Akira Sakata, alto saxophone, clarinet, vocals
Ichiko Hashimoto, piano, vocals
Hiroshi Yoshino, double bass
Nobuo Fujii, drums
1. announcement 1:16
2. Mr. H.M. 9:02
3. band introduction 1:01
4. Memories (Formerly called <A Depressing Act>) 7:25
5. announcement 0:38
6. Tamago (Egg) 11:22
7. Tori (Bird)(IH, comp.) 10:59
8. Dance (incomplete) 4:25
Recorded at NHK 505 Studio, Tokyo on May 14, 1983.
(fm)
Shigeharu Mukai, trombone
Akira Sakata, alto saxophone
Kazutoki Umezu, alto saxophone
Yoriyuki Harada, bass clarinet
Ichiko Hashimoto, piano
Shuichi Chino, keyboards
Hiroshi Yoshino, double bass
Tamio Kawabata, electric bass
Nobuo Fujii, drums
Tony Koba, drums
Kiyohiko Semba, perussion
Lee Oskar, harmonica (guest)
1. announcement 1:44
2. band introduction 1:34
3. What Time Is It? 19:45
4. announcement 0:25
5. Trapper (incomplete) 22:14
6. announcement 1:32
Recorded at Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan Hall in Tokyo on March 29, 1982.
A last one for the old year.
TAKASHI KAKO / TOSHIYUKI MIYAMA AND HIS NEW HERD
"EL AL"
Takashi Kako: p, celesta
Akira Sakata: as, bcl
Masahiko Togashi: dr, perc
New Herd:
Toshiuki Miyama: conductor
Koichi Ono, Natsuki Tamura, Masanobu Takei, Shigeru Kammori: tp
Tekuhiro Kataoka, Kenchi Tsunoda, Takeo Arai, Ryohu Imai: tb
Kazumi Oguro, Shinji Nakayama: as, cl, fl
Mamoru Mori, Norio Moriguchi: ts, cl, fl
Kenichi Tada: bs, bcl, fl
Kiyoshi Takano: p
Yasushi Fukushima: b
Yoshio Nakamura: ds
1. El Al I (Kako) 7:38
2. El Al II (Kako) 11:45
3. El Al III (Kako) 8:34
4. El Al IV (Kako) 10:40
Recorded August 28, 29 & September 4, 1978 at Media Studio Tokyo
Produced by Toshiaki Sugimoto
(Union Jazz TECP-18777, CD reissue 1991)
Following up this fine series of Japanese improv, here's a more recent collaboration between Scandinavian power trio The Thing and Otomo Yoshihide and Akira Sakata, recorded live at Super Deluxe in Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan on 9 September 2009.
Setlist :
1.? [ 24min 42sec ] The Thing plus Otomo Yoshihide
2.? [ 11min 43sec ] Mads Gustafsson (ts) and Akira Sakata (as)
3.? [ 08min 44sec ] Mads Gustafsson (flutophone) and Akira Sakata (cl)
4.? [ 30min 04sec ] TT, OY and AS
5.? [ 14min 46sec ] TT, OY and AS
-encore-
6.? [ 09min 26sec ] TT, OY and AS
The Band:
Mats Gustafsson(ts, flutophone)
Ingebrigt Haaker Flaten(bass)
Paal Nilssen-Love(drums)
Otomo Yoshihide(guitar)
Akira Sakata(as,cl, voc)
Different combinations here, first with The Thing and Otomo Yoshihide, then a couple of duets with Mads Gustafsson and Akira Sakata and the whole crew in full flight. As I mentioned in a previous post, there is a sense of continuity from the 60s/70s pioneers and up to the younger generation of European and Japanese players with Sakata representing the binding thread in this instance. Gustafsson has professed to be an admirer of Sakata, so this gig presented an opportunity for them to get together and blow out on a couple of duets as part of the set. The Thing has worked with guitarists before, among others Thurston Moore and Terrie Ex and here Otomo Yoshihide provides the right screechy foil to the rhythm section of Haaker Flaten and Nilssen-Love who, by the way, also worked with guitarist Raoul Björkenheim as the Scorch Trio, a name quite appropriate for the music they dished out. No mellowing out here!
Video clips can be found on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY8l_UOS7kk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOqw5T8g-50
and considering the season we're heading into:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7lRGDxMx0
Yes, Akira Sakata does sing!
Recorded and upped to Dime/YouTube by "fykfyk"who keeps a steady track of musical events in the Tokyo underground. Thanks, mate!
Life's full of coincidence, isn't it? Yesterday I downloaded this album from the blog and listened through it. Today I dropped by a second-hand store and found it to my great surprise. If that wasn't enough, discovering that there was a scanner at work that could accommodate lp size covers was reason enough to make a post out of it. This was slipped into the comments section of the previous Yamashita trio post by pablo who digitised his own copy of the lp. No point in me replicating those worthy efforts.
Basic facts:
Side 1:
Mina's Second Theme (Yosuke Yamashita) 21:15
Side II
Mina's Second Theme (cont.)(Yosuke Yamashita) 7:35
Clay (Dedicated to Muhammad Ali) (Takeo Moriyama) 15:15
Akira Sakata - Clarinet & Altosax
Yosuke Yamashita - Piano
Takeo Moriyama - drums
Recorded June 2, 1974, live at the open-air III. New Jazz Festival in Moers, Germany
Released as Enja 2052.
Listening to this, I'm amazed at the sheer energy and stamina of these three musicians. Keeping it going at full throttle for well over 40 minutes is no mean feat and there is an intensity and an underlying sense of violence which is scenically captured in this You Tube film excerpt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD3Q060KI28
Heady stuff in other words and a source of inspiration for a younger generation mixing the in your face attitude of punk and rock with the abandonment of free impro. Perhaps no wonder that Sakata has recently played with the Scandinavian power trio The Thing. Mads Gustafson is a huge admirer, which shouldn't surprise anybody listening to these tracks.
DELETED! see comments...
Here's one for Sunday. The Yosuke Yamashita Trio with Akira Sakata. See also Riccardo's post from 6th November for another fine recording with Akira Sakata!
YOSUKE YAMASHITA TRIO "GHOSTS by Albert Ayler"
Yosuke Yamashita,p
Akira Sakata,as
Shoichi Koyama,dr
1. Chiasma (Yosuke Yamashita) 16:30
2. Ghosts (Albert Ayler) 35:30
Recorded : May 23, 1977 at "Jazz in der Kammer", Deutsches Theater, Berlin, Germany.
A short addition at the recent wave of Japanese free-jazz.
Rec. live at "The 10th Moers Festival", Moers, Germany,
on June 6, 1981 (mics recording)
Akira Sakata,alto sax,clarinet,vocal
Hiroshi Yoshino,bass
Nobuo Fujii,drums
1. Track #1 (17:49)
2. Track #2 (13:42)
Total Time 31:32