Ruins + Kazutoki Umezu

(FMN Sound Factory, 1994, cassette only)

A1 Zasca Coska 10:47
A2 B.U.G. 15:14
A3 Thrived 10:53
A4 Stone Eater 7:07

B1 Infect 9:13
B2 Acid Blue 6:31
B3 Burning Stone 1:15
B4 Del Fanci Kant 7:33
B5 Essential Logic 3:09
B6 Big Head 11:00
B7 [Encore] 1:09

musicians :

Ruins :

Ryuichi Masuda : bass & voice
Tatsuya Yoshida : drums & voice

+ Kazutoki Umezu : saxophone

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PS : MANY, MANY, MANY THANX TO LIGHTNING BALTIMORE (GO) TO SHARE THIS RARE, OUT OF PRINT & PRECIOUS LIVE RECORDING.

Masahiko Togashi : "Flame up"

(Paddle Wheel, 1981)

1. Flame up (TOGASHI)
2. Spring song (TOGASHI)
3. Twilight (TOGASHI)
4. Doing in the fire (TOGASHI)


Musicians :

UMEZU Kazutoki (fl, bcl, ss, as, perc)
HARADA Yoriyuki (p, perc)
TOGASHI Masahiko (dr, perc)

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Yoshiaki Fujikawa & EastAsia Orchestra : "Origin"

(Mobys, 1985)

1- Dancer's image (Yoshiaki Fujikawa) (10'29'')
2- So blessed (Yoshiaki Fujikawa) (7'31'')
3- First dawn (Yoshiaki Fujikawa) (24'04'')

musicians :

Yoshiaki Fujikawa : conductor, reeds
Tetsuji Yoshida : trumpet
Ichiyu Komiya : trumpet
Hiroshi Itaya : trombone
Haruki Satoh : trombone
Kazutoki Umezu : reeds
Eiichi Hayashi : reeds
Hiroaki Katayama : reeds
Suetoshi Shimizu : reeds
Masamiki Takano : reeds
Keiki Midorikawa: cello
Yoshio Ikeda : bass
Nobuo Fujii : drums
Tatsuji Yokoyama : percussion

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Yoshiaki Fujikawa & EastAsia Orchestra : "Shoyoh Jurin"

(Mobys, 1984)

1- Bold and Able (Yoshiaki Fujikawa) (11:37)
2- Ladiga (Yoshiaki Fujikawa) (10:01)
3- Divine Gift (Indonesian folk song) (6:52)
4- Trival Chief--Pate Pote (Keiki Midorikawa) (12:10)
5- Never Say Die (Yoshiaki Fujikawa) (3:38)

musicians :

Yoshiaki Fujikawa: conductor, reeds
Tetsuji Yoshida: trumpet
Ichiyu Komiya: trumpet
Hiroshi Itaya: trombone
Haruki Satoh: trombone
Kazutoki Umezu: reeds
Keizo Inoue: reeds
Hiroaki Katayama: reeds
Junji Hirose: reeds
Keiki Midorikawa: cello
Takeharu Hayakawa: bass
Sabu Toyozumi: drums
Tatsuji Yokoyama: percussion

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Danger : "Danger II"

(Eastworld, 1985)

1 - Hataraku hitobito
2- Anoko to shopping
3- Ore wa yumei
4- Johin na neko mitaina

musicians :

Kiyoshiro Imawano (RC Succession) : vocal, guitar
Umezu Kazutoki : alto & soprano sax, clarinet, flute, synthesizer
Katayama Hiroaki : tenor & bariton sax
Hayakawa Takeharu : bass
Kikuchi Takashi : drums, percussion
Ishiwatari Akihiro : guitar (3)
Miyazaki Masako : neko (4)

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nb : it's an EP (around 20')

Doctor Umezu Band (DUB) : "D"

(Omagatoki, 1986)

1- Mysterious tea

2- 17th kiss

3- Anatoria

4- We have many possibility

5- Let's drink

6- 1970

7- Surge

8- On a little boat to Aivalik

9- Teacher's runnin'

musicians :

Umezu Kazutoki : alto sax, flute, keyboards, etc.
Katayama Hiroaki : tenor & baritone sax, etc.
Hayakawa Takeharu : bass, cello, turkish saz, kalimba, etc.
Kikuchi Takashi : drums, tabura, percussion, etc.

guests :

Ishiwatari Akihiro : guitar (2,3,5,7,8,9)
Yamamoto Mayu : keyboards (6,7)
Miyazaki Masako : vocal (1)

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Audio Sports : "Strange emotion"

(All Access)

1- Yellow Fever - Ancient and Modern
2- Banana - Joy Mix
3- Strange Emotion
4- Deciding not to Decide
5- Knife
6- Never Personal

musicians :

Aki Onda (1-4, 6): samples, programming, producer & arranger
Hoppy Kamiyama: synthesizer, samples, gram-pot (1, 2, 4)
Tsuneo Imahori: guitar (1, 2, 4)
Mecken: bass (1, 4, 5)
Momo: additional synthesizer (1)
Greg Osby: sax (1, 4)
D-Zine: rap (2)
Jyoji Sawada (3): double bass, string arrangement
Yoichi Okabe: percussion (3, 5)
Miho Kudo: violin (3)
Hiroko Yanagawa: violin (3)
Ryoko Mochizuki: viola (3)
Naoya Mochizuki: cello (3)
Hubert Joignant: narration (3)
Vie Vie: voice (3)
Yutaka Ohara: bamboo horn (4)
Takahiro Hosoki: bass (5)
Kazutoki Umezu: sax (5)
Miki: vocal (5)
Yoshihide Otomo: guitar, turntables (6)
Aya: voice (6)

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A sweet treat... with Russia from love.

(No Man's Land)

1- #1 (19'26'')*
2- #2 (5'52'')

*live in 1997 at the Merge festival, Tokyo. This title contains three world famous russian songs and this suite is dedicated to the memory of russian "enfant terrible" & composer Sergey Kuryokhin (1954-1996).

musicians :

Leonid Soybelman : vocals, guitar, Casio rapman (1,2)
Otomo Yoshihide : turntables (1)
Umezu Kazutoki : sax & clarinet (1)
Yoshigaki Yasuhiro : drums & objects (1)
Sachiko M : sampler (2)

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Seikatsu Kojyo Iinkai

(self-released)

1. Stravizauls
2. Kim
3. Not so long Don

musicians :

Kazutoki "Kappo" Umezu : sax alto
Yoriyuki Harada : piano & bass clarinet
Ahmed Abdullah : trumpet
Rashid Shinan : drums
William Parker : bass

part1

part2

Amazing first and rare lp (rip 256 kbps) by this band leaded by mister Umezu & Harada, here with some legendary afro-american free musicians ! BIG THANX to Rotkappchen for sharing this fire music. I think there'll be some other happy surprises from him...

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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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)

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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

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

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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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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

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

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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)

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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

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Altered States - "Mosaic"

(God Mountain, 1994)

1- Martzmer (4:20)
2- Emer (4:04)
3- Silly Old Bear (5:10)
4- Dan-go (3:26)
5- D*W*D (4:21)
6- Issai-kai-ku (4:41)
7- Billiken (5:37)
8- Motif A (3:00)
9- Sosukan (3:23)
10- Da Dou (5:18)
11- Suite "Circle" (28:12/1:04)

Altered States :

Kazuhisa Uchihashi: guitar, effects
Mitsuru Nasuno: bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion

Guests :

Kazutoki Umezu (10, 11): alto sax, clarinet
Shizuru Ohtaka: voice (11)
Yuji Katsui (5, 11): electric violin, ponchi
Hiromichi Sakamoto: cello (1)
Yuki Saga: voice (11)
Kumiko Takara (11): vibraphone, percussion
Ned Rothenberg: alto sax (4)
Ichiko Hashimoto (11): piano, voice
Junji Hirose: tenor sax (8, 11)
Koichi Makigami: voice (6, 11)
Yoshinori Motoki: tapes (9, 11)

Produced by Hoppy Kamiyama and Kazuhisa Uchihashi

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Shin-Okubo Gentlemen - "Live"

(Atelier Peyotl, AP-012)

1 - Chiteijin to Saiteijin (People from Underground) (Gudang "Rum"-o, Igor) (1:28)
2 - Ekimae Shuffle (Igor) (4:33)
3 - Jonetsu no Toriame: Flamenco Version (Igor) (7:19)
4 - Great no Namida (The "Great" Kintoki) (12:03)
5 - Koshi Kudake (Igor) (9:16)
6 - Great Romania (The "Great" Kintoki) (12:31)
7 - Ota no Turk (Abdul Wahaha) (18:38)
8 - ?
9 - ?

The "Great" Kintoki : soprano sax, alto sax, Bb clarinet, bass clarinet
Igor: piano, keyboard, vocal
Abudul Wahaha: electric violin, vocal
Obuchi-kun (Bone): percussion, samples, vocal
Ozawa-kun (Gudang "Rum"-o) : drums, percussion, pocket trumpet

Recorded live by Hidetake Miyazaki at Shinjuku Pit Inn in Tokyo on August 14, 1999

(the CD was accompanied with a bandana)

Released November 1999

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