Daiki Yasukagawa Trio: Trios II
Daiki Yasukagawa Trio: Trios II
Jazz of Japan #99 • Feb 10, 2020 • Brian McCrory
Similar in concept to Ray Brown’s Some Of My Best Friends Are… album series in which the legendary bassist plays with assorted partners in jazz, bassist Daiki Yasukagawa’s release Trios II from 2015 features the bassist performing with four different trios assembled from multiple pianists and drummers. A followup to Yasukagawa’s Trios (2010), Trios II brings even more musicians into the recording studio and offers up a new album with the various trios performing 11 songs.
The pianists and drummers are all players who perform with the bassist on different albums and at live shows in Japan, and each member adds personal touches and dynamics to the combos. The majority of songs are originals from the bassist, with the balance being in favor of slower tempo ballads and relaxed moods built upon the bassist’s deep, weighty sound and timing. A few uptempo numbers are included, starting with the album opener West Side Story’s “Tonight” which kicks things off with a great swing beat, Yasukawaga’s own joyful “My Bebop Tune”, and an exuberantly wild “Circle III”.
In addition to providing a glimpse into the modern working trio in Tokyo’s current jazz scene, Trios II is also a great standalone package of jazz piano trios performing Yasukagawa’s music for a comfortable, mood-enhancing collection.
Trios II by Daiki Yasukagawa Trio
- Daiki Yasukagawa - bass
- Taihei Asakawa - piano (#1, 2)
- Hitomi Nishiyama - piano (#3, 4)
- Naoko Tanaka - piano (#5, 6)
- Mamoru Ishida - piano (#7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- Ryo Noritake - drums (#1, 2)
- Yuto Hirase - drums (#3, 4)
- Manabu Hashimoto - drums (#5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Released in 2015 on D-Musica as DMCD-28.
Japanese names: Daiki Yasukagawa 安ヵ川大樹 Taihei Asakawa 浅川太平 Hitomi Nishiyama 西山瞳 Naoko Tanaka 田中菜緒子 Mamoru Ishida 石田衛 Ryo Noritake 則武諒 Yuto Hirase 平瀬祐人 Manabu Hashimoto 橋本学
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