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'Mangelsdorf-esque' King LP from 1964, but it's **Charlie Mariano** + 5 Japanese musicians -- and it's the closest thing to Mangelsdorf's 1963-64 era writing & sound that I've EVER heard -- discuss!!


Rooster_Ties

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I picked this super-recent Japanese SHM-CD reissue from The Bastards about a month ago, and I have to say that it's turned out to be one of THE most quirky, fascinating, and lively albums I've heard since specifically those two fantastic Albert Mangelsdorf Quintet albums from around the same year: "Tension" (aka "One Tension") from 1963, and "Now Jazz Ramwong" from 1964.  In fact, there's a sort of odd similarity in the overall sound between this (probably little-known?) Mariano date, and the two Mangelsdorf dates.  Anyway, here are some details...

 

https://www.dustygroove.com/item/900142/Charlie-Mariano:Jazz-Intersession

According to Dusty:  A rare Japanese session from American reedman Charlie Mariano – and one of the few recorded documents of his time on the Tokyo scene! The album really captures Charlie at a pivotal – and under-recorded – point in his career – definitely stretching out from the tight lines of his Boston years, yet also still holding back from some of the trippier styles he'd explore more freely on the European scene. This sense of being at the edge really holds throughout the entire album – and even familiar tunes have some structures that are less familiar than you might expect – as Charlie blows alto with deep sense of soul, in the company of a group that includes Masao Yagi on piano, Hideo Shiraki on drums, Akira Fukumara on trumpet, and Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and soprano sax! Titles include "Etude", "Santa Barbara", "Rootie", "G Low", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". 

 

http://www.charliemarianotribute.de/disco1964.html

Personnel:
Charlie Mariano – alto saxophone
Hidehiko Matsumoto – soprano & tenor saxophones
Akira Fukuhara – trumpet
Masao Yagi – piano
Masanaga Harada – bass
Hideo Shiraki – drums

Titles:
G-Low
Come Rain Or Come Shine
Etude
Santa Barbara (Charlie Mariano)
Rootie
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Jinku
Recorded February 8, 10 & 11, 1964 at Nippon Toshi Centre Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Released by Wave (Japan) WWLJ-7108 and King (Japan) SKJ 1058

 

And a lovely cover that's growing on me too...

R-10373289-1496186106-6083.jpeg.jpg

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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SO, anyone else have this album? - or heard it?  Here's one of the very best tunes, "Santa Barbara", which really gets right to everything I love about this album (and maybe you can also hear the Mangelsdorf Quintet similarities(?) -- NOT that I'm suggesting any sort of direct connection or influence (in either direction).  Or if there is some kind of relationship or influence, that'd sure as hell be wild (being from such disparate countries).

4 or 5 (of the total of 7 tracks) are kinda like this, some with periods of collective improv too. And most of the tracks are seriously "tight" and spritely!! -- just like those Mangelsdorf dates (circa 1963-64), although 2 of the tracks are just piano-trio only (iirc), and more subdued.

Here's "Santa Barbara":

 

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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Not much of it is uploaded/online, but you can also listen to 45-second samples of every track at the following link(s)...

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/KICJ-2250  then click on "Listen Samples", which takes you here...

http://www.neowing.co.jp/product/KICJ-2250/track?from_cdj=1

 

ALSO, if you look for the two (2) different "listen" icons near the bottom of this page (right under the line-up of musicians on the session), you can also hear nearly 2-minute long samples of two more of the full-band tunes (not sure which ones off the top of my head).  But this'll give you a pretty good sense of, dare I say, how FRISKY!! - this whole damn album is!! :excited:

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.domicile-records.com/%3Fpid%3D88333695&prev=search

(Or non-translated:  http://www.domicile-records.com/?pid=88333695 )

PS:  BTW, those two links seems to point (directly) to these mp3 links -- which I think you can play directly by clicking below...

http://domicile.heteml.jp/88333695a.mp3 (1:50 long sample of one track)

http://domicile.heteml.jp/88333695b.mp3 (2:04 long sample or another track)

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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OK, here's ANOTHER full-length track I just found from the album, at time-index 10:38 in this YouTube upload.  If the embedded video below doesn't start at 10:38, just click on this bare URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTLWke7up6o&t=638s

But this following embedded video will hopefully go to that specific time-index:

"Jinku" 10:38

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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Seems "Santa Barbara" (the same tune from YouTube in post #2 above), was also recorded by Toshiko's big band in 1965.

Toshiko Mariano, that is!!

I can't seem to find the full-track on-line, but it (and the whole album it comes from ) can be sampled here...

https://itunes.apple.com/md/album/toshiko-mariano-her-big-band/300932419

R-3621244-1399445832-4518.jpeg.jpg

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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5 hours ago, mjazzg said:

Can you confirm how many of the tracks are just the trio? Discogs listing doesn't give this info and it could be the make/beak for me

Listening to the CD now, there are only two (2) tracks that are trio-only -- #2 "Come Rain or Come Shine" and #6 "I Left My Heart in San Francisco".

One track - #3 "Etude" - is just Mariano + piano trio (but it's a lovely, thoughtful track that's only ~2:30 in length).

Then all of the other four (4) tracks are ALL seriously upbeat, every one of them cracking with energy -- and each with wild and thorny arrangements that rival any/all of the very best of the kind of writing specifically found on these 2 Mangelsdorf Quintet albums: "Tension" (aka "One Tension") from 1963, and "Now Jazz Ramwong" from 1964.

In fact, FWIW, *NOTHING* I've ever heard (even from Manglesdorf himself, on any of his other albums from the 60's, and I've got all of them) reminds me as much of "Tension" and "Now Jazz Ramwong" -- as do these 4 upbeat tracks from Jazz Intersession/Inter-session.  Trust me: I bought all that other Manglesdorf looking and hoping for more like Tension & Ramwong (but alas, there's just nothing quite like those two albums -- except the album I started this thread about).

Again, FWIW.

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43 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

related, I am a big fan of this one as well:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiko_Meets_Her_Old_Pals

Yeah, I've been on the lookout for this CD -- which combines "...Meets Her Old Pals" along with some piano trio recs of hers also from 1961.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_%E2%80%93_Toshiko_Akiyoshi (combined "1961" CD, with both sessions).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Yellow_Road_(Toshiko_Akiyoshi_Trio_album (trio only sessions, originally released on flexi-discs in a magazine (if I'm understanding right).)

More about the "magazine" where those trio-recs originally came out...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahi_Sonorama

 

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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First listen through of the LP. I hear more similarity to Jackie McLean than to the Mangelsdorffs dates. I think the presence of piano makes a big difference from the German dates. Certainly the unison horn passages recall 'Tension' et al. It's most intersting when Mariano solos.

Tight and solid session that I'm sure will reveal more delights on more listens.

Edit to add: I'very not listened to the Mangelsdorffs sessions for a number of months. Will do so later for a more current comparison.

Edited by mjazzg
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