No doubt Nakamura’s vision extends through the material, from the steampunk-ish cover to the song titles that describe a fantastical, searching aesthetic. And, of course, this influence carries through to the music, artfully composed with originality and serving as a beautiful post-bop platform for each musician’s improvisation.

Although this is a trumpet leader’s album, Nakamura has always been generous, and each musician gets plenty of space to shine. There are plenty of blistering sax solos, aggressively gripping piano, and nimble and heavy bass and drum rhythms (plus, both bassist Kanamori and drummer Takemura not only lock in the solid foundation but also take solos as well.)

The songwriting does have a Humadope flavor throughout. On modern jazz frames that would fit a Jazz Messengers model, there are twin harmony lines played out by trumpet and sax in daredevil curves and with just dissonance for a spicy edge. Time signatures and rhythmic hooks are catchy, with a cleverly unpredictable quality to throw off the stability of typical musical patterns. Bass hooks and staggered melodies launch and segment in creative places. Another Humadope trademark is the occasional short musical machine-gun style break riff used to ramp up excitement and grab attention through repeated short phrases or a series of single notes between sections of a song.

The whole album is filled with great moments, and picking favorites depends on the day. Current highlights include:

• “Space Boy”, hinting at the innovative combos of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Wynton Marsalis.
• The unignorable funky swing on “So Nice!!”, with its rhythmic space and gaps that imbue a catchy groove with playful surprise.
• “North Kingdom” and its interfacing stairstep structures and magical qualities masquerading as a ballad.
• “Genseirin”, the tumbling syncopated masterpiece with a free jazz section and coordinated outro section. This track in particular song contains the most creatively arranged music on the album, a magnificent compositional form and sound reminiscent of the great Wayne Shorter’s ideas.
• “Sense of Mission”, with its tense speed and rhythm hooks, staccato chops, and searing solos.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video of “So Nice!”, track #3 on this album:

• Live versions of “Space Boy”, “Sense of Mission”, and “So Nice!” from 2019:

• Excerpt from track #7: “Sense Of Mission”

The core band is made up of guitar, trumpet, fretless electric bass, and drums, with guest keyboard on three tracks adding a warm bluesy sound for extra soul. While much of the music is built around a fusion jazz/rock mood which runs through the album, the dial also moves to include smooth jazz sounds, evocative jazz waltzes, and pop, including a rendition of “Blackbird” by The Beatles. One track, “Loplop”, comes closest to pure bop guitar with a fast swing beat and walking bass, where Matsuo plays quick jazzy lines in the style of guitarists such as Tal Farlow and Pat Martino.

Bonanza’s jazz/fusion side is displayed best on the track “Wicked Wind”, an 11-plus minute jam which boils with energy and echoes the electric fusion periods of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock to some extent. With developed excitement on extended trumpet and guitar solos played over a rousing bass and drum riff, and including a drum feature near the end, one almost expects to hear a crowd’s roar after the final note is played. In fact, a second alternate take of this song is included near the end of the album, a welcome encore of this satisfying set piece.

All the musician shine with visceral playing and a clean sound, with solos, duos, and group features arranged among the songs. Adding to the variations in mood are Matsuo’s use of acoustic and electric guitar selected to suit the material, as well as trumpeter Keisuke Nakamura alternating between trumpet, flugelhorn, and even adding real-time delay, wah-wah, and distortion effects to his horn at several dramatic moments. As for the indefatigable rhythm section, the impressively twisty lines from bassist Ryoji Orihara move with glissando slides, deep pops, and high ringing harmonic tones, and add a lot to the music along with the tight patterns and quick reactions from drummer Yasushi Fukumori, who uses the complete set to great effect with brilliant dynamics and incredible playing.

Audio and Video

• Bonanza performing “Loplop” live, the seventh track on this album:

• Excerpt from track #4: “Wicked Wind”

This album consists of well-written original compositions with a few covers thrown in (Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones). Overall, this is an excellent debut with a variety of moods, tempos, and exciting solos showcasing some premium J Jazz from the current crop of musicians.

Audio and Video

• Live performance of track #4 “Round Table”:

• Excerpt from track #1: “SPEED HARASSMENT”