Hiroki Miyano - Manhattan Skyline (1981, 2007)

Hiroki's own creative life began in Sapporo. As noted elsewhere on the web, Hiroki grew up collecting jazz records of early personal music idols like John McLaughlin and Django Reinhardt. By the age of 10, Hiroki had already bought a guitar and in short time began taking his first steps to play out around Tokyo’s storied jazz clubs. Somehow, in 1981, the noted editor of J-Jazz magazine Swing Journal clued in one Teo Macero (of Miles Davis fame) to the stylings of this young upstart. Shortly, Hiroki was signed to a contract with huge Japanese label Phillips and was sent out to NYC to record an album of originals with Teo functioning as producer. Working with truly gifted/prolific jazz session cats like Marcus Miller, Buddy Williams, and Ryo Kawasaki, they’d use his debut album (Manhattan Skyline) to launch off his career. ~ Extract by Diego Olivas, fondsound.com. 

Philips Records, 27PJ-1, 1981
Philips/Universal, DCT-1921, 2007
Recorded 17th-18th November, 1980 at Media Sound Studios, New York 

Musicians:
Hiroki Miyano - Acoustic Guitar, Arranger
Jeff Mironov - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Warren Bernhardt - Fender Rhodes
Jorge Dalto - Acoustic Piano
Ryo Kawasaki - Guitar Synthesizer
Marcus Miller - Electric Bass
Carol Steele - Percussion
Buddy Williams - Drums
Guests:
George Young - Soprano Sax, Sopranino (#1,3,5,7,9)
Dave Valentin - Flute (#2,4)
Ilana Morillo - Vocals (#3,8,9)

Tracks:
1. Let's Make Merry {Hiroki Miyano} (3:32)
2. Sunset City {Hiroki Miyano} (6:26)
3. Teo's Dance {Hiroki Miyano} (5:22)
4. Bird On The Wind {Hiroki Miyano} (5:23)
5. Slow Down For Love {Earl Klugh} (4:00)
6. Song Of Clouds {Ryo Kawasaki} (4:15)
7. Summer Light {Teo Macero} (3:28)
8. Go Away From Summer {Hiroki Miyano} (3:15)
9. Manhattan Skyline {Hiroki Miyano} (5:33) 

Total Time: 41:20 

Credits:
Executive Producer, Liner Notes - Hiroki Miyano
Producer, Arranger - Teo Macero
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Carl Beatty
Assistant Engineer - Lincoln Clapp
Cutting Engineer - Hiroshi Yuasa
A&R - Hiroshi Mitsuka
Design - Masao Ohgiya
Photography [Cover] - Tadayuki Naitoh
Photography - David Tan 

Bird On The Wind

Ted Curson - I Heard Mingus (1980) [vinyl>flac]

Here we have rare and dynamic outing by the late great trumpeter Ted Curson. The title certainly informs the casual listener that he indeed spent some time with Charles Mingus. He is best known for his work with Charles Mingus' 1960 quartet (which also included Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin and Dannie Richmond). An album to appreciate this fertile association is Mingus at Antibes recorded at a live 1960 performance at Juan-les-Pins and released in 1976. For this date Curson teams up with a very solid rhythm section. Mike Richmond really drives the group forward. There is plenty of room for both Ted and McNeely and Kawasaki to solo and develop some most active and energetic exchanges. Indeed the horn players in both Saxton and Morgenstein add to this strong if somewhat more freer performance than would be expected from such a crew. He essentially was an excellent and flexible trumpeter; personally I have always enjoyed Curson’s excursions into freer jazz formats. Pop Wine (1971) and Cattin' Curson (1973) are two such albums where he is joined by the mighty George Arvanitas Trio and Chris Woods. As always Ted can put together a beautiful ballad and a definite highlight is ‘Lost Her’, Enjoy!

Interplay Records, IP-7729, 1980

Recorded on 5^th January, 1980 at Sound Ideas Studios in New York City

Personnel:

Ted Curson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Percussion, Piccolo Trumpet

Bill Saxton - Tenor Saxophone

Mike Morgenstien - Baritone Saxophone (#A2,B2)

Jim Mcneely - Piano (#A2,B1,B2)

Ryo Kawasaki - Guitar

Mike Richimond - Bass, Electric Bass

Adam Nussbaum - Drums

Montego Joe - Percussion (#A2,B2)

Track Listing:

A1. I Heard Mingus (9:04)

A2. Please, Please, Please Don't Put The Pigsfoot In The Kreplach Soup (9:18)

B1. Lost Her (9:54)

B2. Lin's Garden (7:54)

All Compositions by Ted Curson; joined by Graham Collier on (#B2)

Credits:

Producer - Toshiya Taenaka

Recording Engineer - David Baker

Graphic Design - Nancy Graham

Photos - Kaz Fujita

Joanne Brackeen - AFT

Joanne Brackeen - AFT
Timeless Muse TI302, 1979
recorded 1977, NYC

A1 Haiti B     7:35    
A2 Charlotte's Dream     5:04    
A3 Dreamers     5:31    
B1 Aft     6:28    
B2 Winter Is Here     7:31    
B3 Green Voices Of Play Air     9:09

Bass – Clint Houston
Guitar – Ryo Kawasaki
Piano – Joanne Brackeen
Producer – Wim Wigt, Engineer – Elvin Campbell
Written-By – Clint Houston (tracks: A2), Joanne Brackeen (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B3), Ryo Kawasaki (tracks: B2)

This is one of the more obscure Joanne Brackeen recordings. Although the pianist is heard in a trio with guitarist Ryo Kawasaki and bassist Clint Houston, the music sounds nothing like Nat King Cole or Oscar Peterson. Actually Brackeen long ago developed her own distinctive chord voicings and, even when one hears touches of McCoy Tyner or Chick Corea in her solos, in reality she sounds like no one else. Her close interplay with Kawasaki and Houston on the six group originals (four by Brackeen) is consistently impressive and unpredictable. AMG

Yanow is certainly right about this band having almost nothing in common with those earlier piano, bass, guitar trios. For me Joanne and Clint Houston are known quantities so the wildcard here is Ryo Kawasaki. Not to worry, Kawasaki is plenty good enough to run in this company. Exceptionally fleet fingered with an almost pianistic tone, at times he can be mistaken for Brackeen. Strong, entertaining music here.