Emergency ! : "Loveman plays psychedelic swing"

(Studio Wee, 2002)

1- Re-boptism (8;14)
2- Creole Love Call (13:21) ( Duke Ellington)
3- Canon (7:03) ( Charles Mingus)
4- Emergency! Walkin' (10:55)
5- (a) Don't Say It (3:43) / (b) The Inflated Tear (Rahsaan Roland Kirk) (11:25)
6- Jelly Roll (3:59) (Charles Mingus)
7- The Look of Love (9:26) (Burt Bacharach)

musicians :

Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion
Yoshihide Otomo: guitar
Ryoichi Saito: guitar
Hiroaki Mizutani: bass

Recorded live at Buddy in Tokyo on March 20, 2002

NOW

Osamu Matsumoto : "Wahoo"

(LoveDog, 2002)

1-Sora ni Keii, Chi niwa Doku, Kokoro ni Heiwa (5:10)
2-Kosaten no Muko (8:02)
3-Sakuso suru Jiga (3:02)
4-Wahoo (6:00)
5-Ido suru Mojiban (5:48)
6-1963 (7:06)
7-Tasogare no Vaudeville (6:08)
8-Ninjin, Gobo, Hakusai (2:41)

musicians :

Osamu Matsumoto (1-8): trombones, pianica, voice, euphonium
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (1-7): drums, percussion, voice
Kumiko Takara (1, 2, 4-7): percussions, marimba, vibraphone, voice
Hiroaki Mizutani (1, 2, 4-7): contrabass, electric bass, voice

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Hoppy Kamiyama : "A meaningful meaningnessless"

(Creage, 2005)

1-Risqué Business
2-Looper Dooper
3-Schmaltz # 1
4-U-Tan (To Tell a Pack of Lies)
5-Kali d'Amour
6-Pwd (To Cast Pears Before Swine)
7-Knock on Food
8-Fountain of Love
9-Ol' Lady Grubb
10-Spasm # 2
11-To Make a Hit
12-Everyday I Have the Bruise
13-A Meaningful Meaningnessless
14-A Bolt From the Blue

musicians :

Hoppy Kamiyama : digital president, slide geisha, vocal, gram-pot
Tatsuya Yoshida : drums, percussions, vocal
Natsuki Kido : guitar
Mitsuru Nasuno : bass
Kumiko Takara : marimba, vibraphone, percussions
Wacho : percussions
Osamu Matsumoto : trombone
Masakuni Takeno : sax, flute, clarinet
Masahiko Sugasaka : trumpet
L?K?O : turntable
Tomoyuki Asakawa : harp
Takero Sekijima : tuba
Dennis Gunn : narration, vocal
Yutaka Fukuoka : vocal
Emi Eleonola : vocal
Aki Kubota : vocal
Keisuke Ohta : vocal
Great Eida strings
Tomzuin H : manipulation, keyboards (7,9)

The link is cancelled because of an individual inquiry.

Chipfarm : Optical 8 + Melt Banana + Elliott Sharp + Zeena Parkins

(God Mountain)

1- Trash or Not?
2- Spynetwork
3- Carps & Crows
4- Uknown Mix-2
5- Invisible Thread
6- Yes, We're! 1
7- Blunberbus
8- Hurry Sundown 1
9- Hurry Sundown 2
10- Where the Sidewalk Ends
11- Plot Cake
12- Grenstale No.13
13- Yes, We're! 2
14- Vilnius-3
15- Banana Fiction
16- Switch
17- Whirlpool
18- Noh Surf
19- Ritty
20- Melt-Lemon-3

Optical-8 (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 19) :

Hoppy Kamiyama (12, 14): synthesizers, samples, electric-violin, tapes, gram-pot
Yoshihide Otomo (4, 12, 14, 20): guitar, turntables
Reck (20): bass
Masafumi Minato (14, 20): drums

Melt Banana (1, 11, 15) :

YaSuKo O.: vocal
Agata: guitar
Rika mm': bass
Toshiaki Sudoh: drums

Elliot Sharp (1-3, 5-19): doubleneck guitarbass, sustainer guitar, soprano sax, samples
Zeena Parkins (1-13, 15-19): electric harp, melodica, voice, samples, tapes

Recorded and mixed by Yoshiaki Kondo at GOK Sound, Tokyo in November 1994

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Takeharu Hayakawa : "Hayakawa"

(Omagatoki, 1996)

1- Genbu
2- Flying head
3- The sea of Pterosaurs
4- One more cup of coffee (Bob Dylan)
5- Tsuchigumo
6- Sixfold spirals
7- Wormhole
8- Masakomasa shuffle

musicians :

Hayakawa Takeharu : basses, cello
Ishii Youji : guitar (1,2,3,5,6,8)
Hashimoto Jun : guitar (1,2,3,5,6,8)
Fujii Nobuo : drums (1,2,3,5,6,7,8)
Suzuki Hirofumi : percussion (3,4)

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Seikatsu Kojo Linkai orchestra : "Dance dance dance"

(Union, 1980)

1. Sail along silv'ry moon
2. Wanaoki
3. A night in Tunisia (Dizzy Gillespie)
4. Take the « A » train (Billy Strayhorn)
5. Shackin' to me
6. St Thomas (Sonny Rollins)
7. Kaika nitai/Hentai nana byoshi/Uwasa no seikoui

musicians :

Kazutoki « Kappo » Umezu (as, cl, b-cl, yokobue, cho, vo, perc)
Hiroaki Katayama (ts, bs, as, cho, vo, perc)
Hiroshi "Manmos" Itaya (tb, vo, cho, perc)
Haruki Satoh (tb, a-hｒ, cho, vo, perc)
Shinji "Moh" Yasuda (tp, cho, vo, perc)
Yoriyuki Harada (pf, el-p, org, syn, ss, cl, vo)
Takeharu "Low-Rider" Hayakawa (el-b, vc, cho, vo)
Kenichi Kameyama (ds, perc, vo)
Takashi Kikuchi (ds, perc, cho, vo)

Genji Sawai : producer

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Seikatsu Kojo Linkai orchestra : "This is music is this !?"

(Union, 1979)

1. Yasudabushi
2. Take The « A » Train
3. Aketaketa march/African elephant
4. Youngmen Insist

Musicians :

Kazutoki « Kappo » Umezu (as, ss, bcl)
Hiroaki Katayama (ts, bs)
Masami Shinoda (as, fl)
Junji Mori (as)
Shinji Yasuda (tp)
Tetsuji Yoshida (tp)
Hiroshi Itaya (tb)
Haruki Sato (tb)
Yoriyuki « Leo » Harada (p, cong)
Tsutomu Numagami (b)
Takeharu Hayakawa (b, cel)
Kenichi Kameyama (ds)
Takashi Kikuchi (ds, per)

Genji Sawai : producer

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Ruins : "Live in Guang Zhou - China"

(Noise Asia, 2002)

1. Nivaftopoftz
2. Shi Zai Guang Zhou
3. Jallamjikko
4. I Ate Yue Bing This Morning
5. Dagdad
6. Schvostess
7. Eating 7 Kinds Of Chang Fen Was Too Much
8. Hyderomastgroningem
9. Snare
10. Kippssidamn
11. Progressive Rock Medley
12. Questzalcoatl
13. Korromda Peimm
14. Yawiquo
15. Classical Music Medley
16. Del Fanci Kant
17. Gharaviss Perrdoh
18. Bupphairodazz
19. Improvisation

Ruins :

Sasaki Hisashi : bass & vocals
Yoshida Tatsuya : drums & vocals

+ Wong Lei : vocals on track 19

recorded live on 13/08/2000 at Windflower Bar GZ, China.

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Akira Sakata : "Mooko"

(Virgin/Venture, 1990)

1- Nitchimo satchimo
2- Hieyashi bushi
3- Wann kann ich sie wiedersehen ?

4- Hitsujikai no bansan
5- Kibaminzoku no odori
6- Mooko

musicians :

Akira Sakata : sax, clarinet, piano & vocals
Bill Laswell : basses, violin & ectar
Ronald Shannon Jackson : drums & scheollmie

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Miya Masaoka trio : "Monk's japanese folk song"

(Dizim, 1997)

"Japanese koto wonder Miya Masaoka teams up with bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille for a set of originals, traditional tunes, and — as indicated in the title — Monk numbers. The koto is a harp that has existed in Japan since antiquity. It and the shakuhachi flute are the only two traditional instruments of Japanese origin that co-exist in royal court music as well as command a long, richly variegated folk lineage. Masaoka is first and foremost a folk musician and an improviser; her jazz leanings inform them both. Her command of the jazz and improvisational idioms here is total. She is unquestionably the bandleader, despite the lofty, well-deserved reputations of her accomplices. The set begins in the traditional vein with "Japanese Folk Song," utilizing the large timbral palette of the koto and the subtle bowed tonalities Workman adds via the bass. It is on "Monk's Mood," however, that the set truly kicks into gear with an eerie reading of the composer's melody as interpreted by an instrument not even tuned to the diatonic scale! Masaoka's reading of the lyric line is one of subtlety, grace, and, above all, musical aplomb. Her understanding of Monk's harmonic principles is without compare as she whispers forth from the tune's "sung" aspect rather than its rhythmic considerations. This is also true of "Evidence," which slips just off the metered axis to reveal a greater sense of space and even pacing than what has been the popular conception. "Epistrophy" becomes a study in shades and colors with interesting runs by Workman against Masaoka's conception of the melody and Cyrille's successful attempt to at least unite the composition in rhythm. The set closes with a tribute piece, the seven-minute "Monk's Sigh in July," a deeply meditative piece reflecting the elongated modal motifs in Monk's mature work with Columbia and even Black Lion when he was reinventing himself once again. It's a bit smarmy in how obvious it is, but it is also an ingenious use of drone against harmony and a deft methodology for creating open improvisational space. This disc is a winner".

by Thom Jurek (All Music)

titles :

1- Japanese folk song
2- Monk's mood
3- Aubade
4- Evidence
5- A shinto "midnight"
6- Snow capped hats
7- Epistrophy
8- 'round midnight
9- Monk' sigh in July

musicians :

Miya Masaoka : koto
Reggie Workman : bass
Andrew Cyrille : drums

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Tenko : "Slope"

(Recrec, 1987)

1- Passing through the Night (4:19)
2- Somewhere Far Away (3:41)
3- Guitars (1:34)
4- I've Eaten Nuts with Different Shapes (2:16)
5- In the Strawberry Preserves (3:40)
6- Sleep Walker (3:18)
7- Antagata-doko-sa (1:45)
8- In Horto Infinito (2:41)
9- The Time Drawers (2:54)
10- Gradual Disappearance (2:30)
11- Nightrope Dancing (2:33)
12- Guitars II (2:54)
13- Opinion (3:06)
14- A Watchdog of the Labyrinth (3:25)

musicians :

Tenko: vocal (1-2, 4-14), guitar (3, 5, 12), hand claps (8), DX100 (11), snare drum (12, 14)
Ned Rothenberg: flute (1), alto sax (14)
Zeena Parkins: electric harp (1, 5), vocal (4)
Fred Frith: guitar (1, 3, 10-12), bass (1, 5-6, 9, 12-13), piano (1, 13), bass drum (1, 10), vocal (4, 10), snare drum (5, 7, 11), hand claps (8), tubular bells (9), marching drum (9), mirage (10), violin (11, 13)
David Licht: snare drum (1)
Wayne Horvitz: piano (2, 11), DX7 (2, 8), DX100 (2, 8)
Arto Lindsay: guitar (3, 10, 12), vocal (7)
David Moss: vocal (4, 7, 10-11, 13)
Kamura: vocal (4, 7, 10, 13)
Moko: vocal (4, 7)
Tom Cora: vocal (4, 10), cello (9, 11)
Christian Marclay: turntables (4, 6)
C. Batty: hand claps (8)
Kramer: Indian banjo (9)

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Tenko : "At the top of MT. Brocken"

(Recrec, 1993)

1- Blue heat
2- Moonlight waltz
3- If I...
4- A piece of silence
5- Dressed in memories
6- Bolero hyperbolic
7- Dodo
8- Water hours
9- The sands just sigh
10- Cardiogram
11- There play children in the flowering meadow
12- Interwoven
13- Temptation
14- At the top of MT. Brocken
15- A crack in a lie
16- An irregular attack
17- Drifting
18- The last angel

musicians :

Tenko : vocal, guitar
Yukihiro Issou : nho-kan (3, 9, 12)
Tsuneo Imahori : guitar (2, 5, 6, 10, 14)
Swoowoong Lim : spring noise (1)
Kazutoki Umezu : sax, clarinet (8, 13, 14)
Wataru Ohkuma : piano, vocal, clarinet (6, 10, 11)
Yoshihide Otomo : turntables, guitar, tape, voice (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17)
Hideki Kato : bass (3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 18)
Kyoko Kuroda : piano (2, 12, 14)
Kenichi Takeda : taisho-koto (4, 11, 17)
Motoharu Yoshizawa : bass (3, 4, 12)
Tatsuya Yoshida : drums, voice (3, 6, 12, 14, 16)

NOW

Toy : "Live at Pit Inn"

(Q-Train)

1- Beginnings (26:43)
2- Ohta's Turkey (17:50)
3- Ohta's Talk (0:41)
4- Feel like the "ALLMAN" (13:04)

TOY :

Yasuhiko Tachibana: bass, voice
Keisuke Ohta: violin, vocal, voice
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion, trumpet, voice

Guest :

Akira Sakata: alto sax, clarinet, voice

recorded live at Shinjuku Pit Inn on November 13, 2001

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Kalle Laar + Takashi Kazamaki : "Moving"

(Konnex, 1996)

1- Silver Twang (3:31)
2- Twilight Crossroads (4:20)
3- Hawaiian Mystery (Poi Poi Poi) (4:26)
4- Golden Lakes (5:11)
5- Eraser Strikes Back (3:35)
6- Slow Country Boys (4:32)
7- Stranger Wherever You Go (5:18)
8- No Whistle Blowing (2:17)
9- Seven Seas (3:04)
10- Glory (6:17)
11- Come Rain (2:35)
12- Creature in My Backyard (2:02)
13- One Early Morning... (10:30)
14- Moving (4.47)

musicians :

Kalle Laar: guitar, sampling
Takashi Kazamaki: percussion
Kazutoki Umezu (1, 3, 5-7, 9, 10, 13): reeds
Samm Bennett (1, 3, 5-7, 9, 10, 13): percussion, sampling

NOW

nb : this is one link toward a another great Takashi Kazamaki & Kalle Laar disc on Lucky blog :
NOW

Lawrence D. Butch Morris : "conduction 28 & 50"

(New World, 1995)

1- Conduction #28, Part II-X (20:56)
2- Conduction #28, E (2:59)

musicians :

Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris: conductor
Yukihiro Isso: nokan
Shonosuke Okura: oh-tsuzumi
Makiko Sakurai: shomyo, music box
Michihiro Sato: tsugaru shamisen
Kizan Daiyoshi: shakuhachi
Yuji Katsui: violin
Haruna Miyake: piano
Asuka Kaneko: voice
Shuichi Chino: computer
Koichi Makigami: voice
Yoshihide Otomo: turntables, CD player
Kazutoki Umezu: bass clarinet
Sachiko Nagata: percussion
Motoharu Yoshizawa: electric vertical bass
Kazuo Ohno: Butoh dance
Koichi Tamano: Butoh dance

recorded at P3 Art and Environment, Tokyo on March 28, 1993

NOW

1- Conduction #50, Part I (37:15)
2- Conduction #50, Part II (33:42)
3- Conduction #50, E I (1:57)
4- Conduction #50, E II (3:12)

musicians :

Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris: conductor
Asuka Kaneko: electric violin
Kim Dae Hwan: percussion
Haruna Miyake: piano
Shonosuke Okura: ohtsuzumi
Hikaru Sawai: koto
Yumiko Tanaka: gidayu-shamisen
Yoshihide Otomo: turntables
Michihiro Satoh: tsugaru-shamisen
Tomomi Adachi: voice
Keizo Mizoiri: bass
Motoharu Yoshizawa: electric vertical bass
Ayuo Takahashi: zheng

recorded at P3 Art and Environment, Tokyo on March 5, 1995

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John Zorn's Cobra : "Tokyo operations '94"

(Avant, 1995)

Cobra 1: Sensyo (6:07)
Cobra 2: Tomobiki (9:27)
Cobra 3: Senbu (8:08)
Cobra 4: Butsumetsu (8:54)
Cobra 5: Taian (8:05)
Cobra 6: Shakko (9:54)

musicians :

Koichi Makigami: prompter
Yukihiro Isso: dengaku-bue, nokan
Masahiro Uemura: percussion
Kazuhisa Uchihashi: guitar
Shinichi Kinoshita: shamisen
Kiyohiko Semba: percussion
Makoto Takei: shakuhachi
Yumiko Tanaka: gidayu-shamisen
Hitomi Nakamura: hichiriki
Miki Maruta: koto
Mekken: bass
Kyoko Yamamoto: vocal
Taeko Ito: ortin doo

(composed by John Zorn)

NOW

Excerpts from a conversation with John Zorn (THEAWL 03/17/2011) :

The Awl: When did you first travel to Japan? To what extent were you already aware of the depth of the avant-garde tradition there before you went? Or, put another way: how much was still left for you to discover once you arrived?

JZ: this is a long question. I was way into japanese art, literature, film, music and theatre from my teens—in the 60s. First I went there in 1985 or so I kept an apartment there in KOENJI (tokyo) til 1995. I played with SO MANY artists is hard to keep track. I remember seeing a trio of yoshida tatsuya, yamataka eye and null called I believe GEBA GEBA that really was amazing. I hooked up with EYE that very night and we have been tight ever since! The scene there was and still is incredibly diverse and creative. Amazing energy and imagination !!

The Awl: It's funny how some way-out recordings—such as Coltrane's "Live in Japan" box set—were first issued in Japan as though they were no big commercial risk. Maybe it's because music on the fringe feels as though it's so aggressively marginalized in the U.S., but I'm curious how you see Japan's relationship, as a country, to its own musical avant-garde.

JZ: its just as hard for the avant garde in Japan as it is for the avant garde here but the integrity, creativity and tenacity they have is inspiring. They do what they do with no compromise, and very little outside support.

The Awl: Can I ask you for your Top 10 list, regarding extreme/experimental/noise/improv albums by Japanese artists?

JZ: I can't do the top ten but here is a list of some of my favorite musicians !!!

asakawa maki
sato masaru
yamataka eye
yoshimi
haino keiji
makigami koichi
yoshida tatsuya
katsui yuji
seiichi yamamoto
takahashi yuji
ryuichi sakamoto
akiko yano
hosono haruomi
toshinori kondo
ohta hiromi
aoyama michi
kitajma saburo
takemitsu toru
otomo yoshihide

.......................................

Satoh Michihiro Tsugaru-shamisen Gakudan : "Natsu Yoi Matsuri"

(Kyoto records, 1995)

1- Sakura Fubuki (8:05)
2- Shinnai Osore-Bushi (8:46)
3- Natsu Yoi Matsuri (5:09)
4- Mukashi Mukashi (4:05)
5- Yuhi No Tsugaru-Shamisen (5:21)
6- Shamisen Polka (5:34)
7- John Kara-Genki (6:02)

musicians :

Michihiro Satoh: tsugaru-shamisen
Shozan Tanabe: shakuhachi
Jyoji Sawada: bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums and percussion
Shigeri Kizu: taiko
Kaori Kizu: taiko

guest :

Kazuhisa Uchihashi: electric guitar and effects

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Yukihiro Isso : "It's so isso"

(King, 1991)

1- Toh hyo-hyo
2- Bi-byohnn
3- Scarecrow and the red dragonfly
4- The fable of the elementary school for minnows
5- Just for fantasia
6- The pastoral village
7- Soku-ryu-teki-ha

musicians :

Yukihiro Isso : nohkan & shinobue flute
Natsuki Kido : guitar
Masahiro Uemura : percussion
Kiyoshi Yoshitani : shimedaiko (japanese drum)

guests :

Yosuke Yamashita : piano (2)
Akira Sakata : sax (7)
Kazumi Watanabe : guitar (1)
Kiyohiko Semba : percussion (1,2,5,7)

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Big in Japan... II !

Hello,

if you want to taste Japan differently, exept music (or by listening to all these records I added), you can take this way ! It's not mine but it's the same title ! And it's also a good trip !

http://biginjapan.over-blog.com/

And look at the stones photos taken by drummer Tatsuya Yoshida all around the world, it's wonderful !

stoneoftheworld

Nbagi : "Ecdysis"

(Nbagi, 2000)

1- Nbagi

2- Heso
3- Ghost on the clave

4- For Carrie

5- J.P.

6- Epicureans

7- Lucifer's bebop

8- Don't complain

9- Freeze in fire

musicians :

Toshiki Nagata : bass
Eiichi Hayashi : sax
Akihisa Tsuboy : violin
Natsuki Kido : guitar
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki : drums
Tobby Suzaki : percussion

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Altered States : "4"

(Zenbei, 1995)

1- (21:05)
2- (5:57)
3- (24:30)

Altered States :

Uchihashi Kazuhisa: guitar and effects
Mitsuru Nasuno: bass and voice
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums and voice

Recorded live at the Knitting Factory, New York City, April 6, 1995

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Opabinia : "Opabinia"

(Tutinoko, 2003)

1- Shower (Passing) of Passion (5:46)
2- Pre-Cambria Dreamin' (3:49)
3- Crunchy Brains (2:31)
4- Fugujiru (Lukewarm) -- "The Lowests" Variations (5:11)
5- (a) Part 1 (6:59)
6- (b) Intrusion of Pre-Cambrians (3:21)
7- (c) Part 2 (9:05)
8- (Slight) Googli-Moogli (5:15)
9- Hyorokudama (8:39)
10- Kombtry (4:08)
11- Minerals (3:45)
12- Tasmania (9:04)

Opabinia :

Kazuto Shimizu: keyboards, clarinets, xylophone
Natsuki Kido: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bandolin
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion

Guest :

Yuriko Mukojima: violin (2, 9)

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LowBlow : "Mister Cafe"

(Off Note, 1997)

1- Unhatched chickens
2- Mister cafe
3- Buta Buta
4- Ballade II
5- General Violet
6- Go round
7- Space mafia
8- Jodel
9- Goblin dance
10- Clumsy daddy

LowBlow :

Hiroaki Mizutani : bass
Akira Sotoyama : drums
Ryoichi Saito : guitar
Taisei Aoki : trombone, keyboards
Kenichi Matsumoto : sax
Masakuni Takeno : sax, flûte

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Tipographica : "Tipographica"

(God Mountain, 1994)

1- Naked lunch
2- Infinity street car
3- Blue heaven but be unsolved
4- The turf have disorded gravity
5- Prostitute robot
6- Like a new type apes
7- If you are an aggressor, keep slowly and certainly
8- Forest tipographical

Tipographica :

Tsuneo Imahori : guitar
Akira Sotoyama : drums
Atsushi Sano : bass
Akira Minakami : keyboards
Naruyoshi Kikuchi : sax
Osamu Matsumoto : trombone

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Daimonji : "Improg"

(Poseidon/Musea, 2003)

1- Glimpse

2- Mongo lian bandits

3- Night dust

4- Ombre moned

Daimonji :

Hoppy Kamiyama : keyboards, vocal

Tatsuya Yoshida : drums, vocal

Nasuno Mitsuru : bass

NOW

Good stuff !*#' (work in progress)

Hi,

I'd like to mention some excellent musical blogs with a few links towards other great records from Japan :

Yoshisaburo"Sabu" Toyozumi Unit : "The masterpiece" on inconstantsol : HERE

Kazutoki "Kappo" Umezu "Bamboo Village" on inconstantsol : HERE

Bidziliba (first record under the name Biziriba) on mutantsounds : HERE

Luna Park ensemble (with Wataru Ohkuma) on mutantsounds : HERE

Junji Hirose + Otomo Yoshihide ("Silanganan Ingay" lp) on mutantsounds : HERE

Live Under The Sky (Seiichi Yamamoto) : mutantsounds : HERE

Kazutoki Umezu "Pandora's Cocktail" on what'sinmyipod : HERE

Kazutoki Umezu "Eclecticism" on what'sinmyipod : HERE

Tipographica "God says I can't dance" on luckypsychichut : HERE

Doctor Umezu band "Eight Eyes and Eight Ears" on luckypsychichut : HERE

Kazutoki Umezu "First deserter" on luckypsychichut : HERE

Michihiro Sato "Rodan" on luckypsychichut : HERE

Dragon Blue (Tenko) "Hades park" on sector2814 : HERE

Altered States (with Otomo Yoshihide) "Lithuania & Estonia live" on sector2814 : HERE or on microphonesinthetrees : HERE

Tipographica "God Says I Can't Dance", "The Man Who Does Not Nod" (live) and "Floating opera" on lamusicaescultura : HERE

Kido Natsuki "Disco space baby !" on mutantsounds : HERE

Demi Semi Quaver "I" (with Katsui Yuji) on mutantsounds : HERE

Demi Semi Quaver "II" on sector2814 : HERE

Base Of Fiction "Kakusenjo No Ongaku" on mutantsounds : HERE

O.N.T.J. (with Hoppy Kamiyama) "Jose" on mutantsounds : HERE

Kazutoki Umezu + Tom Cora "Abandon" on wfmu : HERE

Rovo + Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden on mutantsounds : HERE

Shimada Masahiko/Otomo Yoshihide : "My dear mummy"

(Sank-Ohso discs, 1996)

1- Introduction (3:27)
2- Day 1 to day 4 (5:16)
3- Day 5 to day 10 (5:38)
4- Day 11 (0:30)
5- Day 12 to day 18 (6:26)
6- Day 19 to day 20 (6:26)
7- Day 21 to day 28 (7:59)
8- Day 29 to day 31 (3:08)
9- Day 32 to day 35 (10:03)
10- Day 36 to day 43 (8:29)
11- Day 44 to day 52 (10:48)
12- Day 53 to day 62 (2:32)

musicians :

Otomo Yoshihide: conductor
Takashi Harada: ondes Martenot
Ko Ishikawa: sho
Hitomi Nakamura: hichiriki
Yuko Hirai: ryuteki and koma-fue
Uchihashi Kazuhisa: electric guitar, effects
Masaaki Kikuchi: doublebass, electronics
Kumiko Takara: percussion
Mari Era: percussion
Shiro Sano: narrator
Masahiko Shimada: narrator

sampled guest :

Derek Bailey: guitar

Conceived by Otomo Yoshihide for Mosquito Paper
Original text by Masahiko Shimada

NOW

Otomo Yoshihide/Bob Ostertag : "Twins !"

(Sank-Ohso discs, 1996)

1- Wacked/ Herb Robertson (parent) (3:58)
2- Exercises for Currency/ Otomo Yoshihide (twin) (6:51)
3- 3 Bear Rooms (Dust)/ Chris Cutler (parent) (4:42)
4- The Power of Success/ Bob Ostertag (twin) (5:44)
5- Fruits from Viet Nam/ Michiyo Yagi (parent) (3:55)
6- 4 Rooms of Hong Kong Stuntman/ Otomo Yoshihide (twin) (6:35)
7- You're Going Nowhere/ Bob Ostertag (twin) (5:28)
8- Tabbing Will Get You There Faster/ Bob Ostertag (twin) (5:08)
9- Otok/ Otomo Yoshihide (twin) (6:23)

Track 1 :
Herb Roberson : trumpet (this trumpet solo was performed plunger muted)
Tracks 2, 6, 9 :
Otomo Yoshihide : sampler and hard-disk recorder. Sampled guests: Sachiko Matsubara (voice-2; sampling materials-6), Yumiko Tanaka (shamisen and vocal-6), Shuichi Chino (piano-6)
Track 3 :
Chris Cutler : gongs, tubular bell, kit drums, Tibetan finger cymbals, clay drum, woodblock, tambourine and radio
Tracks 4, 7, 8 :
Bob Ostertag : sampler
Track 5 :
Michiyo Yagi : koto

NOW

Tohban Djan : "Poison petal"

(Nato)

1/ Icicle Tango 2:45
2/ Rice & Beans 3:42
3/ Asobi 4:03
4/ The Whispers Beyond 3:52
5/ Shangai Express 2:53
6/ 21 Nails 3:27
7/ Black 2:29
8/ Lame Talking 2:31
9/ Butterfly 1:41
10/ Song For Deep Water 1:40
11/ No Time 1:02
12/ Belladonna 6:42

recorded at Sorcerer Studio, New York City in 1988

Tohban Djan :

Luli Shioi : vocals, bass, melodion, piano
Ikue Mori : drums, DMS, voice

NOW

Doctor Umezu band : "Do-Guwaw !"

(News records, 1984)

1- Bumpy mountain on the back

2- Munoo

3- Tang tango

4- The cramp

5- Crocodile by starlight

6- 800 ton

musicians :

Kazutoki UMEZU : sax
Hiroaki KATAYAMA : sax

Takeharu HAYAKAWA : bass

Takashi KIKUCHI : drums

NOW

Doctor Umezu band : "Danger"

(London, 1982)

1- Pop Up
2- Melody
3- Nande Nande Nande
4- Red Hippopotamus in the Sunset
5- Thymol
6- Dance Party
7- I'm No Good
8- Ojo-San

musicians :

Kazutoki Umezu : sax, clarinet
Takeharu Hayakawa : bass
Hiroaki Katayama : sax
Takashi Kikuchi : drums
+ Kiyoshiro Imawano (RC Succession) : guitar, Vocal

special guest :

G2 : percussion (4), piano (6, 8)

NOW

Doctor Umezu band : "Dynamite"

(London Records, 1983)

1- Off the Door
2- Down Down !
3- In My Shoes
4- Jayne (Ornette Coleman)
5- Canal
6- Coffee Music
7- Pyrosis
8- Pretty Kranke
9- Dynamite

musicians :

Kazutoki Umezu : sax
Hiroaki Katayama : sax
Takeharu Hayakawa : bass
Takashi Kikuchi : drums

guests :

Fred Frith : guitar/violin
Terry Jenoure : vocal

NOW

Autonomous Zone : "The map is not the territory"

(Meldac, 1992)

1. Invoke 6.26
2. Lost Dimension 6.03
3. The Grey Room 5.34
4. Black Light 6.57
5. The Hollow Earth 5.47
6. Chaos Field 6.57

Musicians :

Ginger Baker (1,4): drums
Anton Fier: drums, drum machine, percussion
Hideo Yamaki: drum machine, drums, balaphone, percussion
Foday Musa Suso: kora, talking drum, vocals
Bill Laswell: bass
Toshinori Kondo: trumpet, synthesizer
Akira Sakata: alto saxophone, clarinet, soprano saxophone, shanai
Yukihiro Isso: Japanese flute
Peter Brötzmann: tenor saxophone, clarinet, taragato, bass clarinet
Haruo Togashi: synthesizer

NOW

Tenko : "Dragon Blue"

(Sound Factory, 1993)

1- Magic (4:34)
2- Where's Missing (2:41)
3- Bolero Hyperbolic (3:26)
4- Shi-ru-si (3:54)
5- Storm (8:50)
6- Say No (2:03)
7- Passing through the Night (5:03)
8- Happy End (5:49)
9- Kaguya (5:23)

musicians :

Tenko: vocal
Tsuneo Imahori: guitar
Hideki Kato: bass
Tatsuya Yoshida: drums, voice
Otomo Yoshihide: turntables, guitar

live recording at Crocodile in Tokyo on March 5, 1992

NOW

Akira Sakata : "Silent plankton"

(Tokuma, 1991)

Musicians :

Akira Sakata : alt sax, clarinet, piano, synthesizer, bells, chinese flute
Bill Laswell : fretless bass, sitar bass, bowed bass, tapes, short wave
Nicky Skopelitis : 6&8 string guitar
Aiyb Dieng : chatan, doff, bells, gongs, cymbals

1- Daphnia
2- Strange Island
3- Strawberry-Kids in a Storm
4- Ancient Dream
5- Innocent Forest
6- Look at Me
7- Silent Plankton

NOW

Toy : "Futari de ocha wo"

(Toy, 1998)

1- Nemurenu Yoru no Tame ni (Yasuhiro Yoshigaki) (4:34)
2- Kita no Umi (Keisuke Ohta) (4:53)
3- Introduction (Yasuhiko Tachibana)--Better Get Hit in Your Soul (Charles Mingus) (9:19)
4- Yume no yoni (Yasuhiko Tachibana) (5:28)
5- Kodomo no TOY (Yasuhiro Yoshigaki) (7:13)
6- Tea for Two (Vincent Youmans) (9:01)
7- Gondola no Uta (Shinpei Nakayama) (5:39)
8- Rabo de Nube (Silvio Rodriguez) (5:19)
9- Otona no TOY (Yasuhiko Tachibana) (6:25)

TOY :

Yasuhiko Tachibana: electric bass, voice, etc.
Keisuke Ohta: violin, electric violin, guitar, mandolin, voice, etc.
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion, trumpet, voice, etc.

NOW

Optical*8 : "Gender"

(God Mountain, 1995)

1- Dare To Be "Uncool" (8:45)
2- Blessed Bloomer (7:56)
3- Otto Hypnosis (24:05)
4- Disposable Heros Do "Lunch" (8:41)

Optical*8 :

Hoppy Kamiyama: synthesizers, smaples, neuz-violin, gram-pot
Reck: bass, guitar
Yoshihide Otomo: guitar, turntables
Masafumi Minato: drums, toy steel drum

NOW

Katayama Hiroaki : "Instant groove"

(Natya, 1998)

1- Spirits rejoice

2- N'kakka

3- September

4- Theme of the anglers

5- Untitled

Musicians :

Hayashi Eiichi : sax (1)

Miyano Yuji : sax (1)

Umezu Kazutoki : sax & clarinet (2)

Hayakawa Takeharu : bass (2)

Yoshigaki Yasuhiro : drums (2)

Kato Takayuki : guitar (3)

Katsui Yuji : violin (4)

Kato Takayuki : guitar (4)

Fuwa Daisuke : bass (4)

Onuma Shiro : drums (4)

Ishiwatari Akihiro ; guitar (5)

Ino Nobuyoshi : bass (5)

Tsunoken : drums (5)

NOW

CO2 : "Zero"

(Natya, 1998)

1- Introduction/Asian blues
2- CO2/98'
3- After you
4- Go ! Go ! Steve !
5- Drophead
6- Traumanequo
7- White noise

CO2 :

Katayama Hiroaki : sax tenor
Hayashi Eiichi : sax alto
Kato Takayuki : guitar
Hayakawa Takeharu : bass
Yoshigaki Yasuhiro : drums

NOW

Optical*8

(God Mountain, 1992)


1- Ambidextrousness
2- Undercover Man
3- Jungle Protects The Past
4- The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name

OPTICAL*8 :

Hoppy Kamiyama--synth, samples & gram-pot
Marc Ribot--guitar
Sebastian Steinberg--bass
Dougie Bowne--drums
E.J. Rodriguez--percussion
Steve Eto--metals

NOW

Optical*8 - "The last waltz from distorted Honky-Tonk"

(God Mountain, 1992)

1- The Last Waltz From Distorted Honky-Tonk (40:16)

OPTICAL*8 :

Hoppy Kamiyama--synth, samples & gram-pot
Marc Ribot--guitar
Sebastian Steinberg--bass
Dougie Bowne--drums
E.J. Rodriguez--percussion
Steve Eto--metals

NOW