

Recording Supervisor [Supervision] – Anthony Braxton, Joseph Jarman

Note:

Track titles and placements differ on the labels from the sleeve as follows.

A1 - Together Alone ............................................................................. 5:39

         Composed By – Jos. Jarman

A2 - Down Dance 1-Morning (Including Circles) ............................... 16:04

         Composed By – Jos. Jarman

B1 - CK-7-(GN) 436 ............................................................................. 6:10

         Composed By – Anthony Braxton

B2 - SBN-A12 66 K ............................................................................ 14:53

         Composed By – Anthony Braxton

Joseph Jarman – soprano saxophone, synthesizer, flute, sopranino saxophone, alto 

                            saxophone, bells, voice

Anthony Braxton – contrabass clarinet, alto saxophone, piano, flute, voice

It's a matter of fact that the late 60s and early 70s was a time of great artistic experimentation and achievement for creative improvised music. Paris, in particular, lured some of the AACM's most important musicians from Chicago (Art Ensemble of Chicago. Anthony Braxton. Leroy Jenkins, Leo Smith, Steve McCall, et. al.). where their music faced largely indifferent reception, to participate in a community that truly appreciated discussion, interaction, innovation, adventure, intellect, and raw creativity. Rather than performing their music for a handful of folks as they had at home, they encountered large enthusiastic audiences genuinely interested and appreciative of their work. The great proliferation of recordings on excellent labels like BYG-Actuel, Freedom, and America offers testimonial to the abundant opportunities to have their music not only heard, but recorded as well. Back in the states only Delmark Records and Nessa Records, dedicated but financially limited at the time, had been interested in their music.

 Joseph Jarman, c. 1970, Chicago by Tom Copi (Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)

The remarkable recording you now possess was a part of the fruit of this fertile period. Recorded in December of 1971, it didn't see release until 1974. an era when interest in this music was quite low. Consequently, it pretty much slipped through the vast cracks that swallow so much music outside the leading movements of the day. Fusion's popularity had long knocked this stuff out of real contention.

Although the purer thrust of issues originally addressed by that AACM as a communal organization had changed through interaction with other musicians —Braxton, for example, was in the midst of working in the landmark group Circle with Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Barry Altschul— Together Alone, as author Ronald M. Radano suggests in his excellent book on Braxton New Musical Figurations (University of Chicago Press, 1993), "looked back on performance approaches first developed in the AACM. " Braxton and Joseph Jarman, both with the Art Ensemble and on recordings of others (BYG's catalog is rempant with semi-ad hoc configurations that both Braxton and Jarman had participated in), had laid to rest the conscious insularity that made the AACM's deliberate collectivism so effective at its peak, but this album proves they hadn't surrendered the spirit that guided them in Chicago.

The album opens with three Jarman compositions. The title track finds both Braxton and Jarman on alto saxophone spinning long, languid, serene, and melancholy unison lines; the path eventually forks and Braxton takes on a more rugged and jagged trail while Jarman's remains smooth and flowing. Despite the musical separation, the saxophones remain inextricably linked. One of the AACM approaches Radano surely refers to on this recording is the integration of silence and space. At times, the music goes against the grain of time, and other moments it rejects it altogether. Leaving the music strewn with gaps of silence rather than opting for a total sound density, the AACMers were among the first in jazz to exploit space as a compositional tool.

The opening track flows into "Dawn Dance." Braxton moving to piano and Jarman picking up his flute. Oblique, spacious keyboard punctuations-including some compelling inside-the-piano tinkling—provide a bed for Jarman's outpourings which range from gentle, highly lyrical dreamweaving to almost sharp, stuttered jags. The brief "Morning (Including Circles)" leaps from a soothing peal of hand bells into dense cacophony. Amid myriad layers of sound, the static bells become suddenly abrasive, Braxton and Jarman shouting out of sync, while their shrill horns seem to simulate electronic white noise. It's an exhilarating, early ascent into coarse textural exploration.

Braxton's "Composition 21" ("CK7 [GN]") elaborates the textural layering on a grander scale. Flutes, piano, contrabass clarinet, alto sax. whistles, and abstract, sometimes jarring sounds on electronic tape provide an extremely dense sonic collage, yet once one abides by the superficial level of chaos, it becomes obvious that Braxton's sound sculpture is most certainly ordered and well-conceived. Finally. Braxton's lengthy "Composition 20" ("SBN-A-1 66K") constructs a fine tension between lyrical horn lines (his contrabass clarinet and Jarman's soprano saxophone) and an almost static but changing ring of jingling bells. The bells develop in complexity throughout the composition, providing an increasing tension with the horns. Although the bells suggest no melody, their pattern becomes more and more dense harmonically, while the attack of the horns doesn't fluctuate.

Aside from being the only duet recording there is between these two masters. Together Alone is far more than just a curious meeting. Elaborating on AACM concepts with lessons learned in Paris, its exciting combination of one-on-one collaboration with through-composed material sounds more vibrant and vital than ever, over four decades since it was recorded. 

_Review by Peter Margasek

If you find it, buy this album!

MILTON MARSH – Monism (Strata-East / LP-1975)

Label: Strata-East – SES-19758

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1975

Style: Post Bop, Avant-garde Jazz, Spiritual, Free Jazz

Recorded 3rd July 1973 and 23rd May 1974 at Media Sound, New York.

Arranged By, Composed By, Producer – Milton Marsh

Artwork [Graphics] – Carole Byard

Published By – Milton Marsh Publishing Co.

Matrix / Runout (Side A Etched Runout): SES-19758-A e

Matrix / Runout (Side B Etched Runout): SES-19758-B

A1 - Vonda's Tune (part 1 of "Earth, Home Of The Mortals") ........................ 2:14

A2 - Community Music ................................................................................... 6:43

A3 - Monism ................................................................................................... 8:49

B1 - Metamorphosis ....................................................................................... 5:57

B2 - Ode to Nzinga ........................................................................................ 7:18

B3 - Sabotage, 3 preparations ....................................................................... 9:15

alto saxophone, conductor, voice [spoken text]  – Milton Marsh

piano – Cedric Lawson

alto saxophone – Joseph Ferguson, Rene McClean

baritone saxophone  – Reynold Scott

tenor saxophone  – Bill Cody, David S. Ware

trombone – Charles Stevens, Bill Lowe, Bill Campbell

trumpet – Kamal Abdul-Alim, Sinclair Acey, Bubbles Martin, Frank Williams

tuba – Bill Davis

double bass – Don Pate

drums, percussion – Greg Bandy

One of the harder to find records on Strata East, and a beautiful set of spiritual/free jazz tracks composed and arranged by reed player Milton Marsh.

Recorded in 1973 and 74 and released in limited quantities in 1975. Six song album of free jazz mixed with African rythmns! Personnel include: Rene McClean, Joseph Ferguson, David Ware, Bill Cody, Reynold Scott, Frank Williams, Sinclair Acey, Bubbles Martin, Kamal Abdul-Alim, Bill Campbell, Charles Stevens, Bill Lowe, Bill Davis, Cedric Lawson, Don Tate, Greg Bandy. ULTRA-RARE!!

 arranged, composed, producer – Milton Marsh

In 1975, Milton Marsh released his first album "Monism" for the Strata-East label. Marsh, a composer, arranger, saxophonist and flautist, recorded the album in New York City, and the musicians on "Monism" represent some of the finest living in NYC at the time: pianist Cedric Lawson, bassist Don Pate, along with two rising stars at the time, David Ware on saxophone and Greg Bandy on percussion. Ironically, all of these artists would go on to record several volumes of music in their careers except for Marsh, who recorded only one additional album, 1985’s Continuum, after a decade long absence.

Marsh composed and arranged all of the album’s six compositions, each of which featured between nine and 17 players. This sizable headcount explains the album’s ability to soar from quiet, minimal moments to robust, dissonant explosions, depending upon the track.

“Vonda’s Tune”, the album’s opener, begins with a brief solitary and somber horn solo, which later opens up to the more “avant” sounds of “Community Music”. The title track is where Marsh’s compositions reach their most unpredictable and exciting moments, however. “Monism” closes out the A side with a free jazz jamboree, complete with a spoken word delivery of a Sufi poem from Marsh himself. The album’s B side is relegated to more traditional structures, and features some of the most driving piano, drum and saxophone playing. Nice stuff, and one of those that you hardly ever see!

An incredible album from Milton Marsh on Strata East. Essential.

If you find it, buy this album!