Those musical statements make up ten tracks that run for over an hour’s worth of material. Matsuo’s quartet plays on eight of the tracks with performances that flow atmospherically between robust displays of fun virtuosity and more laid-back pieces. Two tracks feature Matsuo alone on overdubbed guitar, simulating a duo that offers a view into his lyrical writing and close-up playing style.

It’s also interesting to note that the category keywords tagged to the online digital version of this album include acoustic, country, and folk along with jazz, and although Matsuo’s influence and personal style may lean towards these different genres here and there, the overriding jazz spirit, attitude, and improvisational showcases are the main features of this album, from start to finish.

Sticker Notes

Wildness and intelligence intertwine, stirring up the fiery sparks of tumultuous phrases. This is guitarist Yudo Matsuo’s first album in six years, recorded with his perfect lineup for a quartet. Beautiful fingers race elegantly over his original songs that are brimming with ideas.

Audio and Video

• Time Thieves (track #5) - live version:

• Asalato (track #7) - live version:

• Recording studio montage:

• Digital album streaming/download (Bandcamp)

• Excerpt from track #2: “Blue violet”

The sound of Nagatake’s jazz trio is compelling and modern, with a youthful style that is dynamic, energetic, and fun. Running at about 71 minutes, all ten tracks were composed by Nagatake and are bursting with her creative force, one that builds on the adventurous leanings of jazz pianists like Carla Bley and Cecil Taylor. Skillful and quick, Nagatake’s fingers can go from quiet and patient loveliness to a key-jabbing with barely contained energy, always in control but often peeking over the edge in risky provocation. Live audiences and album listeners cannot help but be drawn into her magnetic presence.

Here is a quick run through of the album flow. It starts with three highlights: #1 “Introduction -Breathe Beneath the Sun-” is Nagatake starting up the engines alone with a solo piano riff, deep and low on the keys with a rhythmically addictive pull and sharp lines coming in from above. The trio format begins with #2 “Not Even Heaven Knows”, a fiery and percussive fastball. #3 “Lucky You!” is another uptempo roller coaster with thrilling drops and bends, a frenetic Horace Silver-ish fever dream. #4 “Just Like He Sings” is a brushed ballad with the grace and sweetness of an Ellington/Strayhorn tune. #5 “Clover 9” is a wild and fast blues transmogrification, another album highlight (lots of these).

Track #6 “Teoribata” is a slower song written for bassist Orihara to shine peacefully in a long-form fairy tale. #7 “Say No More” has a classic hardcore dark jazz vibe with Chick Corea-esque Latin/straight waltz-time mix, grippingly edge-of-seat at a dangerous speed. #8 “I’ll Send You Good Vibes” is the first quartet track, as veteran saxophonist Kosuke Mine joins for a soulful and warm gospel/rock groove with his great playing. #9 “Nekokai no Ballad” continues the bluesy quartet atmosphere, gritty and genuine, with Eiichi Hayashi on sax, another distinctive and renowned Japanese jazz player. Finally, #10 “Get Ready to Say Goodbye” is a melodically beautiful and moving outro song with the elements of a hit pop song tenderly refracted through a Brad Melhdau-ish jazz prism.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes.)

Introduction

Before anything else, I would like to thank you very much for listening to this CD, Breathe Beneath the Sun. We’ve been fortunate to be able to able to release another trio recording in quick succession after the previous trio recording released in March 2021. I can’t express enough the appreciation I have for the label, Owl Wing Records, and Aratake-san. On this CD, all the songs are original compositions that I wrote over the past year, mainly, including two songs in the memory of people who have passed away.

When I am riding on the train and dazzling sunlight pours in from the train window and washes over me, I really feel alive. The sunlight permeates me just like soaking into French toast. Whether it’s morning, evening, or even if I’m still tipsy from the previous night, it’s always great. I realize how good it feels to be alive, and the motivation to do my best increases as I’m being treated with unconditional kindness.

I contemplated different album titles while thinking that it would be great for this CD to have that kind of presence of sunlight. I thought, Something like French toast or…, and so on. I tried to express my ramblings to a close female friend, a high-school classmate who returned from abroad, and she understood what I was trying to say perfectly. Ultimately, she gave me the wonderful title Breathe Beneath the Sun.

永武幹子
Mikiko Nagatake

Introducing the Musicians

In February 2020, this trio entered our third year together.

Ryoji Orihara, the trio’s senior member, supports the band on fretless bass. He’s active with his solo project “Invisible Furniture”, serves as a member and musical director of “Virtual Silence”, and plays with Lisa Ono’s band. He is a professional fretless bass player specialist.

After we finished recording this album, he went to perform in a concert in Taiwan with Lisa Ono’s band. This was at a time when coronavirus was spreading in Taiwan, and he was forced to stay quarantined in a hotel for two weeks. However, he wanted to keep working on this album even at that time. We made full of video conferencing and other specialized tools and finished the mixing (working on the sound balance of the recording)! I was so surprised at the modern technology that allowed us to do the mixing while being far apart, without any time lag.

After this album was recorded, our trio went on to perform at various locations. One thing I have to mention is Orihara-san’s lunch presentations. In the mornings, we would gather in the hotel lobby and be treated to his presentation of notable restaurants in the area, including their websites, business hours, distance, and travel time. There was a passion for food overflowing with hospitality. Kira-san is also passionate about food, and so all throughout the tour we would prepare for the evening concert by having delicious meals.

Drummer Sota Kira is active in a wide variety of musical acts, from Kei Akagi’s band and Junko Onishi’s band (that is to say, he started with jazz bands) to even STUTS’s band and others. Kira-san has been supportive of me ever since my student days. He also plays drums in “J.J.Soul”, another of our regular jazz trios. There, too, his incredibly energetic drumming always enriches the band’s sound and boosts the excitement of everyone present.

Recently Kira-san has been focusing his attention on the proper ways of body movement. Backstage, he has been sharing his techniques and instructing us on effective stretching methods. Even on the day of the recording, there was quite an odd scene when everyone was facing the same direction and doing stretches (ha ha).

At the live venue Nardis in Kashiwa, there was a three-day event where our trio was featured as the core band with special guests. At that performance, the masters Mine-san and Hayashi-san were each featured on a one-horn ballad. It was so intense that I absolutely wanted to capture that in some form, so I asked them to make a guest appearance on this recording.

Since my student days, I have often gone to hear tenor saxophonist Kosuke Mine play. I’ve listened to him with Mine-san’s Quartet, the Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra, and others. Recently I’ve been working consistently with him in live concerts as a duo, and as a trio with saxophonist Miyuki Moriya. I am always moved by his one-of-a-kind tone and phrasing, and his warm, charming personality.

As for alto saxophonist Eiichi Hayashi, it’s possible that I heard him on CD before seeing him play live. When I was a student, there were special listening sessions in the Waseda Danmo (Modern Jazz Research Group) study room between jam sessions. That’s where I heard CDs like the Eiichi Hayashi and Fumio Itabashi Duo, and Daidarabocchi with Shun Sakai. I was totally blown away. When I went to see him play live, I was even more amazed. I’m so grateful that I am able to play with Hayashi-san in duos and with Masayo Koketsu’s “Ataira no Ei-chan”.

This recording is a performance featuring these kinds of trio members and two special guests!

1.Introduction -Breathe Beneath the Sun-

In the same way that we can hear the chimes of nearby elementary schools, wouldn’t it be so interesting if we could hear the songs and sounds of foreign countries carried by the wind? I wrote this short motif with that kind of feeling in mind. I hope that the performance on this CD can also reach people in all kinds of countries and regions.

2.Not Even Heaven Knows

“God has six fingers on each hand and twelve fingers on both hands.”

“See, this is why the first perfect number is 6, time is divided into 12 parts, and the seasons also end with the 12th month.” This is what my private school principal taught me when I was in middle school.

I suddenly remembered this a few years ago and thought “I should write a song with a time signature that only God can count on his fingers!!” So I wrote a song titled “God Has 12 Fingers”.

Time passed, and the threat of the new coronavirus appeared in 2020. Conventional common sense changed in the blink of an eye, and the world was thrown into disorder. I couldn’t help but think that not even God could have predicted something like this. I wrote a 13-beat song with a theme that even Got could not count (but since 13 is an unlucky number, the improvisations are in a 7-beat meter. Lucky seven!).

3.Lucky You!

I wrote this song with Kira-san in mind. The image of Kira-san is happiness! Yet, around the time we first had met, no matter how many times we performed, drank, and hit it off together, the next time we met, it felt like we were meeting again for the first time. I tried to project a sense of that somewhat not-straightforward feeling into this song (ha ha). It feels as if 吉良(Kira)(-san) is taking on the meaning of “lucky” in the lingo of business buzzwords.

4.Just Like He Sings

I wrote this song inspired by Shinji Hashimoto, a guitarist I love who passed away in July 2020. One day, Shinji-san appeared in my dream. In the dream, Shinji-san was playing “Naima” by J. Coltrane, and his improvisational approach was melodious like a vocal jazz standard song. It made me realize the affinity between modal-style songs and vocal standard songs.

To be able to listen to Shinji-san’s guitar in my dreams was like a dream (well, it was a dream)!! That’s why I wrote this song. I would love it if Shinji-san would play this song in my dream someday.

5.Clover 9

The “deck of cards” series. The previous release Into the Forest included “Clover 2”, and this time it’s 9. There are currently eight songs in the “deck of cards” series. The goal is a complete 53!

6.Teoribata (手織り機, hand loom)

I wrote this song with Orihara-san in mind. The title is just a joke [/The title in Japanese is 手織り機, or hand loom, and Orihara is 織原, containing the same Kanji character 織/]. I spun the melody based on the image of Orihara-san’s sound. It’s really nice to play this kind of mellow song with such emotion, and I love Orihara-san’s simple style of singing.

7.Say No More

8.I’ll Send You Good Vibes

Sometimes I think that if I were close by, I could send some positive energy with just a single handshake. These days, when we live in a world where we can send messages immediately, it’s good to know that we can check on faraway friends’ safety when natural disasters and emergencies occur. On the other hand, it can feel stressful when there is just not enough time to reply.

It’s rare that the timing works out such that someone contacts you just at the right moment when you need encouragement. At time like those, I would love it if you suddenly remembered to play this song with a click as if it just came to mind, and to feel a sense of positivity. The strong emotions I felt when writing this song perfectly match Mine-san’s gentle yet powerful saxophone, and this makes it a song I cherish even more.

9.Nekokai no Ballad /(猫飼いのバラッド, Cat-keeping Ballad)/*

In the summer of 2021, there was a Mikiko Nagatake three-day event at Kashiwa Nardis. This is a song I wrote for that occasion while thinking of Eiichi Hayashi. I listened to Hayashi-san a lot in my student days. I wrote a melody for his kind of really cool Hayashi-san sound that stands out in all kinds of places, and the master was even more amazing than I expected!!

10.Get Ready to Say Goodbye

I wrote this song when I heard the news of the sudden passing of someone who always came to my shows with a smile. With the state of emergency and everything that began in 2020, it had felt as though time had stopped. But of course that wasn’t the case, and time passed moment by moment, and sometimes it was no longer possible to meet someone that you hadn’t seen in a while. Accepting a final farewell takes time, and I think it’s best to take it slowly and with a peaceful mind.

All Composed by Mikiko Nagatake

A Letter from Yoshiaki Masuo

Dear Mikiko Nagatake

I listened to the audio for your new recording. I apologize for the delay, later that the promised date. Although I was asked to write some liner notes, I decided to express my feelings in a letter to you after just listening to the music.

First, all the musicians beginning with you were fantastic. The songs are good and there’s lots of variety. I’m very impressed by how it sums up your current feelings and how it comes together as one story all the way through to the end. The music was inspiring, and there were many moments that touched my heart directly. I love that kind of music.

It’s been almost six years since we started performing together. But it’s true that, when I listened to this recording, I realized that I know nothing about you, despite our working so long together. We’ve been linked only through music during these six years, without even having a drink together after a concert (ha ha).

One reason that I don’t know much about you is because of your intuitive sense about music. Because you can pick up so much just from listening meant that there was not much need to talk about it. Of course, human interaction and communication is also important for many reasons, and I’m reflecting on that.

Six years ago, when I started to audition pianists for my new band, you happened to be the first person I called. By just hearing the music, you understood well without me having to say anything. You interpreted the songs with your own personal style a fresh sense and feeling. I remember how I instantly took to you, with your own free and delicate sensibilities, right from the start. I was planning to try out other people as well, but in the end it was just that one audition and it was over.

It may be quite impolite to put it this way, but when listening to this recording, I feel that I can truly understand your depth as a human being. Also, I’ve never thought too deeply about musicians being male or female before, but on this album I really get the sense of you as a women (with good meaning).

In the generation that I grew up in, there were almost no female jazz musicians, and in the midst of that male-dominated jazz world, I hadn’t really thought about female jazz musicians. Because of preconceived notions of women, there must have been very difficult situations, including sexual harassment, even unintentional in some cases.

However, when I listen to your music, I feel strongly that we have already transcended that era and progressed forward one or two steps. Long ago, back in my day, all the role model jazz musicians that we looked up to were men, and Americans. Now, there is a big difference in the way of thinking between that generation and environment that we grew up in, and those of the young people of today. It’s good that this young generation is free of those previous boundaries, and especially the women of this generation.

Men tend to use authority and power as a basis of comparison, but I think women may be resigned in those aspects from the start, or consider them to not be problems, perhaps. That’s why there is no unnecessary ego in the music. I think that purity is also good. In this sense, women are very cool and aware. I can say this confidently. A conclusion from this is that there is a great potential for the future development of music to be shaped by the sensibilities of female musicians.

For the future, the advancement of women is absolutely essential not just in music but also in the world. If the ones at the top are always power-hungry men, then, well, we are doomed.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent.

Anyway, thank you for the wonderful music. I want to keep listening to it more and more. Please continue to push forward.

June 12, 2020 MASUO

GUEST

track8
Kosuke Mine (tenor sax)

Born in Tokyo on February 6, 1944.

He began playing clarinet when he joined the brass band in middle school. He played clarinet in part-time bands when he was around 17 years old, when he also started to play alto sax. He first encountered jazz in his second year of high-school when he would listen to records at jazz kissas. In 1963, he joined a jazz band and started to play at jazz clubs. In 1969, he was noticed by pianist Masabumi Kikuchi and joined his band, where he remained until the band ended in 1973. He released his first leader album, Mine, in 1970. In that year, he ranked second in the magazine Swing Journal’s reader popularity poll in the alto saxophone category, right after Sadao Watanabe, and attracted attention as a new alto sax player. After Masabumi Kikuchi’s band ended in 1973, he moved to New York where he stayed for two years. During this period he also made brief trips to Japan to continue performing in concerts with Masabumi Kikuchi and to record his own albums. After playing with groups including Four Sound with Fumio Itabashi, Nobuyoshi Ino, Hiroshi Murakami, and Masahiko Togashi’s J.J.Spirits, he formed his group Mine Quartet in 1992 and released his long-awaited leader album Major to Minor in 1993, which won the grand prize for Japan Jazz in Swing Journal’s Jazz Disc Awards that year. Currently, in addition to playing with his own group, he participates in many sessions including with the Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra.

track9
Eiichi Hayashi (alto sax)

He became a professional musician at 17 years of age by training in big bands and R&B groups. In 1980, he joined the Yosuke Yamashita Trio as “Plus One”, and a concert recorded during their ‘83 European Tour was released as a live recording. In 1990, he formed his own band MAZURU and released an album under that name which was well received. To this day, he is active and widely recognized as one of Japan’s top alto players, and his inimitable sound is an essential part of groups including the Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra, Fumio Itabashi’s band, and Akihiro Ishiwatari’s Mull House. In 2012, he released GATOS Meeting’s self-titled album featuring his three-horn arrangements. In July 2015, in the culmination of his work as an arranger, he led the 13-piece Eiichi Hayashi MAZURU Hokkaido Orchestra where he was showered with applause from large crowds of free jazz fans who gathered all over Hokkaido. Among his numerous releases, his representative work includes de-ga-show, Monk’s Mood, Oto no Tsubu, MAZURU no Yume, Mori no Hito, Birds and Bees, and Tsuru.

Obi Notes

“The music was inspiring, and there were many moments that touched my heart directly. I love that kind of music.” Yoshiaki Masuo

Audio and Video

• “Not Even Heaven Knows” (track #2):

• “Lucky You!” (track #3) — live performance (2021):

• “Lucky You!” (track #3) — live performance (2021):

• “Just Like He Sings” (track #4) — live performance (2021):

• “Clover 9” (track #5):

• “Say No More” (track #7) — live performance (2021):

• Excerpt from track #1: “Introduction -Breathe Beneath the Sun-”

Setagaya Trio’s concept is based on having all three players extend freely, rather than having one leader decide the group’s direction and style. This results in music that is freewheeling and fun with a risk-taking energy that is powered by their youthful, fresh attitude. The trio’s arrangements feel loose in a way, as if anything could happen, and they look forward to those unexpected surprises as challenges to meet head-on. At the same time, the tightness of their playing and arrangements is apparent, solid and effective. It’s an impressive bond arising from the extreme attention paid by each member to one another, no doubt paid off by their efforts and dedication to studied listening and practicing their art.

This album contains ten tracks made up of seven original songs and three covers. While this is mainly a studio-recorded album, the last song is from a live recording, and adds the nice touch of topping the album off with a raw, encore-like performance.

The band’s original songs include the slow-building #1 “Omrai”, the most straight-ahead jazz #2 “Metsa”, the club-style J Jazz groove #3 “Hako”, the short, Ornette-ishly free #5 “Skip Song” (with its amusingly self-deprecating title), the funky Latin-tinged soul jazz of #6 “K.O.G.S.”, the short Medeski Martin & Wood-sensed jam jazz of #7 “Setado Funk”, and the calm, sweet waltz of #8 “Jarvi”. Most songs are roughly in the standard five-to-seven minute duration, except for the two short songs (#3 and #7) which are around 2 minutes each, giving the impression of quick experiments thrown in as spice for the mix, just for fun, because they feel like it, and hey, why not? It keeps things interesting.

The three originals include the slow and romantic Spanish love song #4 “Amapola”, drummer Paul Motian’s spaciously and poetic “Bird Song” played with impressionistic verve, and a rhythmic and intense live version of pianist Thelonious Monk’s quirky “Thelonious”, a great way to highlight the respectful yet playful dynamic personality of Setagaya Trio.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes.)

The band formed after hitting it off at a jam session in 2015. They met at a jam session in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya, which inspired the name “Setagaya Trio” for the band. The motif for the jacket design is the maneki-neko [/beckoning cat figurine/] of Gotokuji temple in Shimokitazawa.

There is no musical leader, and their style is characterized by the free expression of all three members. From regular standard numbers from free jazz, quiet noise, and Brazilian music, to modern R&B-styled tunes, their performances have attracted attention all over the country for their appetite to absorb anything and play in their own restrained way.

They released their first album Introducing Setagaya Trio in 2017, which was featured on NHK-FM’s “Jazz Tonight” program. Currently, in addition to performing at jazz clubs centered around the Tokyo metropolitan area, they are expanding the scope of their activities, including musical support for hip-hop producer STUTS.

Audio and Video

• Live performance of “K.O.G.S.”, track #6 on this album:

• Live performance of “Blues”:

• Live performance of “I Love You”:

• Live performance of a madcap medley of songs including “Ladies in Mercedes”, “Giant Steps”, and others:

• Excerpt from track #2: “Metsa”

Almost like a concept album, or parts I and II of a story, the songs for the two albums were divided between them based on the overall effect that each part is intended to have. There is also a common theme of the morning and the relaxed, refreshed feelings that can arise with the sun. In short, the first album’s songs are intended to provide a soothing balm, and the second’s an energy boost, either or both to be used like tonics or medicine to fit the listener’s mood.

Yet the differences between the two collections are not drastic, and the pair could easily be imagined as a double-album release. The songs and arrangements are from Fukui’s hand, delivered through the trio, and during the same two days, so naturally there is a lot in common. Also in common with her previous releases, her music is characteristically groovy and laid-back with stimulating riffs, smooth playing, and subtly novel arrangements. It’s all delivered through the tightly bound rhythms that the three create so nicely together.

Initially, for some songs, there can be the feeling of a gentle playing style filled with cool swing and decorations. Sometimes that softness is misleading, and several songs build to dramatic peaks. As one example, Jobim’s classic “The Girl From Ipanema” starts with the traditional jazz trio sound that regular jazz fans have heard countless times, but Fukui’s clever arranging results in a unique version of this song that carves out its own unique space in the universe of ordinary versions.

It’s a good demonstration of some of the talents of this trio: gossamer piano licks surfing across the thumping bass lines and drum dynamics, climax-building section changes, outro vamps, and drum solos that add the finishing fire to several of the songs.

In addition to her compositions and arrangements, Fukui’s piano solos occupy most of the improvisation space, and there are a few bass and drum solos and interchanges as well. Nonetheless, the music gravitates towards emphasizing the trio’s locked-in, propulsive rhythms, and Fukui’s thought-out arrangements.

Flow-wise, with mid-tempo merges of swing, straight, and Latin beats, the album starts with the energetic swirl of #1 “Voltex”, the soulful groove #2 “morning sun”, and the deep spices of #3 “The Girl from Ipanema”. Track #4 “hammock” is a mid-album rest stop where heartwarming piano lines and a slow sway calm the spirits.

The engines rev up again with #5 “tipsy time”, which bubbles with a fun, light bounce resembling carefree tottering. Track #6 “MCY” excitingly invokes the percussive and chiseled piano playing of McCoy Tyner. The meaning of the album title becomes clear when hearing the sound of this track, but prior to that, other interpretations are interesting, and one case is mentioned in the liner notes. (Another wild guess was that MCY may stand for Music, Cats, and Yoga, as some of her favorite things are known to be.)

The last full song on the album, #7 “Mohito”, is a great update of a popular song from her first album, Urban Clutter, where the electrically charged sound of the Fender Rhodes replaces the acoustic piano. It makes for another version of the thrilling sound of Ami Fukui-style jazz fusion.

The afterword, #8 “Baikin Concert” (a spontaneous and curious ode to Baikinman, a mischievous germ-based antagonist in the comic Anpanman), is a short, friendly postscript featuring her young nephew and his cute original song, only seconds long, but ending the album appropriately with a cute /owari/—“that’s it, all done!”

Liner Notes

(Translated from Ami Fukui’s original Japanese liner notes.)

To everyone who purchased this album…

To some extent, you may ask “Was this album inspired by, or even made for your nephew?” It’s true, I relied on his help a lot for this album, including on the CD jacket design and with his voice. I have to think about how to store the funds from the profits for him (laughs).

In contrast with my previous album Nova Manhã, this album features more danceable rhythms and emotional content. At the start, the idea was to capture as much as we could, so we recorded a lot of songs over two days in November 2021.

Before starting to record, I was vaguely thinking that it would be nice to release a double album, and in fact, we ended up getting enough good takes for two albums.

The first part became the previous release Nova Manhã. These two works became a two-part series expressing stillness and movement. They’re opposing albums, but one thing they have in common is the keyword morning.

Hopeful strength with invigorating tenderness is expressed through “Nova manhã” [/track #1 on Nova Manhã/]. The awareness of the power of the morning sun overflowing with vitality inspired “morning glow” [/track #2 on this album/].

These two songs are at the core, based on the same morning sun but with different perspectives.

On a different topic, I noticed something in common between music and aroma. As aroma drifts through, the atmosphere of a place can be completely changed in an instant. I think that sound has the same effect. The moment that sound flows, it feels like the location’s scenery and your perspective of it changes instantly.

I would love it if you could use this music to lift your spirits, clear your head, relax, or get lost in your thoughts when thinking about something. It is like a tool that can be used depending on your condition and mood at the time.

01 Voltex

It represents a whirlpool. I envisioned the middle of a spiraling whirlpool, being steadily dragged in, and the state of abandoning yourself to the flow. I was listening to Egberto Gismonti a lot around the time that I wrote this song, and I think that also influenced this song a little.

02 morning glow

When I went on a trip to the remote island of Taketomi-jima near Ishigaki, I woke up early to go to the beach and watch the sunrise. The morning glow of the rising sun was so beautiful that I wanted to write a song about it. I wrote this after returning home. Through the successive live performances of this song, the composition as originally created changed with feelings of increased vitality and overflowing strength.

03 The girl from Ipanema

I’m not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing, but I boldly rearranged this famous song by Antônio Carlos Jobim. I got that idea for this song while I was playing a solo piano gig, and afterward, I created this arrangement based on that idea.

04 hammock

I jotted down a song about the memory of a certain important day. It was originally written as a bossa nova and we played it live numerous times as that, but to be honest it never really felt right to me. It has the image of the saudade of the evening. I was thinking about how to give life to this melody, with its touch of floating sadness, and came up with a reggae-tinged groove. I asked Kira to play that and we immediately adopted it! We pulled it off at the peak of the second day of recording in one emotional take.

05 tipsy time

It means being slightly intoxicated. This song was born from the desire to listen to a light, cheerful tune while drinking. It came about while I was casually sitting at the piano, and while I was playing around, the melody came to me. I just kept humming while playing, and turned it into this song.

07 MCY

This is a song I wrote during a time when I was continuously listening to pianist McCoy Tyner. Some have said this is too bright for McCoy and might be closer to Cedar Walton’s style. Either way, please forgive me for transferring it through my own filter (laughs).

One person guessed that the title “MCY” was taken from the initial letters of magenta, cyan, and yellow, the colors used in certain printers. I thought, oh, that would fit the colors for the CD jacket perfectly, and I borrowed a drawing from my nephew that I had originally wanted to use.

P.S.

To those who knew about the Mame Mugi T-shirts: Thank you to everyone who purchased one. When they are all sold out, I’ll be storing the profits for my nephew who drew the original illustration (laughs).

08 Mohito

Named for the cocktail, this is the song “Mohito” which was included on my first album Urban Clutter. Many people like this song, and I often play it with the current trio. I’ve always wanted to record this song on a Rhodes piano, and we finally made this wish come true. This was also a song that we recorded in one take with a lot of energy as we were almost reaching the end of our session time.

08 Baikin Concert

This is an audio file that I recorded as a test during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic when I was thinking about recording music at home. My nephew, who was four years old at the time, held the mic for me while I recorded lots of sounds. I later added my own keyboard notes to make this. It’s a song that my nephew wrote by himself and would sing all the time back then. To NHK, can you use this on Minna no Uta (laughs)?

This album was created with a concept of kineticism, like an energy boost that spreads outwards and lifts the tension slightly. To use Nova Manhã when you want to feel relaxed… To use MCY when you want to lift your spirits… It would be a great honor for me as a creator to have you use them according to your mood at the time.

P.S.

I am always grateful for my two bandmates, who are always listening intently to my sound, and who are warmly supportive yet can also push me strongly at times. This trio’s sound wouldn’t be the same without any one of these musicians. We get wonderful comments about how our sound is the unique result of the three of us playing together. I feel the same, if I can say so myself.

I’m proud and satisfied that we were able to deliver these two albums, Nova Manhã and MCY. At the same time, we remember that these products are only pieces of work. I believe that music is a living thing, and it truly keeps changing in interesting ways with each performance. This is something that I’ve often said since our first album, but it would please me greatly if you could come to a live show and listen to our trio’s changes to hear our current, “as of today” sound.

I also would love to thank all the people who were involved and who lent us their assistance. I hope that this album and Nova Manhã together can continue to be a part of the brightness of your days.

福井亜実 Ami Fukui

Audio and Video

• Live performance of #7 “Mohito” from 2021:

• Live performance of #5 “Tipsy Time” from 2023:

• Audio for “Mohito” from Ami Fukui’s first album “Urban Clutter”:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Voltex”

This five-song, 39-minute album has resulted from the accumulated experience as Nami Kano’s quartet, playing creative jazz and original music together for years around Japan. As a unit, they’ve performed their own great compositions and arrangements of music from innovative musicians like Keith Jarrett, Jaco Pastorius, and Carla Bley. Kano recently adopted the mawsim moniker for her group and album name, as their vision locked into a comfortable and multi-layered repertoire.

As the recording starts, regular jazz listeners who are used to the quartet’s live sound may be surprised. The first song kicks off with some unexpected layers such as electronic drum beats establishing the framework for the sometimes-acoustic, sometimes-electric band (at live shows, Fender Rhodes, electric keyboards, and electric bass are often used along with acoustic piano and wood double-bass). Also surprising, Kano’s own pure voice joins her saxophone sound on the irresistibly playful melodic motif repeated through the first track’s melody line.

Later parts of the album extend the sound palette even more with simple, gorgeous orchestration of a violin and cello string section, and ambient sounds and programming add a sense of mystic soul to the groovy and soulful music.

Within just five songs (all composed by Nami Kano, roughly seven to nine minutes each), the music successfully includes a different dimension of the composer’s personality, through dance-club jazz fusion funk, natural and organic jazz, experimental trance, mellow soul, and straightforward classical beauty.

A subjective trip through the entire album leads to many highlight moments…

#1 “*Crepuscular Rays*” starts surprisingly right off the bat: Hearing drum and synth programming on a jazz album is a shocking start for sure, but when the jazz sound of a Fender Rhodes kicks in and Kano’s keen sax sounds through, Herbie Hancock-era jazz funk fusion takes hold, possibly with some modern-retro Jamiroquai influences mixed in.

It’s soul music and dance club disco steeped with the group’s deep jazz influences. The playful melody is joined not only by the leader’s addictive saxophone but also her own harmonious voice, as the four-note melodic cell shifts and settles through different accents and beats in a kind of addictive guessing game for listeners.

#2 “*Le Bourgeon*” Although modern grooves and electricity inhabit the opener, the second track is full of acoustic bass, acoustic piano, brushed drums, and soul-penetrating soprano sax. The mesmerizing sax flutters and willows over the gentle waves in a slow, romantic jazz waltz. Woody percussion, ambient echoes, and lush organic violin and cello heighten the intimacy of the lovely music.

#3 “*Doubt*” Wispy chords glide over a bass pedal point as the tenor sax invokes a Blade Runner future, or a Star Trek visit to an unknown planet. As the electric keyboard emerges, Kano’s flute questions over the amorphous and rhythmless landscape. Another surprise and highlight is Kano’s instantly loveable duduk (Armenian traditional instrument), which joins in and adds a magical, ancient feeling to the music. Experimental ambient, trance, and fusion inhabit this science-fiction setting.

Suddenly, the modern world emerges with electric rhythms halfway in, something like a Bjork tapestry by Kano’s hand. Flutes harmonize then fall out to reveal electric bass, electric drums, and jazz sax solo played over thin air, fusing and merging and Kano’s improvisation paints the galaxy. Unfamiliar noises surface and disappear, and the background rhythms keep thickening as the saxophone solo eventually distorts as if traveling through a warp in space and the entire mix seems to rotate, filter, and deconstruct, until finally Kano’s wind instruments, chorus, deep bass tones, and ambient sounds create a memorable journey’s end.

#4 “*Far Away Far in the Sky*” sets up a charming bluesy groove with church organ and piano at an easy-going soft-rock pace. The music creates scenes of late-night slow-dance romance, moonlight and midnight, as the last drinks are finished, conversations wind up, and bittersweet goodbye hugs and squeezes are invited and repeated. It’s a time of deep soul with shades of disco pop and fond nostalgia, laid out in two fascinating parts when the swaying rhythm of waltz-time changes to a 4/4 soul rock as the Rhodes lets loose and Kano’s saxophone lovingly leads us out.

#5 “*Whisper of the Moon*” is a relaxing end to the adventure as the strings, sax, and piano perform soundtrack-style music in a dramatic reading. Graceful, slow, and honest with a hint of mystery and romance conveyed through Kano’s exquisite sax tone, expert playing, and impressive compositional talent.

As for the name mawsim (season), Kano explained that in certain places the group name and album title are stylized in lowercase for fun aesthetic reasons: In cursive, the writing of 𝓂𝒶𝓌𝓈𝒾𝓂 resembles and gives the feeling of waves, and in Japanese, “wave” is nami 波, which has the same sound as Kano’s first name Nami 奈実.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video with an excerpt from “Crepuscular Rays”, track #1 on this album:

• Nami Kano Quartet performing “Le Bourgeon” live in 2017, track #2 on this album:

• Nami Kano performing “Doubt” on duduk and other wind instruments, track #3 on this album:

• Nami Kano with strings performing “Whisper of the Moon”, track #5 on this album:

• Nami Kano and group performing “Three Views of a Secret” live in 2020:

• Excerpt from track #2: “Le Bourgeon”

Based in jazz but extending beyond the genre, the music contains a great mix of moods: creatively jaunty, dark and brooding, fanciful, quirky, gentle and sensitive. The personality of the duo surfaces in fun and sensitive ways as the duo moves intuitively through shades of color, mood, and style.

A first-time listener’s ears will no doubt perk up on tracks #1, #3, #5, and #8, songs that are filled with moments of bright energy, whimsy, speedy cool jazz, and funky soul. Yet the music is heightened by the balance offered by the other tracks through slowly captivating ballads, fantastical edifices, and intimately beautiful playing from the two musicians which blooms with repeated and attentive listening.

Of pianist Nagatake’s two evocative and memorable contributions, #2 “Sakuragochi” recalls her duo album with Tetsuji Yoshida with its poignant moods and heavy riffs, while her #8 “Along With You, Sunnyman” skillfully lays out the good-feeling catchy hooks and grooves based on the pianist’s appreciation for Stevie Wonder-like positivity.

Nagatake and Kano’s playing on the saxophonist’s compositions #6 “Foggy Mind” and #7 “Mysterious Dress” feature some of the most exquisitely performed music on the record. These two songs are played consecutively, continuously linked through Nagatake’s piano which infuses the music with wisps of Debussy and Duke Ellington while Kano’s emotionally intense melodies arise bravely and flow gracefully.

Liner Notes

(Transcribed from Nami Kano’s and Mikiko Nagatake’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Jabuticaba (ジャボチカバ) is a tree native to South America whose fruit grows directly on the trunk.

During our second tour, we were discussing what we wanted to call our unit, and at first, we were looking for something cool, maybe something in Italian or French.

One late night, I received images from Mikiko of a jabuticaba tree with lots of fruit on it. I remember clearly how I lost sleep after seeing the astonishing images.

“The character 幹 (tree trunk) from Mikiko (幹子), and the character 実 (fruit) from Nami (奈実)… what do you think about this? Also, it’s a great word, isn’t it?” Coming up with clever ideas is part of Mikiko’s charm, as seen in her performances as well.

That was how Jabuticaba started. Synchronization born from sharing many stages together. And scenery that can only be drawn by these two people with similar sensibilities.

This is an album filled with that which makes us us. I hope you enjoy it.

Nami Kano

Samambaia

When I moved to Tokyo from Nagoya, I was sorting through a lot of music scores when among them I found the music for “Samambaia”, which I had never played before.

I felt like I definitely wanted to try it with this duo, and it fit us great.

As I kept playing this with Mikiko, I began to realize the song’s richness of expression, and it became one of my favorites.

(Kano)

Sakuragochi (桜東風, Sakura East Wind)

In the spring of 2020, all of my performance work was canceled due to the influence of the coronavirus, and the amount of time I spent at home drastically increased. I was so disappointed by losing the opportunity to perform, but conversely, I realized this was my chance to compose songs slowly! I created a melody based on the rhythm of India’s unique tabla drums, and this song was born.

I was hoping that in the spring of the next one or two years, together with my friends, family, and partners, I could remember the gentle feeling of the cherry blossoms of 2020. From this idea, I added the keyword “Sakura” to the title.

(Nagatake)

Wrong Key Donkey

There’s a jazz cafe in Waseda that I really love, and I often went there after classes when I was in college. When I went there, the owner would play albums that I loved like Jackie Byard, Lee Konitz, and Masahiko Togashi. It was there one day that I heard Carla Bley’s album Songs With Legs. I thought it sounded like such a great album that I had to immediately place an overseas order online. This “Wrong Key Donkey” is one of the songs on that album.

Both Nami and I love Carla Bley, and we often play her songs at Jabuticaba performances.

(Nagatake)

What Kind of Fool Am I?

When I was in the sixth grade of elementary school, it was my first time performing in a big band and I got to play on this song as a soloist.

It was the first time in my life that I played on a ballad, and for me at the time it was so difficult, but it’s full of so many memories that it’s still a favorite song of mine. For this recording, Mikiko has added a wonderful arrangement.

(Kano)

Play Fiddle Play ~ Kary’s Trance

One time, we were playing Lee Konitz’s “Kary’s Trance” and Nami said, “It would be interesting to arrange this in a trance-like state”. With that in mind, I took up this arrangement.

“Kary’s Trance” was based on a preexisting song called “Play Fiddle Play”, where Lee Konitz took the chord progression and added a new melody line. When I listened to “Play Fiddle Play” again, I thought it had a really nice melody. I wanted Nami to play both melodies, so that became part of this arrangement. The last part of Nami’s solo is amazing!

(Nagatake)

Foggy Mind

An easy feeling of being in an unfamiliar Tokyo, but with an ambitious feeling of not wanting to give up, and filled with hopes for the future of music that is not yet visible… this is a song which expresses my spirit after just having moved to Tokyo.

(Kano)

Mysterious Dress

When I finished this song, I asked my mother to listen as I played it with my clumsy piano skills. She said it reminded her of a girl wearing a pleated skirt. I had an image of being in a strange forest, so I combined this with my mother’s image and this title easily came to mind.

Continuing from “Foggy Mind”, I think this song expresses the feeling of entering a forest together with Mikiko’s beautiful piano.

(Kano)

Along With You, Sunnyman

I usually have a tendency to write songs that are a little difficult. One day I was listening to Stevie Wonder’s songs on iTunes, and I thought “This person’s songs can make anyone feel good no matter where or when” (it’s a subjective opinion [/laughs/]). This song was motivated by wanting to write a song like that. As I was thinking this, there was a Jabuticaba performance in three days and I wanted to play it there, so wrote it up with Nami’s sound in mind. Sunnyman is a coined word for the thought I had that sometimes there are people just like the sun. Like Anpanman.

This song is a collaboration between Jabuticaba and the Mikiko Nagatake Trio! Since we’re on the same label and can be released together, I was so happy to be able to blend my two favorite sounds!

(Nagatake)

Lastly…

There’s an expression “It’s easier to do something than to worry about it,” but when it comes to CD production it’s certainly not the case! We have nothing but admiration for musicians who overcame so many hurdles to release a CD. Looking back now, it seems so reckless trying to release independently without the know-how.

Jabuticaba was formed at the end of 2017 and our first live tour was in the spring of 2019. When we finished our second tour we talked about wanting to record just like that. Around the time we were setting up our third tour, we were thinking about which songs to include and which arrangements, and the ideas for a recording continued to grow steadily.

Having decided to self-produce and looking for a recording studio, we considered a studio in Eifukucho equipped with a Yamaha piano. Around that same period, it had been decided that Mikiko Nagatake’s trio recording would take place at the same studio and on the same label, so we consulted with Owl Wing Record’s managing director Yuichiro Aratake. He suggested, “Why don’t you release this on my label?” It was a dream-like idea.

So, after our autumn tour finished, we spent two days recording at Eifukucho Power House Studio. Right then, we really learned how hard it was to release a CD, and keenly felt gratitude to everyone at Team Owl Wing Records.

The fact that Jabuticaba is entering our fourth year and was able to release our first album is entirely due to our great fans, the live house barmasters, mamas, and staff, and everyone who has been supporting us. Thank you so much.

The fact that we were able to record in the turbulent year 2020 is also largely significant, we believe. We hope that this CD reaches many homes and that the sound deeply touches many people.

Jabuticaba Mikiko Nagatake Nami Kano

Audio and Video

• Promotional video with #3 “Wrong Key Donkey”, #4 “What Kind of Fool Am I?”, and a short interview:

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

• Audio for “Wrong Key Donkey”, track #3 on this album:

• Jabuticaba live at Nica’s in 2021:

• Excerpt from track #7: “Mysterious Dress (Nami Kano)”

As with her previous releases Urban Clutter (2010), Amizm (2013), and New Journey (2016), this creative musician focuses her original music on the specific sound of her trio and her concept this time out. Seven of the eight tracks on this album are her own compositions. Her music is often colorful, perhaps with more calming hues on this release, and her unique blend of cool beats and pop melodies with a soulful smile runs through the music.

Fukui’s music often uses a modern jazz style beat almost like light neo-jazz with a groovy Latin backbone, as compared to a traditional swing rhythm or blues shuffle. Right from the album title, the jazzy opening track “Nova Manhã” (“new morning” in Portuguese) is underpinned by a subtly compelling rhythm similar to Brazilian or Afro-Cuban rhythms found in some EDM/electronic dance and pop music, but through a jazz lens.

The Latin feel is most apparent on the Brazilian song “Pra Machuchar Meu Coração”, the sole cover song on the album, and a gem that Fukui humorously describes overlooking on the well-known and much-played album by Stan Getz and João Gilberto (see liner notes below).

In addition, Fukui’s original “Nos Vemos!!” conveys a similar Latin sound with a tropical island feel. While it may be going too far to call these trademarks, this cross-genre flexibility is similar to previous compositions where Fukui combines conventional jazz with elements from club jazz, Latin, and pop music.

In particular, the Latin influence is felt on this album more than on previous releases, perhaps to add an overall calm and relaxing vibe to the music. Fukui and the trio also use their voices in wordless harmonies in a few spots in a very warm and welcoming way.

This is not to say that the album as a whole is a trance-inducing or zone-out experience. Maybe it’s the sense that a guiding angel inhabited the environment, aiming the music towards peaceful harmonies and away from over-stimulating roughness.

Fukui’s musical concept on this album of serenity and calmness may even be influenced by her focus on yoga, Ayurveda, and mindfulness, involved as a practitioner and instructor who offers online yoga lessons. It is interesting to consider how her dedicated training of body and mind may also be shaping her musical ideas and performances as well.

Most of all though, the pianist’s attention to her compositions and her jazz piano trio is comfortable and balanced, right in the Goldilocks zone of being not too simple, not too complex, but feeling just right.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Ami Fukui’s original Japanese liner notes.)

To everyone who purchased this, to those who know me as well as first-timers, thank you so much for picking up this album among all the CDs available.

This is my first album since my last release about five and a half years ago. Many things have dramatically changed in the past two years due to the coronavirus epidemic, and I think that my life and my heart have been greatly affected as well.

Rather than heart-pounding excitement, I aimed for gentle calmness. I created this album with this concept in mind. It’s also an album that feels like a collection of essays that have been compiled out of my daily life.

Many people helped out, and it greatly pleases me that we could bring this special collection to fruition. I hope that this album becomes music to bring peace to the hearts of those who listen to it.

Ami Fukui

01.Nova manhã

A song written during the coronavirus pandemic. One morning after waking up, this song was running through my head at high volume. Surprisingly it lasted all day. I wondered, is this strange incident somehow related to the coronavirus? Since this was a rare occurrence, I decided to write the song down just in case.

These two years were a blank. There were frustrating moments, but also some good things, if I changed my perspective just a bit.

Even in this situation or at any time, one thing that doesn’t change is that all are equal in the fact that a new morning will come no matter what. The message is that even if things are tough, keep looking forward and don’t give up. I chose the title based on the Portuguese word for “new morning”.

02.Pexy

My nephew started growing a touch-me-not plant. At some point, it was sitting alone near the kitchen window. He called the plant Pexy. Every morning, my nephew called out “Pexy, go for it!”. He even began to use a small megaphone, and the sound also reached as far as to me.

Although Pexy completed its mission of bowing once, not long after that it took its last breath with its head bowed. For some reason, the name Pexy stuck with me, and so I wrote this song.

Bonus Episode

As my nephew was choosing a nameplate for his touch-me-not plant, from the three available options he chose the one with a rainbow sticker on it. “Oh, since I always have a rainbow in my heart, I’ll get this one!”

I was moved to tears. It was a moment when I felt “Children are so amazing, aren’t they?”

03.Mi_So_Do_Re

When I was a student I was obsessed with Akiko Yano. This song was inspired by several famous songs I listened to, such as “Soko no Iron ni Tsugu” and “Hitotsu Dake”.

“Miso dressing” starts with the letters “mi so do re” [in Japanese, ミ、ソ、ド、レ]. I’m secretly looking to collaborate, so does anyone have a contact in the salad dressing industry? Actually, I don’t know which came first, miso dressing or the dressing industry…

04.Pra Machuchar Meu Coração

The origin of playing this song was when Kira (drums) told me that he had a song that seemed to suit me.

The famous album by Stan Getz and João Gilberto. Although I’ve listened to it so many times, I overlooked this song. I can’t believe I missed such a beautiful song. What exactly was I listening to? Like so, I play it every time.

05.Golden field

Imagine a vast golden wheat field in an American countryside. The setting sun begins to dye the wheat field a pretty orange color. A horizon that never ends. Ears of rice plants dancing in the wind. The indescribably nostalgic scent of a wheat field drifts by. I wrote this song with an image of that landscape. Well, please listen. Golden field…

06.Hommage

Many jazz standard songs are simple but so good. It can also be said of the musicians who have so many cool melodic phrases on hand, expressing themselves through unique characteristics in the form of their performance. I wonder how it feels to write songs that have been passed down as standards through different generations and countries, beloved to the point of being performed as a natural part of sessions.

And, the same with phrases used in solos. To hear a part and think “This is cool!!”, to copy it by ear, to practice, break it down, add our own ideas, and perform it as a language. We take it for granted but, thinking about it, it’s so amazing. I wrote this song as an expression of appreciation to those who created this history of jazz up to now, and with the faint hope that someday my own music can become part of it as well.

07.Nos Vemos!!!

Have you ever watched a movie in your dreams?

It happened to me just once. I can’t remember the story at all, but it was a movie that made me feel extremely happy. And after the final credits finished, I woke up. There was a song playing through the credits that didn’t go away even after I woke up. It stayed in my head all day, so I figured I had to write down this song.

The setting is the Mediterranean Sea. The last scene is at a restaurant by the sea where everyone is happily sharing a meal. I can remember that atmosphere. As I wanted to have that dream again, I chose the words “Let’s meet again.” If someday that dream continues, I want to remember it this time.

08.Mame to Mugi to Watashi

It seems like a title I’ve heard somewhere before (haha). [The title uses the same form as a hit J-Pop song “Heya to Y-shirt to Watashi” (1992).]

I have two black cats who are sisters. The one who came first was pitch black like black beans, so she’s Mame [bean]. I wanted to use the same type of grain for the younger sister who came after, so she’s Mugi [wheat]. This girl’s fur turned out to become a little brownish so it was just right.

I wrote this song thinking about how fun it is to play with these kitties. The song is a duo with a great bassist.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video with excerpts from “Nova manhã”, “Pra Machuchar Meu Coração”, and “Pexy”:

• Promotional video for “Mame to Mugi to Watashi”, track #8 from this album:

• Excerpt from track #6: “Hommage”

Links

• Online yoga lessons link provided by Ami Fukui

The opening song “First Contact” together with #4 “Spinning Petals” (a live version is included in a video below) and #9 “Have Fun”!” prop up the album’s core jazz tentpoles with straight-ahead frameworks reminiscent of the sound of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and Cannonball Adderley’s bands: energetic rhythm sections that frame unleashed improvisation from double horn front-lines.

Even more sides of Mase’s thought-through compositional ideas are evident on tracks like “Resurrection”, “Dimensional Door”, and the two-part “A Blue Green Planet I & II”. These pieces are modern and forward-looking, setting moods of otherworldliness and transcendence with uniquely mysterious and exploratory elements. On these, there is a sense of a cinematic spirit as with soulful Japanese westerns, especially in the catchy anthem “Resurrection” which was written during a period of illness for the composer.

Mase’s compositional style and focused vision may invoke the legendary Wayne Shorter, who was fascinated by pop art and comic books, space, and the unknown. Also similar is the fact that Shorter, in addition to being an early member of the aforementioned Jazz Messengers, was a tenor sax player also known for distinctive soprano sax playing and his renowned compositional genius… whether or not Shorter is an explicit influence on Mase, it’s still interesting to find similarities.

Concept albums in jazz are relatively rare, and while this album may not be considered a proper concept album with a storyline running through it (though her in-progress “Multiverse Suite” evolves the concept much more), there is definitely a strong theme and vision established here, from the colorful album design through to the fantastic music and elaborative song and liner notes. It’s clear that Hiroko Mase’s vision is also focused well beyond this first contact, expanding into her future through explorations with larger ensembles and various influences like Brazilian music, science fiction movies, and of course, the love for jazz that brings it all together.

Liner Notes

(Translated version of Hiroko Mase’s liner notes, originally in Japanese.)

When I was in music college, I heard Lester Young’s records. That was the first time I heard the music called jazz, and I can still remember what a monumental impact it had on me. What a world! After graduating, I spent every day working insanely hard to become a tenor sax player. But sadly, my chronic scoliosis got so bad that I was forced to quit performing. I stepped away from my beloved music and focused on recuperation for about 4 to 5 years. To me, jazz was such great music that when I heard it, it was hard to suppress the urge to play, so I forced myself not to listen to any music at all during that period.

At that time, there was a senior colleague who always encouraged me: Shoko Yamagishi, the leader of the band I played in before my hiatus. She planned a live performance featuring my original songs. Another senior colleague whom I had met for the first time substituted for me, Eiji Otogawa.

From my seat in the audience, I completely enjoyed the Shoko Yamagishi Quintet, and my appreciation for the musicians and the audience was unending.

Year by year my health improved, and a year after my recovery I was married to Eiji Otogawa. All things considered, I am indebted to Shoko Yamagishi. Thank you so much, Shoko!

For my restart in music, I chose the curved soprano saxophone which is less of a physical burden.

Starting from scratch, my first performance was busking in winter at Sukiyabayashi Crossing [in Ginza]. I chased down a thousand yen bill that had been blown by the wind into the middle of the intersection. I finally grabbed it, just barely, and upon looking back proudly I saw that the bassist’s nose had frozen.

Then, about four years later, I started thinking about starting my band with my original music. The Mase Hiroko Quintet was formed in July 2018. As for the members: Tenor sax Eiji Otogawa, whom I respect and trust. Genius pianist Nobumasa Tanaka, whom I have unending respect for every time we play together. On bass, Kosuke Ochiai with his unique and solid sound. On drums, Sota Kira with a beautiful timbre and magnificently addictive drumming.

It was our first time playing together, but from the moment we played the first melody… amazing!! How cool is this!? I was really excited. After the first song finished, we all had a feeling of being together as one. At that moment I decided to make a recording with this band. After that, we held live performances in and around Tokyo, and a year and a half later in the Spring of 2020 we reached the point of recording our first album, my dearest wish.

To everyone who has supported me up to now, I send my heartfelt love and gratitude: To my family, friends, musicians, club managers, customers, Tohru Fujimori (label), and Taishi Taruoka (engineer). And, to my husband Eiji Otogawa who supported me and produced, mixed, designed the CD jacket, and conducted the entire album process, thank you so much. Above all I am filled with love, gratitude, and respect for the wonderful musicians who I performed and spent time with. Thank you!! Please enjoy listening to this album!!

Hiroko Mase

1. First Contact

A song written when this quintet was formed. This song started everything, as the meeting of the members inspired and stimulated me with this piece. Here, I started to blossom as a composer. The three soloists’ enthusiastic passion is an essential characteristic of this band. The rhythm section swings with a lively beat. The day of First Contact for the Earth and the universe may be coming soon.

2. Eywa of Pandora

A piece inspired by the forest spirit “Eywa” from the movie Avatar. Spirits of light dance in a deeply beautiful and vivid forest world, and this song makes you feel the strength of life in that refreshing sensation.

3. Resurrection

This song with an orchestra accompaniment suddenly came to me while I was battling illness. At first, I thought it may be a requiem, but I thought maybe it was a sign from heaven, a sign of resurrection. The introduction starts with Kosuke Ochiai’s bass solo. Every note is engraved with moments that are uniquely and organically him.

4. Spinning Petals

A nimble rhythm and melody filled with a feeling of speed. The motif is of a scene of petals and leaves, spinning as they fall down, and the three soloists develop the scene of a changing landscape dramatically.

5. Long Road

Is life short, or is life long? No, time doesn’t really exist. As each person looks back on their life, each has their own story. Good things or bad things, life is like a journey of adventures called experiences.

6. A Blue Green Planet I

The world as seen from space. Problems like war, poverty, and racial discrimination persist. But the earth itself is beautiful as always. I wrote this song after watching the movie La Belle Verte and having my consciousness disconnected. Pianist Nobumasa Tanaka’s harmony is very beautiful.

7. A Blue Green World II
8. Get Smashed

Expressing through sound the condition of being in a drunken stupor. When viewed from the outside, being dead drunk cuts a humorous figure. To someone who declares “No more drinking!” and then quickly ends up defiantly drinking that night, I send this song to you wholeheartedly.

9. Have Fun!

The piano introductory phrases at the beginning are striking. The soprano sax solo starts with free expression to a full-throttle engine. The exhilaration of running feels so good. Eiji Otogawa’s soulful solo. He leads the band with his uniquely intense sound. Awakening the listener’s spirit, from a breathlessly suspenseful solo he passes the baton to the piano. A piano solo full of speed. The trio comes together as one, transforming freely, and powerful beats collide as the energy reaches its peak. And Sota Kira’s all-out drum solo. Combining power and beautiful tones, making use of all kinds of beats. The deep musicality, technique, and creative drumming thrills the band.

10. Dimensional Door

Opening the Dimensional Door and returning to your true self, there is a paradise of peaceful love. Bassist Ochiai leads the band with a spiritual and wonderful sound.

Looking to the Future

I have several years’ worth of musical projects inside me. This album is the first. This wonderful experience has ignited my desire to compose and awakened a variety of ideas. New sounds fusing vocals and instruments, situations imagining the universe, born naturally and progressing simultaneously. I plan to announce these three projects over the next several years. Please look forward to it.

Three Major Projects

“Mase Hiroko Quintet”

The nucleus of this project is the two-horn quintet form with great technique and thrilling interplay, a fascinating quintet.

“Mase Hiroko All Stars”

The quintet expands as additional musicians join with percussion, keyboard, electric bass, and the colorful acoustic/electric Brazilian sound of vocalist Nobie. The lyrics were co-written with Eiji Otogawa with a strong message and originality, exciting music for a unique band.

“Multiverse Suite”

A project overflowing with entertainment depicting a grand space adventure that transcends genres. The suite is made up of Episodes 1-7 which are currently in progress. A sense of cosmic sound can be felt through various visions from science fiction movies. The number of members is increased even further to become a large ensemble.

Lastly

My journey of exploring music has just begun. Building these projects together with these wonderful musicians is a beautiful, fun thing. I never thought that I could do something so difficult. But I’m gradually starting to understand that even the impossible becomes possible if you don’t give up. I want to continue to explore more interesting and exciting things. It makes me really happy if this can bring a smile to people’s faces. For everyone who picks up this CD and listens to it in some part of your everyday life, with our music close to you, I hope you have a wonderful time. With love.

September 2020

Audio and Video

• Excerpt from “Have Fun!”, track #9 on this album:

• Live performance of “Spinning Petals”, track #4 on this album:

• “Multiverse Suite 2021” Part 1:

• “Multiverse Suite 2021” Part 2:

• “Multiverse Suite 2021” Part 3:

• “Multiverse Suite 2021” Part 4:

• Excerpt from track #1: “First Contact”