Late

This recipe? (Dig the cheesy trumpet music in the video.)

But what cocktail do you drink when you watch them?

I will buy anything that the Yosuke Yamashita Trio recorded. That first album from 1969 still gives me chills. Yamashita after that trio ... I'm not familiar with. Heckyeah. I'm just now exploring that world ... while simultaneously trying not to spend.

Ha! I love TTK's cocktail recommendations. I used to like to play Albert Ayler back-to-back with June Christy. I thought I was being oh-so subversive!

The bank can always freeze your account if necessary. Another album (non-Aketagawa) on Aketa's Disk is Masayuki Takayanagi's Angry Waves (the actual title is 850113): To me, this is Takayanagi's masterpiece. Granted, I haven't heard everything, but this record is beautiful in the most brooding, dark-energy sort of way. Never has a noise record (and I wouldn't actually identify this as a "noise record") sounded so musical. I'd give it a crown if I were contributing to the Penguin Guide. Certainly not for all listeners, and it can be an exhausting listen, but the depth of focus (at least to me) is amazing. A gentler Takayanagi record, recorded not too long before he died, is on No Business Records. It should still be available on eBay.

This thread has turned into a Recommendations thread. Whoops! (Oh well.)

I no longer collect vinyl, but I bet finding Aketa Disc stuff would be like trying to find original Saturn vinyl. Not easy! Octave Lab reissued nearly all of the Aketa's Disk label on compact disc in 2019. They went out of print quickly. Two titles have since been repressed from the original batch, I think. The remastered sound on the compact discs, all things considered, is quite good; I think almost all Aketa's Disk records were recorded live.

Great story! I fully understand what you mean by being "drawn into the mystique." Abe is almost the perfect character for such a setting. And, agreed, the multi-instrumentalism (particularly the harmonica) was perhaps not the best choice. I'm guessing he'd run out of his own vocabulary on the horns, much in a way, conversely, that Coltrane never ran out of vocabulary. (All those hours and years of practice were for a reason!) Do you already have Yoshisaburo "Sabu" Toyozumi's Message To Chicago? , b The tracklist is: 1. Roscoe's Tune 2. Malachi's Tune 3. People In Sorrow That gives you an idea of where his head was at: definitely an homage, but not fawning idolatry. I need to listen to it more! As for Aketagawa, make sure to check sound samples first. I don't mind his vocalizings (I happen to like Irène Aëbi, for context), but I can see how they'd drive most listeners insane. That said, I'd go for nearly everything on his Aketa's Disk label (though he's not on all the releases). As I hear his playing, it's more about breaking down inhibition — Aketagawa is no technician — as every (out-of-tune) note is bursting with wild emotion. I think players like Roland Kirk would have felt an affinity for Aketagawa. Monk may not have liked his playing, but I would still claim there's a direct line between the two. May as well list [at least] five albums, in order of personal preference: 1. Aketa's Erotical Piano Solo & Grotesque Piano Trio Have to start with this one, perhaps because it's his first. I really don't think Aketagawa has a "best" record, but this debut will give you an idea of what you're in for. 2. Trio (this has a different title in Japanese, but I never remember it). How could a person not love the cover? This seems to follow up right where the first album left off. 3. Alone In Tokuyama (pictured above) Solo work. A Stevie Wonder cover. Aketagawa's grunting voice overwhelming his own piano playing. Perfection. 4. Shudan Seikatsu For me, this is Aketagawa's most "fun" album. But definitely listen to sound samples first. There's a vocalist here (I wish I could read Japanese) that will likely turn most listeners off right away. Her sense of pitch is, um, relative. But this record probably also has Aketagawa's piano in its most out-of-tune state, so pitch isn't really an issue (I guess). The vocalist's scatting is so bad that it's wonderful. In a drunken state, one can even hail it as the best singing EVER. (At least I do.) The whole record is a crazy swirl, serious and playful at the same time. A Braxton-like march morphs into weird cocktail lounge swing. A solo track on ocarina. A stand-alone guitar + male vocal piece, which is actually quite beautiful. Conclusion: Aketagawa is for listeners with an accommodating sense of humor; hearing damage or complete loss might also be a plus when this record is spun. But make no mistake: this album is ALIVE. Aketagawa has a strange way of invigorating listeners with tolerant/perhaps slightly tone deaf ears. 5. Fly Me To The Moon Aketagawa's most pretty playing? Well, only if your definition of "pretty" is bashing the keys and "singing" over your own playing with such intensity that listeners might not be sure of what they're supposed to deal with. In other words, I love it.

Me too. His response was: yes, it would make a great Mosaic and, no, it probably won't happen.

That's pretty cool that you were into Kaoru Abe in your late teens! I like Abe, but a little goes a long way (as you probably already know). That said, I would search out his recordings with Masayuki Takayanagi (if you don't know them already); they seemed to bring out the best in each other. I really like Takayanagi, but, again, you have to be in the right place, right frame of mind. There's also an Abe release on No Business records which is worth hearing. I haven't taken to Watanabe so far, but I think I'm not listening to the right records. Definitely pick up Hino's Taro's Mood; there's a complete extra disc of bonus tracks. Also, Vibrations, which sounds like an Albert Mangelsdorff record without Mangelsdorff. Those are my two Hino picks. Then ... Hal Galper's Now Hear This and Bob Degen's Children of the Night. Sample Shoji Aketagawa first ... and if that works for you, go crazy! I'm a huge fan, but I understand how a lot of (most?) listeners will not have a taste for that kind of piano playing. To me, it sounds like Outsider Music + Thelonious Monk. Or, painterly, Art Brut ... a la Jean DuBuffet. I think Don Cherry would have loved Aketagawa's playing. Technical it is not, but that's not the point. He seemed to prefer out-of-tune pianos as well. Others here will have more Japanese Jazz recommendations, I'm sure. (Also, everyone has to have at least one Itaru Oki record! I'd recommend Mirage first. Very AACM-like.)

I just realized I have all the Giuffre Verve recordings except the Herb Ellis record and the Anita O'Day record. The latter, in particular, I need to rectify. I haven't listened to O'Day in a long time. I can't think of anyone who sings "Peel Me A Grape" better. (Social distancing you two!)

Hal Galper's Now Hear This is being reissued in Japan again, this time for 980¥. At that price, it's well worth jumping on.

+1 +1

And this record, which contains my favorite version of Isn't She Lovely? I love Aketagawa's playing, however ... he makes more (and louder) grunting sounds than Glenn Gould and Keith Jarrett COMBINED. Not recommended for listeners who like their piano playing without vocal encouragement. Oops — I just realized this is a "jazz in print" thread.

Bill Holman had a Rollins phase too. My guess would be that Way Out West was a strong influence at the time. As for Giuffre, within less than 2 years after Ad Lib, he was of course off on a substantially different tangent. As far as Giuffre's Verve stuff — non-arranger-wise — I'd recommend The Easy Way, 7 Pieces, In Person, and Ad Lib, probably in that order. They're all worth hearing if you're a Giuffre fan. It really would have made a good Mosaic set, I think.

Hino fans might want to check out Bob Degen's Children of The Night:

1965 film footage of Giuffre's trio with Don Friedman and Barre Phillips evidently exists. UK television. Jazz 625.

Giuffre at his most Newk-ish. Some of his licks are straight out of Rollins' vocabulary. Still, a solid Giuffre record (you also get to hear Marable to fine effect) — listening right now — and one that should be better known. It was recorded only three days before The Easy Way, a much different record. Giuffre covered a lot of ground in the two years he was with Verve. Eleven sessions! (I think the list above is complete.)

Same. But it'd be a first if Dusty Groove carries these before CD Japan does. (Dusty Groove lists them as available around May 15th.) Either way, I have plenty to listen to in the meantime. Maybe Harbour can give a mini-review when they receive their Amazon Japan order? Suspense!

Corea titles have now shipped ... (a few days ahead of release date).

Weird that these titles are coming out (supposedly) tomorrow, but still aren't listed on CD Japan (or importCDs for that matter). HMV does list them, however.

Ah, gotcha.

Nice article! Appears to be Frank Lowe on the bandstand there.

Red's version of "C Jam Blues" is a master class in swing. I've been in a deep dive through Red's trio work (only up to 1962; haven't gotten to the later work yet). Really interesting to hear him with Chambers ... and then without Chambers. Those two had some serious Aquaman telepathy vibrations going on. A Garland of Red may always be my favorite Garland trio record, but that's because it was my first. These days Red In Bluesville takes the cake. I admit that for years I tended to take Garland's playing for granted. But that was my loss. Nowadays I hear his touch (block chords/voicings) as nearly ever-pervasive in pianists that came after him. I think Bill Evans in particular listened closely to Red Garland.