Takehiro Honda - Salaam Salaam (1974) [vinyl]

Takehiro Honda's most complex and challenging LP, Salaam Salaam pairs the pianist with bassist Junie Booth and drummer Eric Gravatt to explore the kind of creative reaches typically reserved for larger ensembles. If anything, the record is that much more remarkable for achieving its epic scope from so few core elements. Honda's adherence to austerity contrasts sharply with the bold, multi-dimensional sensibilities that signify the vast majority of post-Coltrane excursions into spiritual expression, yet the sheer soulfulness and abandon of his performance nevertheless vaults Salaam Salaam into the same physical and metaphysical planes. No less vital is the record's unusual warmth and tonal purity, which further underscore the humanity at the root of even its most abstract expressions. ~ by Jason Ankeny, AMG. 

East Wind, EW-7005, 1974
Recorded 16th June, 1974 at Victor Studio, Tokyo, Japan 

Musicians:
Takehiro Honda - Piano
Juni Booth - Bass
Eric Gravatt - Drums 

Tracks:
A1. Minors Only (13:27)
A2. Natural Tranquility (10:31)
B. Salaam Salaam (18:28) 

All Compositions by Takehiro Honda 

Total Time: 42:26 

Credits:
Producer, Management, Liner Photos - Toshinari Koinuma
Supervisor [Album Direction] - Yasohachi Itoh, Yukio Morisaki
Recording & Remixing Engineer - Toshio Kobayashi
Art Direction - Johsuke Kubo
Design [Album] - Mitsuo Hosokawa
Photography [Cover] - Hiroshi Satoh
Photography [Liner] - Yukio Ichikawa
Liner Notes - Shoichi Yui 

"This album I heard again and again when I was a student over 35 years ago. Even if I heard it now, it was a great album! All three songs are good, but the second song Natural Tranquility is great when you listen to it! It's a peace of mind." ~ aquilegia, Amazon.com. [Translated from Japanese] 

Natural Tranquility

Andrew Hill - Nefertiti (1976)

One of the most mindless quirks of some jazz listeners is major label prejudice. Take for example those vaguely familiar with pianist Andrew Hill's albums 'Blue Black' and 'Nefertiti', both recorded for the semi-obscure East Wind label, an imprint only in existence from 1974-77. If you have most of Hill's Blue Note albums and some of his more recent output and feel that is most of what is worth hearing, are you ever wrong. These albums are stunning. They can almost be considered companion pieces, each different enough in its own right to justify owning the pair. Nefertiti is a trio done two years later after 'Blue Black'. It has Roger Blank (drums) and Hill's most frequent bassist, Richard Davis. It starts out with the song "Blue Black", oddly enough nothing to do with the title cut of the other disc, Hill starting with a simple figure based on a scale. After about six and a half minutes, just when you think he's wrung all he can out of it, the rhythm section comes in, hard. On this and every other piece, the band plays together with stunning creativity and empathy. Hill has great energy throughout and a beautifully fat, full tone. Other high points include Davis' gorgeously imaginative arco work on the title cut and Blank's anomalous drum pattern on "Mudflower. This album is not only highly entertaining, but continue to fascinate with repeated listenings. ~ Extract by Kevin Ray, AAJ. 

East Wind, EW-8032, 1976
Inner City Records, IC 6022, 1979
East Wind, UCCJ-9162, 2015
Recorded 25th January, 1976 at Vanguard's 23rd Street Studios, New York 

Musicians:
Andrew Hill - Piano
Richard Davis - Bass
Roger Blank - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Blue Black (14:10)
2. Relativity (5:29)
3. Nefertiti (8:08)
4. Hattie (3:47)
5. Mudflower (7:32)
6. Unnatural Man (3:23) 

All Compositions by Andrew Hill 

Total Time: 42:31 

Credits:
Producer - David Baker
Executive-Producer [1976] - Toshinari Koinuma
Executive-Producer [2002] - Hirotoshi Nabetani
Supervisor - Kiyoshi Itoh, Yasohachi Itoh
Mastering - Hideaki Nishimura
Mastering Supervisor - Kikuo Niikura
Photography [Back] - Tadayuki Naitoh
Photography [Front] - Shinya Fujiwara
Design - Eiko Ishioka, Motoko Naruse
Liner Notes - Kazunori Harada 

Nefertiti