The music on this album is straight-ahead jazz built on the familiar format of trumpet-sax-piano-bass-drums hard-bop quintets. The playing style has a modern jazz feel with a mix of swing beats and straight-eights that is rooted in an energetic, soulful style, the kind that fans of Jazz Messengers and similar classic Blue Note era albums will find immediately appealing.

Adding to the attraction is the group’s new material composed by the members of this band. This is solid contemporary jazz, modern with a base of expressive hard bop, exciting ad-libbing, and fun arrangements. Many songs are straightforward soloing showcases that swing with fun and energy, but there are also slower pieces and ballads where Ichihara’s mellow trumpet and flugelhorn lines especially shine. Despite having her name in the group, Ichihara is an equal partner, and above all, she is gracious about sharing the spotlight. Much of the time, she does not take the first solo slot, and even skips her turn on some tunes to let her partners take the lead, or uses her turn for trading interactions with saxophone or drums.

Ichihara’s six excellent compositions cover a great range from swinging good-feeling fun (#1 “Coati”, #2 “Dorje’s Life”, #6 “Brain Weather”, #9 “The Laughing Stock”) to delicately moody (#7 “SCHEMA”) and sinister (#4 “Doom”). Adding to the palette is a composition each from pianist Hideaki Hori (the beautifully atmospheric #3 “Oslo”), saxophonist Ryosuke Asai (the soaring #8 “Toki”), and bassist Kunpei Nakabaya, whose two-part suite #5 “Sink - Flow” is an evocative highlight on the album. The selection of these songs shows Ichihara’s range and her taste in shaping the mood and attitude of the project, all strengthened by the group’s well-put-together ensemble sound that was very attuned and responsive after touring together and honing their musical craft.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hikari Ichihara’s original Japanese liner notes.)

1 Coati

Coati is another name for the animal called a “civet”. One night, there was a loud rumbling noise coming from the attic of the house where I live. I wondered if this was the “raccoon dog” civet that I’ve heard a lot about on talk shows recently, so I immediately called an extermination company to get a quote, which was a whopping 100,000 yen. Oh great, someone’s living in my house without permission and won’t leave unless I pay 100,000 yen… I was pretty dejected. I complained about this on the popular Twitter platform, and someone suggested the brilliant idea of writing a song called “Civet” in order to earn 10,000 yen in royalties. That’s why I wrote this song. Of course, “Civet” was too straightforward, so I chose a different title. In the end, the problem was revealed to be rats, and the bill was 40,000 yen… so that’s three more songs for me to write. For now, please check out “Coati”.

2 Dorje’s Life

I’m someone who pretty much reads one book every two days. I particularly like Kotaru Isaka and have read all of his published work. I tried to create a song to express how I view the world of Kotaru Isaka. Dorje is the name of a fantastic character that appears in the book Ahiru to Kamo no Koinrokka (The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck, and God in the Coin Locker).

3 Oslo

This is a number by a composer that I love, Hideaki Hori. It was written on February 2, 2010, the day before a duo gig that we had scheduled, and he seems to have had the sound of my flugelhorn in mind. I poured my heart and soul into this beautiful melody for the recording. I hope it can summon the scenery of Norway.

4 Doom

In these times, it feels as if our country Japan is facing difficulties in many areas. I strive to keep an awareness that our country is a responsibility of our generation, as we must try to make it better. I wrote this song from these feelings. Although this song was written before the great earthquake disaster, I would like to take this opportunity to honor the souls who perished in the calamity and to pray for a speedy recovery.

5 Sink - Flow

This is a number by bassist Kunpei Nakabayashi. It follows a suite form as two songs in one piece. Nakabayashi is a man of few words and does not explain much about his songs. It’s an honor for me to be able to include this very detailed and emotional piece of music on my album.

6 Brain Weather

Brain → 脳 (nou) / Weather → 天気 (tenki)/

It’s easy-going and carefree (能天気 noutenki). I attempted to write a song about my personality. Ahh, I hit upon a great title.

7 SCHEMA

Schema (organization of long-term memory): A module of information stored in long-term memory. It’s a term in clinical psychology that can be understood to represent fixed beliefs or assumptions. When I’m composing music, I often find myself wondering if I should write the hook or chorus in a certain way to increase the excitement. This is a 10-bar ballad that I wrote after clearing away those preconceptions.

8 Toki

This is a number by saxophonist Ryosuke Asai. This group performed this song once in Niigata, when Asai, a lover of large wild birds, was very excited because the Japanese crested ibis (朱鷺 toki) was released on that day. He said to the people then, “I promise to write a song called Toki by the time I return to Niigata”, and he has wonderfully fulfilled that promise. None of the band members has ever seen a crested ibis in flight, but we imagine it in our own way as we perform this song. It’s a masterpiece with a rich sense of scenery.

9 The Laughing Stock

Although the meaning is “an object of ridicule”, I played this song with all my heart and hope that you enjoy this album all the way to the end.

Thanks to your support, we were able to release our second album under the name “Hikari Ichihara Group”, recorded after many tours together. I want to thank the amazing members who stuck by me, the clumsy Hikari Ichihara, and I am deeply appreciative of the many live houses and owners who graciously invited us to perform, and to all the audiences who warmly gave applause. I want to thank all the staff at Pony Canyon who allow us to share our music, engineer Saka-san who records our music so realistically, designer Kitagawa-san who makes the album even better, and photographer Yoneya-san. And above all, I would love to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who listens to this album. I wish the best for you, today, and tomorrow, and with Unity by your side, nothing would make me happier.

Ichihara Hikari

Audio and Video

• Audio for “Coati”, track #1 on this album:

• Audio playlist for all tracks on this album

• Excerpt from track #9: “The Laughing Stock”

The jazz performance and original compositions on this album are focused on a few themes. One, perhaps most important and reflected in the title, is the sense of gratitude that Tanaka feels for others: her companions, musical partners, and no doubt her listeners and supporters as well.

Another goal for the pianist was to release an album full of her original songs. This includes one of her popular live show attractions, her tune “M.T.”, a fascinating uptempo swing number dedicated to and invoking certain comic book reptile heroes.

In addition, there are other perfectly swung tunes, respectful of tradition while pushing forward with new songs and talent. Highlights include the rolling rhythms and skipping frolic of #1 “Hydrangea Flower”, the solid and inventive title track #4 “Appreciation”, and the cool mellowness of #5 “Aries”, aiming to be unbound by genre limits to appeal to all.

Tying it all up in a lovely bow is the final track (and the only cover song on the album), #9 “Konomichi”, played by Tanaka as a soulful piano solo that captures a sentimental fondness in lovely light colors like the so many purple, pink, and blue flowers surrounding her in the cover image.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Naoko Tanaka’s album liner notes originally in Japanese.)

Thank you for getting this album.

I’ve always wanted to fill an album with my original songs, and I’m greatly thankful to the many people who helped this project become a reality. It’s a treasure for me to be able to record this love-filled album with my favorite musicians.

The recording truly reflects my account. When I listen back to the recording, it’s as if I can grasp the feeling of every moment of that time with each song. Such a record of myself is somewhat embarrassing, but I hope that you enjoy it.

Hydrangea Flower

I created this song with the image of my favorite hydrangea flowers with vivid colors and sparkling, raindrop-touched flower petals. The hydrangea were especially beautiful on the day of the recording, and as such this song became even more memorable. It became a great take with dynamic brilliance from the two horns.

Monk’s Birthday

This is a song dedicated to Thelonious Monk, one of my favorites. On October 10th, without knowing it was his birthday, I had a sudden desire to listen to Monk’s music. It’s a celebratory song that I happily wrote from this episode.

M.T.

It’s a song I’ve been playing for many years, one which some may consider to be my masterpiece (haha). I depict the world of the American comic that I love, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s a song full of tricky ninja-like moves and a thrilling performance for the trio.

Appreciation

This is a song I wrote for a live performance that marked the anniversary of my 2015 album Memories. As the meaning suggests, I performed this piece to express my gratitude to all of the people I’ve met along the way. Saxophone player Mabumi Yamaguchi, whom I greatly respect, often plays this song with me at live shows, so I summoned the courage to invite him to record this song with me.

Aries

As someone active in various musical genres, I wanted to record a song that was not bound by genre, and I chose an old song that I had written in the past. An image of the starry sky came to me, so I chose the title of Aries. There are a number of times when songs I wrote in the past take on a new, fresh feeling. It will be great if the younger generation also thinks “Wow, jazz is cool!”

mine mine

I was able to get a relaxing song that felt like floating near the seashore. Please enjoy the comfortable and poetic alto sax performance of Takayuki Sato.

A New Day

Actually, this song uses almost the same chord progressions as the jazz standard “Day by Day”. It’s fun to make a new song using a different melody, and to sometimes quote the original song. In fact, this melody came to me on the day before the recording and I quickly wrote it down. I could relax and perform with my favorite trio members who love to play standards.

Strength

This is one of the songs I wrote during a period of two months when I couldn’t perform any live shows in these times. I filled the music with the feeling of the music I want to make and the paths I want to take, and how strongly I felt that in times like these. With courage, I continue to work hard to make the music I love.

Konomichi

I performed Kosaku Yamada’s “Konomichi” as a solo piece. This song has had an idyllic image for a long time. I feel that there is something in common in the jazz spirit, of being proud of your hometown and where you came from. It’s a song that my grandfather loves and one that I always feel close to.

Audio and Video

• Video for “Hydrangea Flower”, track #1 on this album:

• Video for “Aries”, track #5 on this album:

• A live version of “Appreciation”, track #4 on this album:

• Excerpt from track #3: “M.T”

On KVQ’s Starry Nights, Nakajima’s bell-like tones and warm vibrato take center stage on ten new original songs with straight-ahead jazz, uptempo bebop, and heartwarming ballads. Her music (she contributes most of the original songwriting on this album, as on her previous two releases) is charming and fun, imbued with positivity and cheer.

Whether on the sunny opener “Through the Lights”, the mysterious “Echo of Stars”, or the rapid-fire “Dispel It!”, there’s a stellar lightness beaming through the music. This grace belies the strenuous effort Nakajima puts into her performance, pounding soul and muscle through the mallets to the instrument’s metal bars. It’s a seemingly bottomless reservoir of energy that is quite apparent at Nakajima’s dynamic live shows, where she transforms the heavy, challenging instrument into a limitless musical fountain that produces soaring streams of gravity-defying notes.

Liner Notes

(Excerpted and translated from the original Japanese liner notes written by Kaori Nakajima.)

1. Through the Lights

Shuto Expressway at night. Passing along the highway at high speed, lights shine from both sides… it’s like being surrounded by a tunnel of lights. This song was written with that feeling in mind. My dear old Subaru Sambar can only go to third gear, but he’s cute, and I admire his speed (laughs).

2. Echo of Stars

Twinkling stars in the night sky of a freezing winter. It takes an unimaginable number of years for these lights to reach the earth. It’s a strange feeling to see something that may not even exist any longer. This song was written while thinking about the sounds of stars that can not be heard. (Composition: Tamashi Goto)

3. Hazy Days

In the early spring of 2020, while the unprecedented coronavirus started to spread panic in the world, musicians were also faced with the decision of whether or not to perform live. Both choices were accompanied by regret and anxiety, and every day carried a feeling of confusion. I decided to write a song that would capture all this uncertainty.

4. Dispel It!

And, to completely drive away this feeling of gloom, I wrote this song on the same day as “Hazy Days” (It refers to Hazy).

5. Drop! Drop! Stars!

Based on a motif from the cool intro riff on track two, Tamashi’s “Echo of Stars”, I tried to write my own song about stars as a sort of answer song. I wrote this with a feeling of looking up at a sky full of stars with a childlike perspective, reaching out my hands as if to say “Let the stars fall here!”

6. O Mar A Noite

In Portuguese, “/the night sea/”. Standing alone on the beach at night, the waves lap at my feet. Gradually my eyes adjust to the darkness, and while sensing the moonlight and the starlight, human emotions and various sensations fade, and even the sense of self starts to melt between the nighttime waves. This was written with that sort of feeling. I’ve never been to the sea in Portugal, so this is just a fantasy (laughs).

7. It Happens All the Time

Usually, I write songs based on impressions evoked by scenery or emotions, but this time I decided on a specific theme: 1950s hard-bop jazz. The title refers to things that happen often. I hope that it matches the image you have in mind. (Composition: Tamashi Goto)

8. Marshland

A song written with the Kushiro Wetlands in mind. Drone photography captures wide greenery and gradually becomes a close-up showing something like wetlands. Coming even closer, there a group of animals is discovered in the corner of the marsh! Still closer, it becomes clear they are Japanese red-crowned cranes. After a while watching the vicinity of the red-crowned cranes, all at once they begin to flap their wings, and the image once again gradually shifts to the vista. With this feeling, I tried to capture in musical notes this image of a nature program. I’ve also never been to Kushiro Wetlands, so this too is a fantasy (laughs)!

9. Erica

My second album included the recording of “Cross Point”, a song written as standing in intersections was to crossroads in life, but this song has more of a survival feeling. In a wilderness where there are no intersections, with 360 degrees to choose from a direction to go forward, it’s an ultimate degree of freedom but a very hard life in that sense! As I was thinking of that, I wrote this song. Erica is a wildflower from the heather family which blooms in the wilderness. Considering the strength of this flower to thrive in harsh environments, I thought it was a perfect title for this song!

10. Plumeria

At the end of 2020, on the day before my birthday, my beloved grandfather passed away. He lived a full life to 96 years old. Whenever he opened his mouth it was to make jokes, and the neighborhood children, facility staff, and others were always filled with smiles around him. He was always a sunny person. While thinking about my grandfather I sat at the piano and reflected back on the incredibly fun memories, and with naturally happy and honest feelings I tried to write this song. I chose a title that symbolizes sunshine in the language of flowers.

Audio and Video

• Official music video for “Hazy Days”, track #2 on this album:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Through the lights”

Joining the pianist are Nakajima’s long-time musical partners Yoshida Yutaka on bass and Masanori Ando on drums, a trio with a locked-in feeling created through years of performing together in Japan’s live scene.

Perhaps unexpectedly trepidatious for a debut album, Nakajima bucks the natural impulse to open with a high-energy song and starts with the very lovely ballad “But Beautiful”. This patient approach seems to subtly invite the listener to tune in gradually and focus their attention at one’s own pace.

In fact, slow ballads are chosen for the opening, middle (Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss”), and ending songs, establishing a gentle and moderated baseline for the album as a whole. These anchor points set up a reassuring center of gravity with a throughline of unhurried piano and bass notes supported by soft drums brushes, a very enjoyable relaxed jazz trio in a quiet mood. Burt Bacharach’s masterful tune “A House Is Not a Home” closes the album and is an especially impressive highlight, expertly played with finesse and respect.

In between the ballads, the songs lift from this foundation with the uptempo bop of “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” and the jangly playful “Evidence”. Similarly, the exoticism of “Nardis”, a song often associated with Bill Evans’ melodic trio, is performed here in a slightly slower, otherworldly setting. Alongside these jazz standard tunes, Nakajima’s original composition “First Touch” complements the setlist with its simple heartbeat melodic motif with comfortable waltz-time ease.

With a respectful length and a perfect song selection honoring great jazz musicians, George Nakajima’s First Touch leaves a heartwarming impression with its modest yet stimulating approach, a compelling initial statement that tempts with future possibilities for sharing his gratifying music.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes written by George Nakajima.)

Thank you very much for listening to my first album “First Touch”.

I’ve been working with the wonderful and dedicated trio members Yoshida Yutaka and Masanori Ando for the last eight and a half years, all the while thinking about making a CD. Somehow the days passed, but the timing was never right.

At some point, I received a call from jazz pianist and CEO of Own Wing Records Yuichiro Aratake, and this resulted in my recording this album.

Needless to say, releasing a jazz CD requires a lot of courage, so I felt like recording in the pattern of our regular live shows among the background of our ongoing live efforts.

I hope that you enjoy these sounds, notes that were only produced once and at that time.

As for “First Touch”, this is my only recorded original song.

In soccer, the term first touch refers to the moment when a player first touches the ball.

I don’t usually write originals, but this is a song that resulted when I challenged myself to write a composition a few years ago.

I tried to write a simple form using various feelings from the time to create a fresh feeling.

As the world is still unsettled due to corona, I continue to pray for a steady resolution, and I sincerely hope that this CD can be delivered throughout the country as soon as possible.

2021.4 George Nakajima

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Excerpt from track #3: “First touch”

The nine-track listing includes seven originals by Tanaka, along with the Gershwin standard “But Not For Me” and a concluding piano-bass classical song. Most tracks feature piano trio with the young pianist firmly in command, releasing quick whirls of bluesy notes and graceful glides connected with flourishes of a technique rooted in classical training yet now dedicated to the jazz language with pomp and flair. On two tracks, the trio becomes a quartet with veteran jazz trumpeter Yoshiro Okazaki adding additional color and exceptional solos.

From the first track “Sailing” a bracing, uplifting mood is established, expanding into dreamy elegance on “Sign of Spring” and the groovy bossa bluesiness of “Cato-cha”. Other tracks range from the lovely ballad “Soramoyou”, good-natured midtempo swing on “But Not For Me” and “For…”. Slightly darker tracks like “NY No Omoide” and “Wall Street Blues” round out the presentation with moody and vibrant flashes of energy, while the final telling of a Chopin’s “Nocturne op.48-1” show pianist Tanaka and bassist Daikiu Yasukagawa in an expressive mood, calmly winding down the trip through Memories with a graceful maturity.

Audio and Video

• Naoko Tanaka Trio performing live in 2018:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Sailing”

The quintet consists of strong, like-minded players who play with a polished yet intimate feeling, creating a solid framework for the improvisers to gracefully leap and flow over. Ichihara’s trumpet solos consistently capture attention, full of impressive decorative swoops and turns, loaded with dramatic soul and a beautifully fluid and organic sound.

Closing brilliantly with pianist Hideaki Hori’s upbeat composition “Inspiration”, this album’s positive energy and satisfying sound will surely have listeners inspired to listen again, and to move on to explore more of Hikari Ichihara’s music as well.

Audio and Video

• Video of Hikari Ichihara playing “Can You Repeat the Past” from the 2014 album “Dear Gatsby”:

• Excerpt from track #1: “やみくろ (Dark Black)”

Starting with the high-energy “Cross Point”, the quartet explores directions from straight-ahead jazz and relaxed swing to quiet ballads and Spanish-tinged rubato. With skilled playing and engaging compositions, highlights include the pop-catchy “Dandelion”, the edgy “Flicker”, a nod to Horace Silver and Cedar Walton on “Golden Pine”, and the soft atmospheric reverb of “Moonlights Underwater”, summoning undulating waves in the comfort of twilight.

Audio and Video

• Kaori Nakajima plays “At That Room”, the final song on this album:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Cross Point”

The magically mellow yet bright sounds of the vibraphone fill the tracks of this album, bouncing through songs swinging with positivity and charm, creating relaxing, feel-good music. The compositions include foot-tapping modern jazz tunes, two pretty ballads, a soulful groovy number, and a speedy rendition of “Grease Piece” by Horace Silver – a rewarding effort for all fans of jazz vibraphone.

Audio and Video

• The song “Perfume” performed as a duo from 2015:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Flying Mind”