Yuji Ito & Koichi Hirata Duo: Two for the Road

Jazz of Japan #321 • Aug 3, 2025 • Brian McCrory

Two for the Road is a 2024 album from bassist Yuji Ito and guitarist Koichi Hirata, working as a duo here on their first collaboration. Both musicians are young, still in their 20s and 30s, yet their style, vocabulary, and tone speak of a maturity born of attentive listening, devotion, and playing experience.

They fill the nine-track album with 58 minutes of beloved tunes from the standard jazz playbook and the ballad/swing/bop canon, mostly from the core 1950s and 60s jazz eras:

1. “When Sunny Gets Blue” (Fisher/Segal, 1956)
2. “Something Special” (Jim Hall, 1993)
3. “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise” (Romberg/Hammerstein II, 1928)
4. “Full House” (Wes Montgomery, 1962) * trio w/ drums
5. “Wilton’s Mood” (Wilton Gaynair, 1959) * quartet w/ sax, drums
6. “Two for the Road” (Mancini/Bricusse, 1967)
7. “Emily” (Mandel/Mercer, 1964)
8. “Reflections” (Thelonious Monk, 1952)
9. “My One and Only Love” (Wood/Mellin, 1952) * trio w/ sax

On three of the tracks (marked with * above), the duo expands to a trio or a quartet with saxophonist Kosuke Mine and drummer Yusuke Yaginuma joining in. On these trio/quartet tracks, the effect is a natural increase in energy and excitement with the inherent rhythmic energy brought in by the drums and the full body of an edgy but mellow saxophone tone.

The duo stays close to the original compositions in their play-through, honoring the essence of each song without altering too much. A lot of enjoyment is generated through the beautiful tones of each instrument and the genuine jazz feel each member brings to the tunes’ melodies and each player’s improvisations.

In general, there’s a happy, relaxed feel that runs through the tracks. Three songs are played as sentimental ballads (#1, 6, 9) or comfortably subdued moments and mid-tempo swinging sessions on the majority of the songs. The two tracks with sax, #5 “Wilton’s Mood” and the album closer #9 “My One and Only Love”, are played with energetic verve and romantic tenderness, respectively.

Two for the Road by Yuji Ito & Koichi Hirata Duo

• Yuji Ito - bass
• Koichi Hirata - guitar
• Kosuke Mine - tenor sax (tracks #5, 9)
• Yusuke Yaginuma - drums (tracks #4, 5)

Released in 2024 as NONET-3.

Names in Japanese: 伊藤勇司 Ito Yuji 平田晃一 Hirata Koichi 峰厚介 Mine Kosuke 柳沼佑育 Yaginuma Yusuke

Related Albums

• Fumika Asari: Introducin’ (2020)
• Hiro Kimura Quintet: Folds (2023)
• Hiro Kimura: Trees (2021)
• Kohsuke Mine Quintet: Major to Minor (1993)
• Miyuki Moriya: Beyond the Sea (2024)

Audio and Video

• Yuji Ito playing “Isfahan”:

• Koichi Hirata Quartet playing “My One and Only Love”:

• Yuji Ito, Ryo Ogihara, and Ren Yamamoto playing “Take the Coltrane”
• Koichi Hirata Quartet playing “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”
• Koichi Hirata, Kota Kaihori, and Daisuke Ijichi playing “Joy Spring”
• Koichi Hirata and Fumika Asari Quartet playing “Anthropology”