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.

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”:

• Excerpt from track #4: “Full House”

Joining Kimura’s rhythm sections are the front-line members consisting of three horn players who alternate and unite on different tracks. Alto and soprano saxes are played by Akiha Nishiyama and Kohei Ando, and trumpet by Mao Sone, who also switches to piano and Fender Rhodes for two songs.

Most of the songs feature a quartet form with sax, piano, bass, and drums, with Nishiyama and Ando switching off between the two rhythm sections. The two sax players even join up on one song with a burning back-and-forth sax dialogue on the addictively chunky #4 “Updraft”, where the reverse-step riffs and rhythms with the steadily rising notes of melody and improv appear as upward-flowing tendrils of smoke or air.

Along with his crystal clear and clean-cut drumming, this debut from Kimura also showcases to a large degree his writing style with jazz, mainly, but also pop and Brazilian musical influences. There is straight modern jazz composing with personality (#1 “Winter Pillow”, #2, “Groundwater”, #3 “Enrai”, #4 “Updraft”), melancholy infused with folk or ethnic influences (#5 “K’s A Major”, #6 “Gijibato Blues”), and cool-down, laid-back grooves (#8 “Time After Time”, #9 “When It Was New”).

While this is a drummer-led album, Kimura shares the stage generously with all of the members in these trios, quartets, and quintets; his humility extends even to the album credits where his own name is placed last in order. Aside from his locked-in drumming skills, fans of great drummers will also notice several moments on the record when he takes the spotlight. Kimura’s drum solos are featured on track #1 “Winter Pillow” and #4 “Updraft” after the horns and piano finish their solos. In addition, his propulsive percussion intros to #4 “Updraft” and #7 “Overrun” set the mood perfectly and crank up the engines for two of the dynamic highlights on the album as well.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hiro Kimura’s original Japanese liner notes.)

First of all, thank you for checking out this album.

A warm welcome to those who may already know my name or the musicians on this album, and also to those who are hearing us for the first time. Also, to any young people who may have discovered this CD on their parent’s bookshelf someday decades in the future.

Because this is instrumental music, you can use your imagination freely however you like with this music. But when it comes to me, I enjoy looking at the descriptions on the package while I’m eating, so here I’ll write down just a bit about the songs.

Winter Pillow

From the bed of a room in the cold of winter, a world of music spreads out. This is what I imagined for this song. I wrote this song for my composition class’s final assignment while studying abroad in Boston, and I’ve been playing it ever since I returned to Japan. Come to think of it, Mao Sone also played on it when we played it for the first time in class.

Groundwater

This has the feeling of melted snow which turns into groundwater and gushes out. The members’ love for jazz also oozes out from their performance.

遠雷 (*/*Enrai, distant thunder*/)*

I wrote this song about one summer’s sudden heavy downpour. Dark clouds appeared in the distance and steadily approached, turning into a violent rain. When they eventually departed, they left a slightly chilly air behind.

Updraft

Since two of Japan’s leading sax players are on this album, we recorded this song for the two horns to show their stuff. The two players intertwine and rise to the top much like the title “Updraft” suggests.

K’s A Major

K stands for bassist Keisuke Furuki. It’s a ballad based on a memorable phrase he often plays.

Kijibato Blues

When I was stuck at home in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, I kept hearing the sound of Kijibato (Eastern Turtledoves) singing in the neighborhood. Their listless cries created an unsettled feeling and led to this melancholic melody.

Overrun

One day, there was an internet news article that read “○○ Subway Train Overruns Station Platform”. It stopped only a few meters off, and no one was injured, so I was surprised that this made the news. On the other hand, there are big accidents that occur every day during jazz performances (haha). That’s also one of the best parts. Each member overruns.

Time After Time

This is the only standard tune on this album. Some lyrics include “The twilight at one day’s end.” This arrangement somehow conveys that image of a sunset, as the end of the album also approaches.

When It Was New

This song takes the role of the album’s end credits. I hope that the soft reverberations linger for a little while.

June 20, 2021

Hiro Kimura

Audio and Video

• Video for “Winter Pillow”, track #1 on this album:

• Video for “Enrai”, track #3 on this album:

• Video for “Catch The Flow”:

• Album playlist (YouTube)

• Album stream (TuneCore Japan)

• Album stream (Songlink/Odesli)

• Excerpt from track #4: “Updraft”

Folds is a live recording of Kimura’s quintet playing in Kobe in 2022. Drummer Kimura leads the group featuring special guest Kazuhiko Takeda, whose melodic, soulful jazz guitar is exquisitely framed by the relatively younger musicians. Regardless of age, the unit displays talent, harmonious energy, and reverence for the music they create together.

The album contains eight tracks, seven jazz standards and covers plus one original composition from Kimura. Starting with the slow ballad “My Ideal”, the music is straight-ahead, satisfying jazz with a few members each soloing on specific songs.

Takeda’s guitar shines throughout with a warm tone and superb improvisation, a mellow sound that is well-balanced against Hirose’s excellent trumpet notes full of real jazz spirit. The piano sound may seem understated at first, but Naoko Tanaka exhibits a high level of skill with her impressive, jazzy lines and confident comping.

Bassist Yuji Ito and leader Kimura hold down the impeccable bass lines and rhythms throughout the album, and each takes the spotlight on later tracks. Kimura especially, as the leader and rhythmic director, adds ear-catching dynamic variations, rumbling textures, and splashes of sound throughout to support and respond to the musicians as they ad-lib in the moment.

Besides the slow ballad “My Ideal” and the bossa nova “Triste”, most of the songs are mid- to up-tempo numbers that swing with real live vitality, music created in the moment before a rapt audience with fun interplay and imaginative improvisation. Highlights like “Summertime”, “Someday My Prince Will Come”, and “Our Delight” invoke the live spirit and sounds of combos like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Similarly, the drummer’s original song “Face to Face” has a distinctive Cedar Walton hard-bop style and is a standout with its catchy structure and thrilling solos.

This straight-ahead music combines respect for the art form with modern influences, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hiro Kimura’s original Japanese liner notes.)

1.My Ideal

This is a ballad with a cute melody. This song was played as an encore for that day’s second set. Listen to the warm sound of the band.

2.Face to Face

This is the only “Kimura original”, played here by the quartet without Takeda. It’s a song I wrote during a self-restrained lifestyle imposed by the corona pandemic while thinking about the enjoyment of playing with people. This song was the first song of the first set.

3.Summertime

This is George Gershwin’s well-known melancholic song. We played it simply with a medium swing feel.

4.Triste

Antonio Carlos Jobim’s refreshing song. You can feel the early summer atmosphere present on the day of the recording.

5.Povo

A funky song by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Hirose explodes! And definitely check out Takeda’s musical interjections near the end of the last melody statement… it’s so cool.

6.Someday My Prince Will Come

The very famous Disney song. I wonder if it’s rare to be playing this song in this way in the 2020s. We play the song vigorously and at a faster tempo compared to Miles Davis’ famous take.

7.Willow Weep For Me

This is a bluesy song that’s a favorite of Takeda. As for me, when I think of this song I think of Takeda. It’s a beautiful ensemble with him. Please check out the only bass solo on this album.

8.Our Delight

This is a 1964 song from pianist Tadd Dameron. Takeda often played this song in the past, but on this day it seems that it had been several years since he played it. During the rehearsal, we confirmed the melody bit by bit, and we were all moved by the wonderful performance.

Miscellaneous Notes:

I’d love to record with Kazuhiko Takeda.

This has been my [Kimura’s] secret dream for the past several years.

The performance of Kansai’s world-renowned guitar master Kazuhiko Takeda is one of a kind, with frightening sharpness and speed and an original sense of melody that is deeply rooted in jazz.

After meeting Takeda in 2014 we played together many times, but the 2020 corona pandemic made me unable to meet him for over a year.

In the fall of 2021, we finally performed together again. I was astonished by that performance and decided to make a live recording.

The venue was 100Ban Hall in the Takasago Building, a historic building in my hometown of Kobe. This is the spot where my father had an office when I was a child and where I used to come to play, so I feel a strange connection to this venue.

The members for my first album include the ever-reliable pianist Naoko Tanaka and bassist Yuji Ito who I’ve played with the most. In front is the strong trumpeter Miki Hirose, who makes that day’s music the best whenever he is there.

Tanaka and Ito met Takeda for the first time the day before the recording. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime recording.

As for the results… let your ears be the judge.

Hiro Kimura

Audio and Video

• The Hiro Kimura Quintet playing “Triste” from this album:

• Excerpt from track #2: “Face To Face”