The album’s eight tracks consist of seven Katakura originals and one cover song to close the set, an instrumental version of singer Abbey Lincoln’s “Being Me.” Karakura’s music is pure trio propulsion, muscular, raw, and risk-taking. Other emotions and impressions generated while listening to this music include the words heavy yet facile, determined and pointed. Whatever the subjective descriptions imply, it’s completely enjoyable, straight-ahead J Jazz coolness.

Track #1, “A Dancer’s Melancholy” (also featured on Katakura’s releases Faith and The Echoes of Three) is fantastically rich. #2 “The Duality of My Soul” is adventurously complex. #3 “Merciful Eyes” is a beautiful soft ballad. #4 “Dusk” is a thrilling backward-facing rollercoaster ride in deep groove gear.

#5 “Pursuit” evokes the forward momentum of an edge-of-your-seat chase scene where the influence of McCoy Tyner rises close to the surface. #6 “The Circle of Color Emotions”, like #4, is another riveting musical-mind-expanding highlight. Similarly, #7 “Canvas”, picks up the reins of track #5 and continues laying out exhilarating speed riffs in the improvisations and rhythms.

Finally, the last track #8 “Being Me” is a sweet and slow ballad, played with a fully romantic sentiment. In this vulnerable setting, Lincoln’s original lyrics seem to come through Katakura’s wordless piano notes, singing a personal meditation on self-discovery and acceptance, and possibly referencing (somehow) the duality of this great pianist’s own musical soul.

Audio and Video

• Excerpt from track #2: “The Duality Of My Soul”

The two have released their own leader albums and recordings with other groups, but this is the first album to be released under their co-named band partnership and builds on their vast experience playing together in various settings.

Four of the eleven songs are covers taken from jazz and Latin music. The one tune lifted from the jazz songbook is Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence”. This is an inspired jazz choice for a duo and the result is great—a nicely arranged and precisely played guitar-vocal version of the addictive and off-kilter tune.

The three other cover songs are pulled from Brazilian music, with track 5 “Feliz” and 4 “É” by the singer-songwriter Gonzaguinha, and track 10 “Pedra Bonita” by the composer Mario Adnet. The latter two songs are particularly energized by a full quintet sound with members of the group “Nobie Especial Band” joining on piano, bass, and percussion to lay out entrancing rhythms for the guitar and voice acrobatics.

When not scat-singing on these songs, Nobie sings lyrics that have been translated into Japanese, adding another unique twist to the mix of Brazil and Japan that Nobie embodies so well.

The seven original songs are led by the album opener “Introduction”, a short and wordless vocal welcome that sets the stage with Nobie’s vocal overdubs and percussion. The riff turns through a hypnotic cycle over a slippery beat, similar to some of the music she creates with another of her groups, the trio Les Komatis.

Tracks 6 through 9 are four of guitarist Takayoshi Baba’s songs played by Baba and Nobie as a duo. The songs are a blend of soulful pop, quick and technical phrases played in unison, dreamy spaces, dazzling scatting, and a short etude as an impressive vocal-guitar workout. While #6 “Kaze no Mama ni” includes Japanese lyrics, Nobie scat-sings and vocalizes as an instrument on tracks 7, 8, and 9, playing in unison with Baba’s guitar or voicing the melody at different times. Baba’s classical guitar with fingerstyle virtuosity elevates the Latin, jazz, and contemporary fusion like a version of The Guitar Trio of Paco de Lucía, John McLaughlin, and Al Di Meola, particularly when Baba overdubs his guitar solos over his rhythm-playing and fingerpicking.

Nobie’s golden sweet voice is ever charming, deceptively soft but ultra dynamic, and powered by a nimble and quick lightness that leaps effortlessly above a foundation of a locked-in sense of time and rhythms. In certain songs, Nobie will also often add claps, slaps, hand percussion, or vocal pops, clicks, and percussive sounds for added rhythmic layers, sometimes even simultaneously while singing.

Like the album’s opener, the final song, track 11 “Komaku” (eardrum), departs slightly from the rest of the music. This parting song creates a wide open, ambient space for the album’s outro with lush guitar delays and effects drawing a spellbinding mood similar to her tune “Loop” on her debut album Primary.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Shinichi Tokunaga’s original Japanese liner notes.)

In 2018, Nobie created her album Bénin-Rio-Tokyo featuring three powerful guitarists with different nationalities and backgrounds. Shortly before this, I had heard of her plans to record with Lionel Loueke, and I had no doubt that something great would result from that. But an interesting thing about music is that no matter how great the players are, it doesn’t necessarily always work out when they play together. Despite interacting and hitting it off through the internet, will they be able to generate the same energy as seen at Nobie’s past performances at Aoyama’s Praça Onze, say, where the audience would become one with the band with the incandescence of white heat?

Based on the results when that album was released, these fears were completely unfounded, and a masterpiece exceeding expectations was born. Lionel hails from the Republic of Benin and is at the forefront of modern-day jazz. Toninho Horta continues to provide a great influence on jazz from the Brazilian music side. The two together play off each other’s strengths without holding back, fully engaged and solidly facing off with mutual respect (if you listen to the tracks where they cover their own songs, their level of commitment is clear). Nobie’s extraordinary ability also stands out, and Takayoshi Baba’s guitar playing on the album closer, Akiko Yano’s famous song “Gohan ga Dekita yo”, enhances the merits of this album even more. There’s an overpowering feeling of being moved by this third independent vector that expands the dimensions beautifully. Anyone who listens to this sound would probably want to hear more. Releasing this new album under the duo name of Nobie and Baba is an extremely natural progression.

Those listeners who have picked up this album must already be quite familiar with Baba. But if not, one reason for any unfamiliarity may be due to his only having released one album under his name (note 1) and a relatively low level of activity with his name in the lead position. However, the opportunities for avid jazz fans to have come into contact with Baba are not few due to his many and various live performances and recordings. It’s not uncommon that a reliable musician will keep a packed schedule, being a trusted musician who is often asked to perform with other musicians. As a result, they can end up being so busy that they have an unexpectedly low number of their own leader albums. Baba fits that example.

According to an interview in one article (note 2), when Junko Onishi (undoubtedly one of Japan’s most famous jazz pianists) wanted a guitarist to join her on a recording for the first time in her long career, everyone around her recommended Baba. He is truly a first-call guitarist in the jazz scene in Japan. The nice feeling of the touch of his picking on a nylon string acoustic guitar is worth special mention. There’s no hiding the tone of poorly played nylon strings even through processing, and it can end up sounding cheap. This guitarist’s sense and delicacy, and his ability to perfectly perceive and control the physical vibration of the strings through his ears and fingertips, are easily apparent. This is a virtue that is shared by Lionel, Toninho, and Baba, a point that I would love to emphasize as a writer with a fairly long (self-proclaimed) career as an acoustic guitar music critic writing for classical guitar publications.

The album begins with Nobie’s overdubbed a cappella vocals on “Introduction”. This very short track may have been arranged from a suddenly improvised phrase, and it reminds me of her innovative a cappella version of “Blue Rondo a la Turk” on Bénin-Rio-Tokyo. The next song is “Owari to Hajimari”, an original composition by Nobie. The performance features the duo of Nobie and Baba with the addition of the rhythm master Yoichi Okabe (percussion), a veteran member of the “Nobie Especial Band”. The song has a light and lively groove, but there is also a sense of painful longing. It’s a masterpiece and a superb performance worthy of the album title. This is Nobie’s authentic self as someone who has mastered the essence of Brazilian music.

The cover songs were selected from well-known jazz and Brazilian classics. Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence” is often taken up by jazz musicians, but a vocal scat and guitar version may be unprecedented. The special weightless feeling of Monk’s music is full of many vivid ideas, and the colorful sound of voice and guitar pushing the limits of expression is overwhelming.

Two songs were written by Gonzaguinha, a singer-songwriter who exhibited an excellent yet distinct individuality from his father Luiz Gonzaga, composer of the song “Asa Branca” which is known as Brazil’s second national anthem. The Japanese lyrics were translated by an emerging scholar of Brazilian literature, Nobuhiro Fukushima (福嶋伸洋), who in 2022 was awarded the Grand Prize in Japan’s Best Translation Award for his translation of Clarice Lispector’s The Hour of the Star. While remaining faithful to the original lyrics, the Japanese words match the Brazilian rhythms flawlessly and make these songs even more attractive as covers. Shigeki Miyata (宮田茂樹), who produced Bénin-Rio-Tokyo, gave his stamp of approval by saying “These songs definitely need to be included” and contacting the family of Gonzaguinha to obtain permission for use of the Japanese versions of the lyrics. The full Nobie Especial Band groove is bursting on “É” with the addition of a top jazz pianist from Nobie’s generation Mayuko Katakura, and bassist Kiichiro Komobuchi, who has rich experience at the forefront of the jazz and Brazilian music scenes. “Feliz” leads to an about-face as the beauty of Nobumasa Tanaka’s piano creates a sense of glittering light within the tranquility. The contrast between the two tracks is wonderful.

The album includes one more Brazilian song in Mario Adnet’s “Pedra Bonita”. Adnet is an important figure in the contemporary Brazilian music scene and has worked on projects such as João Gilberto Eterno, the João Gilberto tribute album from 2021 which he co-produced with Shigeki Miyata. While Nobie was staying in Rio de Janeiro to participate in the recording of Toninho Horta’s album Minas-Tokyo (also produced by Miyata, incidentally), she met Adnet there and seems to have learned about this song then. Later, Nobie obtained the sheet music from Adnet through Miyata and began to perform this song regularly at live shows. This led to the song being included in this album. Upon seeing videos of those live performances, Adnet seems to have been greatly pleased, as he has stamped his seal of approval as the song’s original composer.

The second half of the album also contains four of Baba’s original songs. Baba has performed with many other singers in addition to Nobie, but “Kaze no Mama ni” is the first original song of his that he’s released with lyrics. Nobie’s lyrics fit perfectly, and if you weren’t told otherwise, you wouldn’t have thought that this song was written by a jazz musician. Three of these songs are lyric-less, and Nobie sings in a scat style. There is a taste of modern Brazilian music reminiscent of Gismonti and Ginga with elements of jazz and rock contained within, and each is an unreserved demonstration of Baba’s superb compositional talent.

With the grand beauty and impact of the final song, Nobie’s “Eardrum”, this album can be declared perfect. It’s an album that follows in the footsteps of Bénin-Rio-Tokyo and should be released into the world. I would like to once again express my sincere appreciation to Nobie and Baba for delivering such a magnificent album so naturally. I only wish that I could have shared my feelings with Shigeki Miyata, who departed from this world in July 2022, and who was probably eagerly awaiting this album’s completion more than anybody else!

Shinichi Tokunaga (徳永 伸一): Music Writer, Associate Professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Note 1: Gray-Zone (2013, Song&Co label)

Note 2: Ototoy “Junko Onishi releases her long-awaited first collection of ballads with her regular trio after 8 years” (interview and text: Mitsutaka Nagira [柳樂光隆]) https://ototoy.jp/feature/20171110

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Promotional video for “Owari to Hajimari”, track #2 on this album:

• Nobie and Baba on a 2023 album tour with live versions of #2 “Owari to Hajimari”:

• … #4 “É”:

• … #6 “Kaze no Mama ni”:

• … #9 “Estudio #1”:

• … #10 “Pedra Bonita”:

• Album streams (TuneCore Japan)

• Excerpt from track #2: “おわりとはじまり (The end and the beginning)”

Links

• Owari to Hajimari website

Viento is saxophonist Mabumi Yamaguchi’s second release on Days of Delight following his chord-less trio recording Trinity (2022), but he’s been playing and releasing albums for over five decades. In that time, he’s worked with stellar domestic and international musicians including drummers Motohiko Hino (“best jazz drummer in Japan” award winner throughout the 1970s) and George Otsuka for a landmark 1978 tour with Kenny Kirkland (piano), John Scofield (guitar), and Miroslav Vitous (bass). His recording Mabumi (1981) also featured Kirkland and Vitous with Tony Williams (drums) joining the lineup.

Yamaguchi’s live jazz activities started in the 60s and 70s at the venerable Tokyo jazz clubs Naru and Pit Inn. It’s remarkable that after nearly fifty years, Mabumi still consistently appears for fan-favorite and fulfilling jazz sessions at Naru (stay tuned for an upcoming spotlight on that beloved jazz haven, coming soon).

His new album Viento is a collection of eight of Yamaguchi’s originals, all written with the concept of using soprano saxophone in the forefront. This characteristic makes a strong impression as Yamaguchi’s bright tones extend like tendrils of vines embedded in cracks and grooves, skillfully navigating dramatic paths and always pushing forward through songs covering straight-ahead and modern jazz terrain.

This musical landscape shifts back and forth from dark, mellow, and mysterious (#1 “Sequel to a Dream”, #2 “Evening”), to fantastical and churning (#4 “Thalia”, #6 “Viento”), and to exciting and positive (#3 “Let Your Mind Alone”, #5 “True Face”, #7 “Empty Mirror”) when the uplifting mood is heightened as the good-feeling swing or cool funk sets in. The last track, the sweetly elegant song #8 “Toi Yakusoku” (Distant Promise), closes the album perfectly with Yamaguchi and pianist Katakura playing as a duo in a sentimental rubato with a Strayhorn/Ellington-ish emotional impact.

Liner Notes

(Translated from excerpts of Akiomi Hirano’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Tomorrow a small percent different from today

If possible I don’t want to repeat what I did yesterday, I don’t want to play what I already know. So says Mabumi Yamaguchi.

“The ideal is to create from scratch each time. Of course, that’s impossible, so if I can do it just a few percent, that’s good. Even if it’s just a few percent, if I do that every time I play live and keep it going over a long time, a little bit of my personality will emerge, don’t you think?”

These humble words represent his character well. Spoken shyly and haltingly, it is hard to believe they come from a maestro who has maintained a presence at the core of Japanese jazz for half a century through many famous performances and recordings.

There is a certain quality common to truly compelling artists and creators, not just with jazz musicians. You may not see the signs of the hardships they endured through the accumulated years of severe training. Their demeanor is gentle and not arrogant.

Even when you hear their actual story, it’s rare to sense the strange hardships experienced by performers in the upper levels of their field. Perhaps there’s an aesthetic that makes it embarrassing to express difficulties through words, or maybe they don’t really think that they have suffered through hardships.

I’ve seen this in many artists and creators, and in my experience, Mabumi is of that type.

So, how on earth did Mabumi acquire the skill of making “Tomorrow a small percent different from today”?

“While playing I search for the sound. From where you are now, where do you go next? The vital point is when putting out a sound, don’t go back, move forward. You can’t turn around and go back. Concentrate on moving straight ahead down one path. That’s the ideal. While playing I’m trying things out, so of course there are plenty of mistakes, haha.”

For now, look forward. Don’t look back.

…

The first thing that strikes me from the outset is that soprano saxophone is played through the entire album.

Actually, for a long time now I’ve found it strange that there are so few albums with an “all-soprano” format. This may be due to some players and listeners who regard the soprano sax as a substitute instrument brought in for a change. But to someone like me who is an avid soprano sax fan, it’s an extremely appealing format.

Furthermore, Mabumi’s tone is undeniably beautiful. His soprano has an expressive power that ranks among the best in the world of Japanese jazz. It is perfectly matched to his original compositions, as well. Mabumi’s originals all possess his distinctive personality, but when played with soprano, they take on an intelligent and floating quality that is especially fascinating. For this album, we decided to collect original songs which were written to be performed on soprano sax.

Regardless, why I am so attracted to Mabumi Yamaguchi’s original compositions? What does he think about when he is writing a song? What makes a song have good or bad qualities in the first place…?

What are the conditions for a good song? When I asked about this, this is what Mabumi said to me.

“For example, Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints’ is very simple, but just like Charlie Parker’s ‘Now’s the Time’, it is a masterpiece ingrained in jazz history. The amazing thing is that even though the motif is simple, it is fashioned into a large piece of music. With just a few phrases you can feel the size of it. It’s because there is strength in the theme. It’s the same with Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Smile’, right?”

Now that I think about it, the theme of “Footprints” certainly does have a mysterious power. It’s hummable, and it stays in your head. It’s the same as the one from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Even though it’s been decades since I’ve seen the movie, those five notes are unforgettable. Maybe a masterpiece is something that affects a person’s brainstem like this.

“I want to create themes or motifs that are simple and strong. Of course, it’s not easy. There are many fragments of tunes that I’ve scribbled down at home, but if the seeds don’t have that strength, I have to toss them out.”

The magnetism of Mabumi Yamaguchi’s songwriting is that he grasps the “vital point of songwriting”, and he is steadfast in following through without compromise.

…

Making “tomorrow a small percent different from today” requires a tough spirit to resist the temptation to pass the ball back, a strong will and concentration to maintain the drive to create, excellent leadership to draw out talent, and above all, the integrity of a jazz musician who wants to constantly evolve.

When I see Mabumi Yamaguchi, I feel this keenly. And the next generation of top players are watching this figure. They are taking him in as a role model. There’s no doubt that this structure is a valuable resource for the world of Japanese jazz.

Akiomi Hirano (Days of Delight)

Founder/Producer

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Live solo performance of “Thalia”, track #4 on this album:

• Excerpt from track #5: “True Face”

Links

• Days of Delight record label

• Days of Delight album releases (e-onkyo music)

• Days of Delight videos

As foreshadowed by the album’s opening with a stage-setting deep bass solo, this album is quietly tenacious, and the music initially settles in subtly but quickly sinks its hooks in. The compositional variation, the exciting instrumental solos and tradeoffs, and some brief moments of dual improvisation and free chaos, all contribute to the high repeatability of this package, tempting you back to play it again.

Through fifty minutes and seven tracks on II, the modern swing rhythms, melodic lines, and structural elements briefly give hints of 1950s and 60s Blue Note sounds, with its dynamically-charged drum palettes and bass grounding, cutting-edge piano framing, and captivating horn lines, recalling the hard bop albums from Lee Morgan, Kenny Dorham, and other jazz messengers.

As a trombone leader’s debut album, it’s probably no surprise that the influence of the great jazz trombonist J. J. Johnson is also evident, particularly on Johnson’s beautiful tune “Lament”, a pensive ballad played with genuine feeling by Haruta and the quintet. This ballad, along with Strayhorn’s “Day Dream”, provides lovely slower moments that are set against the other higher-energy tracks. These five tracks are invigorating and memorable, with a hard bop swinger, a cheerfully funky groover, a mysteriously see-sawing tune, a punchy uptempo ride, and a wild boiler. Through it all, each musician gets ample space to improvise and show their stuff.

Of course, as the group leader, Haruta is featured, as is her solid composition “1965” which opens the album (saxophonist Akihiro Yoshimoto also contributes three excellent originals). But Haruta’s spotlight is not at the expense of sidelining the other amazing players in the quintet. Mayuko Kamakura on piano, Yoshimoto on sax, Takumi Awaya on bass, and Shun Ishikawa on drums are given plenty of time to shine as well. This all pays off with a front-to-back jazz album that fits together wonderfully with satisfying dynamics.

As for the potentially confusing title of II, this may be a bit of a head-scratcher for a debut album. If this stands for “2” in Roman numerals, it would be an unexpected title for a first release. Or, is this a reference to the second-decade milestone mentioned in the liner notes? Could II signify something else, maybe not a numeral meaning at all? An uppercased romaji translation of the Japanese word ii (いい) meaning good, all right, and such? Or, internet slang for “I’m Impressed”? Or maybe, when represented as extended index and middle fingers counting “two”, indicating the peace sign often seen in selfies and group photos? Or maybe it’s an inside joke, or someone’s favorite number. Maybe we’re not meant to know, and that’s all right. Either way, I’m definitely impressed.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes written by Kouichi Nishimatsu, executive producer.)

Thoughts on II by Nanami Haruta.

I first met Nanami Haruta on November 20, 2020, at Shinjuku Pit Inn when she was a guest member in the horn section for Yoshiaki Masuo (増尾好秋) MAGATAMA “Cheer for Art! Stage Setup” photography shoot.

My first impression was of someone cute who didn’t look like a real trombone player. But when I heard her playing, it was truly powerful, a delicate and wonderful performance. Because I was busy with work on that day, I wasn’t able to speak to her for very long, but ended up going to her concerts several times after that.

Around that time, Yoshiaki Masuo’s individual project “ONE WORD” was selected for the same “Cheer for Art!”, and we spent days at my studio recording and mixing. Originally, the company’s studio was used exclusively for English healing teaching materials, radio commercial narration, and the like. However, this project led me to start recording music as well.

Which led me to ask Nanami, “Why don’t you make an album?” At first, she didn’t seem interested, but at some later performance Nanami said to me “Well, I think I’d like to make an album!” Nanami was only nineteen years old at the time, and I had always wanted to try producing an album from start to finish. So when she asked me “Can I leave everything up to you?”, I said “Yes”, and that was how the project started.

And, Yoshiaki Masuo. It goes without saying that Masuo is a world-class jazz guitarist. He even owns a studio in New York and has been involved in producing jazz music for twenty years. Having listened to Masuo’s guitar countless times and assisting him with performance activities in Japan, I thought I would love to play a part in his music production as well. I asked him to help, but Masuo’s stay in Japan was short and he was busy with live events at the time, so he had to firmly decline…at first. But after repeated requests, he agreed to help. And this was the moment that this project took on even more depth and substance.

First of all, the album concept. It was to be “The milestone of 20 years of age, with gratitude to the mentors who supported me in my hometown of Sapporo.” We started out focusing on slow ballad standards. After several meetings, we decided to focus on original songs. [For her ballad-centered album, see For My Lady from 2023.] Nanami Haruta’s “1965” became the first song on the album, and Akihiro Yoshimoto (tenor sax) graciously supplied three songs.

Next, the members. Nanami assembled some of the best young players in the world of young jazz today: Akihiro Yoshimoto (tenor sax), Mayuko Katakura (piano), Takumi Awaya (bass), and Shun Ishiwaka (drums). And in search of the best sound quality, we visited several Tokyo recording studios equipped with pianos. In the end, through introductions from Masami (Sam) Toyoshima (豊島政美), who designed the Beatles’ famous Abbey Road Studios and Victor Studios, we ended up recording at Victor’s Aoyama Studio.

On the day of the recording, November 29, 2021, we completed seven songs in a single day under the supervision of New York-trained Yoshiaki Masuo. Mixing at the company studio would start the following week. We spent many full days carefully mixing each song over three months. Mastering was completed using an analog open tape recorder.

This album was brought about through Nanami Haruta’s gathering of the best musicians, the best music, and the best creators, resulting in an amazing product. It’s not just for listening in one place, and whether on mobile devices, audio systems, or in different environments, you are sure to discover something new each time you listen. She is now twenty-one years old, as it took over a year of careful work to complete this album. Please, thoroughly enjoy Nanami Haruta’s first album II.

Koiuichi Nishimatsu (Music Stylist) September 23, 2022

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Live trio version of “Lament”, track #5 on this album:

• Excerpt from track #1: “1965”

The first five tracks are back-to-back originals, starting with the contemplative “Echo” leading into the bouncing “Into Somewhere” (based on the standard “Out Of Nowhere”), the exquisite “A Dancer’s Melancholy” (also performed on her 2010 recording Faith), a fiery group improvisation “At The Studio (Reunion)”, and the modern “Directions”, honoring influences from jazz pianists Mulgrew Miller and Geri Allen.

The second half features a slow-dancing “Serene” (Eric Dolphy), a ripping “Pinocchio” (Wayne Shorter), and a sweet interpretation of Duke Pearson’s ballad “You Know I Care”, before closing with another original, “A Barfly’s Hope”, a swinging, striding song written for the pianist Elmo Hope.

Audio and Video

• Mayuko Katakura playing Herbie Hancock’s “Speak Like A Child” in a duo setting from 2012:

• Excerpt from track #3: “ア・ダンサーズ・メランコリー (A Dancer’s Melancholy)”

Voice, flute, and piano fill the aural landscape, with hand percussion adding a visceral rhythmic pulse. Starting with Akemi Ohta’s “Spur”, darting melodic lines weave over heavy piano riffs and harmonies on several songs, while other songs set up sensitive moods with ballads and bossa. The musicians even layer their voices in chorus at one point (on Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing”), permeating listeners with soulful warmth and passion.

Along with songs sung in English, Japanese, and Portuguese, the vocalist Nobie often features her voice as an instrument, wordlessly doubling and counterpointing the tandem flute and piano in complex arrangements and soaring improvisation.

Les Komatis balances jazz, pop, and Latin with the album’s originals, comfortable ballads, catchy interludes, and even two powerhouse McCoy Tyner covers for added energy: “Man From Tanganyika” and “Fly With The Wind”. The set closes with a Zen-like take on the final track, Mayuko Katakura’s deep “Mugen” (with 夢幻 here meaning dreams, visions, fantasy).

Audio and Video

• Audio samples from bowz.shop-pro.jp

• Excerpt from track #1: “Spur”

In addition to speed, Katakura’s confident jazz piano sense extends to bluesy grooves and touching sensitivity. This is a pianist who plays with a dedication to the music and to those she has been inspired by. The ten tracks on Inspiration, with originals and nicely-arranged standards, make this a well-balanced set with a variety of tempos and moods.

Audio and Video

• Audio for the first track, “Blues for Tyner”:

• Performance of “Linden Blvd” with Mayuko Katakura and the Kiyoshi Kitakawa trio:

• Excerpt from track #1: “ブルース・フォー・タイナー (Blues For Tyner)”

This straight-ahead jazz trio is marked by warmth between the musicians, who agreed to not over-arrange the recording session and have faith in the group and their love of jazz. Simple and irresistable, the group jumps in and swings hard together with skillful agility over five of the pianist’s originals and five jazz covers. The resulting sense of relaxation allows their individual mastery and group cohesiveness to produce exciting results, proving their faith to be well-rewarded.

Audio and Video

• Audio for “A Dancer’s Melancholy” from this album:

• Excerpt from track #1: “ミセス・パーカー・オブ ＫＣ (Mrs. Parker of KC)”