R.I.P. MASABUMI KIKUCHI 1939 - 2015























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RELEASE DATE FEBRUARY 23rd on BBE RECORDS J-Jazz - Deep Modern Jazz from Japan 1969-1984

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Release date Feb 23rd 2018. PRE ORDERS AVAILABLE HERE :    Triple vinyl / CD / Download.  In the years following the World War Two, Japan developed one of the most insatiable, dynamic and diverse markets for jazz. For a crucial period of little over a decade – from the late 1960s to the early 1980s – Japanese jazz culture progressed at an astonishing rate, producing an extraordinary array of artists, recordings and record labels that created some of the most forward thinking and impressive jazz to be committed to tape. This amazing journey is explored on ‘J Jazz’. This compilation from BBE uncovers some of the most sought after and rare material from this period and pulls together key artists who shaped the post-war modern jazz scene in Japan. ‘J Jazz’ includes obscure and sought after rarities like the bass-driven power jazz of Koichi Matsukaze’s ‘Earth Mother’, the holy grail rarity of Aizawa Tohru Quartet’s ‘Dead Letter’ and the loping majesty of Takeo Moriyama’s ‘Nort...
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NATHAN DAVIS - THE HIP WALK

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Nathan Davis for MPS from 1966. Nathan Davis (ts, ss, fl); Carmell Jones (tp); Francy Boland (p); Jimmy Woode (b); Kenny Clarke (dr) On 1 September 1965 a group of five musicians got together for a recording session at the SABA studio in Villingen - and one might quite justifiably label them all with the word "cosmopolitan". Kenny Clarke came from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, known under the Muslim name of Liaquat Ali Salaam, made Paris his home; Jimmy Woode, also from Pennsylvania, lived with his Javanese wife in Cologne, Germany and in Holland; Francy Boland, the Belgian arranger and pianist, lived in Berlin and directed the European Big Band in Cologne; Nathan Davis came from the second largest jazz centre, Kansas City, and lived with his German wife in Paris; and finally Carmell Jones, his "buddy" of the past, spoke of himself as a Berliner..Although these musicians came from all parts of the globe, they met up together on common ground when it came to music. The ke...
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MITSUAKI KANNO - BUSHO

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Mitsuaki Kanno for RCA Japan from 1970. Mitsuaki Kanno (p), Osamu Oyama (ss, ts), Hiroyuki Yamakawa (ts), Tomoya Haneo (tp), Yasutoshi Inamori (fl), Yasushi Mitsui (g), Shizuo Hashimoto (b), Masabori Asakura (b), Junichi Mitobe (ds, perc) Superb blend of free and modal jazz with Japanese elements from pianist Kanno and his group featuring four long original compositions the highlight being the rolling modal  "Kumo No Ito" (Spider Silk). The finest in Japanese jazz....
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