Ayumi Koketsu - Struttin' (2010)

In November 2010, as usual, the 6th Ginza International Jazz Festival was held, and at the 7th floor hall of the Ginza Yamano Musical Instruments Main Store, there was a live performance by the Ayumi Koketsu Quartet. I got one of the tickets from there, and I was allowed to accompany the performance. Ayumi Koketsu was born in Gifu Prefecture in 1988 and is a 21-year-old alto saxophonist. She started taking piano lessons at the age of 3 and became a jazz lover under the influence of her father. After graduating from high school, she attended Koyo Music Academy Nagoya School and started her live performances. Her performance has been well received, and her concert venues in Nagoya continue to be packed every day. And this time, her first album "Struttin'" was recorded. As you all know, there is a famous jazz record "Cool Struttin'", and it is said that her name is "Ayumi", so this album "Struttin'" was given this title. That's it. As you can hear, her alto saxophone performance ranges from ballads to up-tempo songs, and she sings well with beautiful and powerful tones. What surprises is her performance style, she literally sings cool and easy bebop blow, which is exactly cool struttin' itself and makes you feel the limitless future. Then, please listen to the beautiful alto ad-lib of the struttin' ballad played by the young lady. ~ ankle pop, 5 Stars, Amazon.com. [Translated from Japanese] 

M & I Records, MYCJ-30573, 2010
Recorded 17th & 18th February, 2010 at Hitokuchi-Zaka Studio, Tokyo, Japan 

Musicians:
Ayumi Koketsu - Alto Saxophone
Yoshihiko Naya - Piano
Masayuki Tawarayama - Bass
Mark Taylor - Drums

Tracks:
01. This I Dig Of You {Hank Mobley} (4:11)
02. Without A Song {Vincent Youmans} (4:58)
03. Kary's Trance {Lee Konitz} (4:16)
04. A Solar Eclipse {Ayumi Koketsu} (5:11)
05. I Fall In Love Too Easily {Jule Styne} (4:23)
06. The Kicker {Joe Henderson} (4:41)
07. I've Never Been In Love Before {Loesser} (4:53)
08. Orion {Rui Momota} (5:55)
09. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise {Sigmund Romberg} (5:27)
10. Del Sasser {Sam Jones} (6:33)
11. Blues Connotation {Ornette Coleman} (4:43) 

Total Time: 55:16 

Credits:
Producer - Hiro Yamashita, Yoshihiko Naya
Executive-Producer - Mitsuo Shimano
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Mizuo Miura
Engineer [Assistant] - Daisuke Takizawa
Mastering Engineer - Yuta Tada
Art Direction, Design - Yoshie Yokoyama
Photography [Artist Photos] - Mika Endo
Photography [Cover] - Hisayoshi Osawa
Liner Notes - Naoko Shimada 

Orion