Tracing the Steps of Jazz Fusion in Japan: One Album at a Time (1970
to 1977)
The origins of jazz fusion will be open for debate for many years to come. According to Wikipedia, jazz fusion is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. If we choose to look at the introduction of electric instruments into jazz recordings, then we go back to 1953 with the electric bass appearing on Art Farmer's "Mau-Mau", or the electric piano making an appearance on Duke Ellington's "Lady Be Good" in 1955. However, the most recognised origin of fusion is the 1970 Miles Davis album, "Bitches Brew", a landmark album that melded jazz, rock and other elements along with electric instruments.
Japanese jazz musicians may have not been ground breaking at the time Davis was recording "Bitches Brew", but they were contributing to the fusion genre with some excellent albums that followed closely in the footsteps of what was happening across the Pacific Ocean. Here are some of those albums that need to be enjoyed and remembered.
1970
Bakishinba: Memories of Africa by Akira Ishikawa and the Count Buffalo Jazz and Rock Band (Polydor)
Drummer Akira Ishikawa played an immense role in the development of jazz-rock and jazz-fusion in Japan. He released numerous albums under his own name between 1968 and 1976, but "Bakishinba: Memories of Africa", recorded in 1970, the same year Miles Davis released "Bitches Brew", is perhaps the most important.
Accompanied by Hiromasa Suzuki (keyboards), Norio Maeda (Organ), Isao Ito (Bass), Kiyoshi Sugimoto (Guitar), Takeru Muraoka (Saxophone) and Masami Kawahara (Percussion), Ishikawa leads the group in pursing his lifelong theme of drawing from Africa for inspiration. The turbulent drums and percussion connect jazz-rock and African drumming to create a groove on a scale unlike any other.
The album features seven tracks, including the organ-driven "Sandstorm", sax-led “Sunrise,” the funky "Flamingo", the lively “African Deer”, and drums and percussion-driven “Bakimba”. It is a serious contender as one of Ishikawa’s best works.
Poo-Sun: Masabumi Kikuchi (Philips)
Poo-Sun is influenced by the sounds coming from Miles Davis' group of the same period. The 20-minute "Dancing Mist" is delivered with a funky feel, while "E.J" is a purer fusion sound. Masabumi Kikuchi is on keyboards with Yoshio Ikeda on bass, Motohiki Hino and Hiroshi Murakami on drums, Hideo Ichikawa on additional keyboards, Kohsuke Mine on alto and soprano, and Keiji Kishida on percussion.
1971
Paysages: Sadao Watanabe (CBS)
Tight five-track set from Watanabe that launched a clear shift into a fusion sound for the saxophonist. With Gary Peacock on bass, Hiroshi Murakami and Masahiki Togashi on drums, and Masabumi Kikuchi on keyboards, the 11-minute Out-Land is probably the star of the show.
1972
Rock Joint Biwa (Kumikyoku Fulukotofumi):Hiromasa Suzuki (RCA)
With a blend of traditional, jazz and rock sounds, this album from keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki demonstrates how experimental Japanese musicians were willing to be in the early 1970s. The album features Kunimitsu Inaba on bass, Shiho Miyake on Biwa (Japanese short-necked wooden lute), Hideo Sekine on drums, Kiyoshi Sugimoto on guitar, Akira Ishikawa on percussion, Takeru Muraoka on sax, Tadataka Nakazawa and Takehisa Suzuki on trumpet.
1973
What's Going On: Takehiro Honda (Trio Records)
This album was recorded by keyboardist Takehiro Honda, the same year he joined Sadao Watanabe's band. By 1978, he was a founding member of fusion band Native Son. This album features two songs written by Honda as well as the Marvin Gaye tune, "What's Going On?", Otis Redding's "Sitting On The Dock of the Bay", and Curtis Mayfield's "Check Out Your Mind". The band features three American musicians - James Cheek on drums, Ken Lawson on guitar and Teddy Adams on trombone. The Japanese musicians are Nobuo Hara, Shuzo Morikawa and Tetsuo Fushimi on trumpet, Kohsuke Mine on alto, Kazunobu Takeda on tenor, Tamio Kawabata on bass, Takuji Kusumoto on drums and Yuji Imamura on pecussion.
Unicorn: Teruo Nakamura (Three Blind Mice)
Bassist Nakamura had formed a band with sax player Steve Grossman and drummer Lenny White in 1969, and both musicians appeared on Nakamura's debut album - "Unicorn". The album also featured Alphonse Mouzon on drums, George Cables, John Miller and Hubert Eaves III on keyboards, Keiji Kishida, Ronald Jackson and Alvern Bunn on percussion, Charles Sullivan on trumpet and Sandy Hewitt on vocals.
In The Groove: Jiro Inagaki Á His Soul Media (Columbia)
Saxophonist Jiro Inagaki put together the Soul Media band in 1969 and this has to be one of their funkiest recordings. He's joined by Hajime Ishimatsu on drums, Akira Okazawa on bass, Takeshi Kamachi on keyboards, Tsunehide Matsuki on guitar, and Takashi Imai on trombone.
1974
One By One: Stomu Yamash'ta's East Wind (Island Records)
Percussionist Yamash'ta is best known for his work with the jazz-rock fusion group Go, but he recorded two albums with Stomu Yamash'ta's East Wind that included British musicians Brian Gascoigne on keyboards, Gary Boyle on guitar, and bassist Hugh Hopper. The album was in fact the soundtrack to "One By One", a documentary following the drivers of the 1973 Formula 1 Season.
1975
Green Caterpillar: Masaru Imada (Three Blind Mice)
A super funky album from keyboardist Masaru Imada, with Isoo Fukui on bass, Tetsujiro Obara on drums, Kazumi Watanabe on guitar and Yuji Imamura on percussion.
Funky Stuff: Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media (Columbia)
This album does exactly as the title suggests, delivering plenty of funky stuff from sax player Jiro Inagaki, with Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Hajime Ishimatsu on drums, Akira Okizawa on bass, Hiroshi Yasukawa on guitar and Takashi Imai on trombone. "Funk, which has emerged as music that can be danced to," wrote Inagaki for the liner notes in 1975, "will remain as a new form of jazz that will never disappear".
Our Time: Kyoshi Sugimoto (Columbia)
Guitarist Sugimoto recorded this five-track gem at the end of 1974. All tracks were written by Sugimoto apart from "Quiet Pulse" from keyboard player Hiromasa Suzuki, with the title track being the real standout. In addition to Sugimoto and Suzuki, there is Akira Ishikawa, Motohiko Hino and Shuichi Murakami on drums, Takao Uematsu on sax, Eiji Arai on trombone, Tsunehide Matsuki on harmonica, Fujio Saito and Larry Sunaga on percussion, and Tsunehide Matsuki on rhythm guitar.
Rokuyu: Jun Fukamachi 21st Century Band (Express)
Great album that saw little recognition outside Japan at the time. It has since been aknowledged as one of the leading Japanese fusion albums of the 1970s. Fukamachi plays all the keyboards on the album, joined by Ponta Murakami on drums, Kenji Omura on guitar, Ken Muraoka on sax, and Motoya Hamaguchi on percussion.
Get Up!: Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalos (RCA)
Drummer Akira Ishikawa drives this album from almost the first bar of the first track. He's joined by Masaoki Terakawa on bass, Hideo Ichikawa and Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Takao Naoi on guitar, Masao Suzuki and Takeru Muraokaon on sax and flute, Eiji Arai on trombone, Koji Hatori on trumpet and Rally Sunaga on percussion.
Prism: Ryo Kawasaki (East Wind)
Prism was the first album recorded by guitarist Ryo Kawasaki after he moved to the United States. At the time, he was with the Gil Evans Orchestra, the Elvin Jones Group and Chico Hamilton's band. It was the first of four albums recorded with band members Buddy Williams on drums, Phil Clendeninn on keyboards, Herb Bushler on bass, Muhammad Abdullah and Steve Turre on percussion.
1976
Eight Mile Road: Ryo Kawasaki (East Wind)
The first of two albums guitarist Ryo Kawasaki recorded in New York in 1976 with American musicians. The albums features Buddy Williams on drums, Herb Bushler on bass, Andy Laverne on keyboards, Phil Clendeninn on synthesizer, Sam Morrison on sax, and Muhammad Abdullah on percussion.
High-Flying: Hiromasa Suzuki (Columbia)
A funky jazz set from keyboard player Hiromasa Suzuki with Jun Fukamachi on additional keyboards, Shuichi Murakami on drums, Akira Okazawa and Kenji Takamizu on bass, Fujimaru Yoshino, Masayoshi Takanaka and Kiyoshi Sugimoto on guitar, Jiro Inagaki on sax and flute, Larry Sunaga on percussion and Kayoko Ishu on vocals.
Juice: Ryo Kawasaki (RCA)
"I've had a strong interest in funk-like music ever since I was in Tokyo", said guitarist Kawasaki in a 1994 interview, and it clearly shows in this recording. Kawasaki is joined by Jimmy Young on drums, Stu Woods on bass, Tom Coster on keyboards, Sam Morrison on sax and flute, Hugh McCracken on rhythm guitar and Mike Lipskin on synthesizer and percussion.
Mickey's Mouth: Mikio Masuda (East Wind)
This hard-to-find album by keyboard player Mikio Masuda was his first venture into the fusion sound. He's accompanied by Arihide "Jess" Kurata on drums, Osamu Kawakami on bass, Masayoshi Saitoh on guitar, Kohsuke Mine on soprano and Guilherme Franco on percussion.
Guitarist Kazumi Watanabe's only album as the Kazumi Watanabe Quartet with Motohiko Hino on drums, George Mraz on bass and Fumio Karashima on keyboards.
A catchy album from drummer Akira Ishikawa with Takeru Muraoka on tenor and alto, Masao Suzuki on baritone, Masaoki Terakawa on bass, Takao Naoi on guitar, Hideo Ichikawa on keyboards, Larry Sunaga on percussion, Eiji Arai on trombone, Koji Hatori on trumpet, and Kayoko Ishu and Time Five providing the vocals.
Rising Sun: Teruo Nakamura (Polydor)
Recorded at A&R Studios in New York, bass player Teruo Nakamura gathered some exceptional musicians for this album with Art Gore and Keiji Kishida on drums, Onaje Alan Gumbs, Harry Whitaker and Bob Neloms on keyboards, Lonnie Smith, Shiro Mori and James Sidey on Synthesizer, Carter Jefferson on soprano, Steve Grossman on tenor and soprano, John Mosley on trumpet, and Pricella Baskervill, Sandy Hewitt on vocals.
Seychelles: Masayoshi Takanaka (Kitty Records)
A strong, melodic album from guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka with Tatsuo Hayashi on drums, Tsugutoshi Gotoh on bass, Hiroshi Imai on keyboards, Jake H. Concepcion on sax, Nobuo Saitoh and Motoya Hamaguchi on percussion, and Taniguchi "Tan Tan" Taeko on vocals.
Cat: Hiroshi Suzuki (Columbia)
Hiroshi Suzuki had left Japan in 1971 to play with the Buddy Rich Big Band, but returned in 1975 to record this album. It's a deep and soulful session where stunning trombone solos by Hiroshi Suzuki flirt with Takeru Muraoka's saxophone and the sensual rhythm section of Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Kunimitsu Inaba on bass, and Akira Ishikawa on drums.
1977
Cadillac Woman: Isao Suzuki (Flying Disk)
Interesting cover artwork for a fine fusion album by bass player Isao Suzuki. It was recorded in Tokyo with a number of well-known American musicians with Sam Jones on additional bass, Billy Higgins on drums, Kazumasa Akiyama and Kazumi Watanabe on guitar, and Cedar Walton on keyboards.
Evening Star: Jun Fukamachi (Kitty Records)
Keyboard player Jun Fukamachi got together with the guys from Stuff in Tokyo to record this album. It features Anthony Jackson, Gordon Edwards and Tony Levin on bass, Chris Parker, Howard King, Ponta Murakami and Steve Gadd on drums, Barry Finnerty, Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale and Steve Khan on guitar, Errol "Crusher" Bennett on percussion, Barry Rogers on trombone, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Richard Tee on keyboards, and Ernie Watts and Lou Marini on tenor.
An Insatiable High: Masayoshi Takanaka (Kitty Records)
An Insatiable High is the third studio album by guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka and features an American all-star cast. The album includes the Tower of Power horn section and vocal performances from Jim Gilstrap. The muscians are Lee Ritenour on guitar, Abraham Laboriel and Chuck Rainey on bass, Patrice Rushen and Jun Fukamachi on keyboards, Harvey Mason, Ed Greene and Shuichi Murakami on drums, Motoya Hamaguchi, Steve Forman and Paulinho da Costa on percussion, Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Maxine Anderson and Jim Gilstrap on vocals, Emilio Castillo and Lenny Pickett on tenor, Steve Kupka on baritone, and Greg Adams and Mic Gillette on trumpet.
Joyful Feet: Naoya Matsuoka & His All Stars (Fania Records)
This wonderful latin feel debut album from keyboard player Naoya Matsuoka features Akira Miyazawa and Hidefumi Toki on sax, Larry Sunaga on percussion.
Manhattan Special: Teruo Nakamura (Polydor)
Recorded in New York, Manhattan Special from bassist Teruo Nakamura featured his own band The Rising Sun, as well as guest artists. The Rising Sun were Shiro Mori on guitar, Mark Gray and Harry Whitaker on keyboards, Carter Jefferson on tenore and soprano, Keiji Yishida and Art Gore on drums and Nobu Urushiyama on percussion. Guest musicians were Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Bruno Carr, James H. Madison and Robert Right on drums, Art Webb on flute, Craig Haynes, Richard Barrata, Tadashi Yasunaga and Neil Clarke on percussion, Benny Yee on synthesizer, James E. Stowe, Sal Randazzo and William J. Ohashi on trombone, John Mosley on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lani Groves on vocals.
My Dear Life: Sadao Watanabe (Flying Disk)
This was sax player Sadao Watanabe's first venture into a more funky type of jazz fusion and his first with a predominently American band. Joining Watanabe are Lee Ritenour on guitar, Dave Grusin on keyboards, Chuck Rainey on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, Steve Forman on percussion, and Hiroshi Fukumura on trombone.
Olive's Step: Kazumi Watanabe (Better Days)
Another great offering from guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, combining fusion with jazz-rock and latin. The band features Ryuichi Sakamoto and Hiroshi Matsumoto on keyboards, Tsugutoshi Gotoh and Nobuyoshi Ino on bass, Hiro Tsunoda and Arihide Kurata on drums and Tatsuji Yokoyama on percussion.
Prism: Prism (Polydor)
Formed in 1975, Prism released their self-titled debut album in 1977, featuring Akira Wada and Katsutoshi Morizono on guitar, Ken Watanabe on bass, Daisaku Kume and Kouki "Corky" Itoh on keyboards, Toru "Rika" Suzuki on drums. Yasuhisa Shirao on alto, Saito Nobu and Masahito Hashida on percussion, and Taeko Morino on vocals.
The Sea of Dirac: Jun Fukamachi (Kitty Records)
Keyboard player Jun Fukamachi is again joined by an American all-star cast for this album with Ernie Watts on sax, Steve Gadd and Howard King on drums, Anthony Jackson and Tony Levin on bass, Eric Gale, Barry Finnerty, and Steve Khan on guitar, and Errol "Crusher" Bennett on percussion.
Second Phase: Jun Fukamachi (Toshiba Records)
After using an American band on the last couple of recordings, keyboard player Jun Fukamachi worked with mostly Japanese muscians for this recording, with Kenji Omura on guitar,
Martin Willweber and Ponta Murakami on drums, Rei Ohara on bass, and Saito Nobu on percussion.
Another great album from keyboard player Hiromasa "Colgen" Suzuki, introducing the Colgen New Band with Yasushi Ichihara on drums, Akira Okazawa on bass, Tsunehide Matsuki on guitar, Takeru Muraoka and Mabumi Yamaguchi on sax, Kouji Hatori and Mitsuru Honda on trumpet, Eiji Arai on trombone and Tadaomi Anai on percussion.