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: 安ヵ川大樹 Yasukagawa Daiki 浅川太平 Asakawa Taihei 西山瞳 Nishiyama Hitomi 田中菜緒子 Tanaka Naoko 石田衛 Ishida Mamoru 則武諒 Noritake Ryo 平瀬祐人 Hirase Yuto 橋本学 Hashimoto Manabu

Audio and Video

• Daiki Yasukagawa Trio video for Trios II:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Tonight”

Jazz of Japan #99 • Feb 10, 2020 • Brian McCrory