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Various Artists

Wamono Disco - Nippon Columbia Disco & Boogie Hits 1978-1982

In the mid-seventies, discotheques were booming in Tokyo and all over Japan. When the Fatback Band topped the 1975 US charts with their infectious "Do The Bus Stop" hit, Japanese label Victor put out the following year the first Japan made Disco tune with "Sexy Bus Stop", released under the mysterious name Dr. Dragon & Oriental Express, a pseudonym for successful Japanese pop composer Kyohei Tsutsumi. "Sexy Bus Stop" became an instant hit in the country and, taking this opportunity, various Japanese record companies started releasing Disco music. From 1976 until the early 1980s the music was often recorded by skilled studio musicians, rather than by computer input, providing a really solid sound to the dancefloor. Disco music was also spreading into TV series, commercials and anime. From Godiego's monster hit "The Birth Of The Odyssey - Monkey Magic" to Pink Parachute's obscure (and excellent!) "Disco Great Tokyo" tune, this selection explores some of the finest Disco and Boogie music released on the legendary Nippon Columbia label in the late seventies and early eighties. Are you ready? Put your dance shoes on, and enjoy!

TRACK LISTING

1. Godiego - The Birth Of The Odyssey - Monkey Magic
2. Ikue Sakakibara - This Is Hot
3. Soul Media - I Will Give You Samba
4. Hatsumi Shibata - Purple Shadow
5. Yumi Murata - Krishna
6. Yoshito Machida・Godiego - Ame Wa Knife No Yo Sa
7. Pink Parachute - Disco Great Tokyo
8 Hatsumi Shibata - Hazumi De Daite (A Woman In A Man's World)
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Various Artists

WaJazz Legends: Jiro Inagaki - Selected By Yusuke Ogawa (Universounds)

Universounds, HMV Record Shop and 180g team up for an exceptional release in their highly acclaimed WaJazz series, to be out on Jiro Inagaki's 90th birthday, October 3rd, 2023, celebrating the life and music of one of the most iconic Japanese jazz musicians of the last 60+ years. This is the ultimate collection of music from legendary saxophone player Jiro Inagaki and his Soul Media band, covering their 1968-1980 golden age, releasing as a spectacular gold vinyl double LP with extensive and detailed liner notes by Universounds' Yusuke Ogawa, comments by Jiro Inagaki, and exclusive pics. 16 tracks of pure gold music spanning jazz, jazz-funk and jazz-rock, including an unreleased version of the track "Express" — first time on vinyl!

Yusuke Ogawa has been running the Universounds store in Tokyo since 2001, specializing in jazz and second-hand, rare, and collector records. He is also a reissue supervisor, label manager, DJ, and music writer. Known for his vast musical knowledge, eye for detail, and archival skills, Ogawa has worked on more than 250 reissues and compilations – including the highly praised Deep Jazz Reality and Project Re:Vinyl series. He is the co-author of the Wa-Jazz Disc Guide and the Independent Black Jazz of America books.

TRACK LISTING

1. Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media - Head Rock
2. Jiro Inagaki & Big Soul Media With Masahiko Sato - Sniper's Snooze
3. Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media With Yasushi Sawada - Inanome
4. Soul Media - Breeze
5. Jiro Inagaki & Soul Big Media - Freedom Jazz Dance
6. Jiro Inagaki & Big Soul Media With Hiromasa Suzuki - By The Red Stream
7. Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media - Back Off Boogaloo
8. Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - Theme
9. Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media - Twenty One
10. Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media Featuring Sammy - Wandering Birds
11. Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - That's How I Feel
12. Soul Media - Memory Lane
13. Jiro Inagaki & The All-Stars With Norio Maeda - Barock
14. Jiro Inagaki & Big Soul Media With Masahiko Sato - Guru
15. Soul Media - Painted Paradise
16. Jiro Inagaki & His Friends - Express (No SE Version)

Various Artists

WaJazz: Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol.II - Deep, Heavy And Beautiful Jazz From Japan 1962-1985 - The King Records Masters - Selected By Yusuke Ogawa (Universounds)

"It is my great pleasure to introduce you to the second volume of the "Japanese Jazz Spectacle" series. Following the first compilation which focused on recordings from the Nippon Columbia catalog, this time we are digging into the King Records archives. It is almost impossible to capture the whole picture of Wa-Jazz in a couple of compilation albums since it is such a broad and deep genre, however, by extracting tracks from the Nippon Columbia and King Records collections - both labels having an extensive archive of jazz music - we may be able to glimpse a part of its allure and essence. This time again, I have made the music selection with this idea in mind. The music in this compilation was recorded between 1962 and 1985 and is a brief history of Japanese jazz on King Records. Listening is believing, so I hope these tracks will capture your heart and that you will enjoy the charms of Japanese jazz." - Yusuke Ogawa

Yusuke Ogawa has been running the Universounds store in Tokyo since 2001, specializing in jazz and second-hand, rare, and collector records. He is also a reissue supervisor, label manager, DJ, and music writer. Known for his vast musical knowledge, eye for detail, and archival skills, Ogawa has worked on more than 250 reissues and compilations – including the highly praised Deep Jazz Reality and Project Re:Vinyl series. He is the co-author of the Wa-Jazz Disc Guide and the Independent Black Jazz of America books.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Another winning set from WaJazz, shining a light on Japan's King Records across two decades. Ranging from wild honk to louche lounge and dazzling jazz-funk; it's a supreme collection for any lover of the genre.

TRACK LISTING

1. Toshiaki Yokota & The Beat Generation - Clair Deluge
2. Tadao Sawai & Toshiyuki Miyama & New Herd Orchestra - Constant Rain
3. Akira Miyazawa - Yamame
4. Various Artists - Ma Mère L'Oye
5. Masao Yagi - Blossom In The Water
6. Masahiko Togashi & Isao Suzuki - A Day Of The Sun
7. Yasuko Nagamine & Yasuaki Shimizu - Summer Wind
8. Hideo Shiraki - Sayonara Blues
9. Masahiko Togashi & His Improvisation Jazz Orchestra - Desireless
10. Takeru Muraoka & His New Group - Lady Boogie
11. Yoshio Ikeda - Down To The Sea
12. George Otsuka Quintet - Loving You

Born in 1932 in Tokyo, Kiyoshi Yamaya started his musical career in 1953 when he played in various jazz bands in town. In 1957, Yamaya joined Nobuo Hara's famous jazz big band Sharps & Flats as a baritone saxophone player and started composing, arranging, and recording for them and other big bands. He became a key jazz figure in Japan in the sixties together with Norio Maeda and Keitaro Miho, both jazz pianists, composers and arrangers, by forming the Modern Jazz Three Association – which aimed at improving the level of Japanese jazz composition and arrangement. In the mid-seventies, his Contemporary Sound Orchestra explored jazz funk fusions with traditional Japanese melodies and instruments such as the shakuhachi, koto, biwa, and shamisen. These works were recorded for a series of panoramic Japanese albums released domestically on Denon and Nippon Columbia, from which the tracks on this compilation are taken from.

Toshiko Yonekawa, born 1913 in the city of Himeji, not so far from Osaka, is the eldest daughter of koto and shamisen master Kin'o Yonekawa. She started studying both instruments with her talented father from the age of 3, played in her first concert at 8, and was only 12 years old when she first appeared on national radio. Her unique style of koto playing is widely recognized due to the extreme accuracy of the intonation and rhythm, as well as the unequaled beauty of the instrument's sonority. After a life decorated with awards and prizes, Toshiko Yonekawa was named a Living National Treasure in 1996.

Born in Tokyo in 1950, Kifu Mitsuhashi is a great master of Koto style shakuhachi. After completing the NHK Hōgaku Training Program in 1972, Mitsuhashi became a member of Pro Musica Nipponia, a group of leading composers and top-ranking musicians devoted to performing a wide-ranging repertoire of classical and contemporary compositions from both Japan and the West – in which all music is performed by traditional Japanese musical instruments. Mitsuhashi has toured the world for hundreds of recitals, also as a soloist, and has performed his art with the greatest ensembles such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2020, Kifu Mitsuhashi was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.

TRACK LISTING

1. Nanbu Ushioi-Uta (feat. Kifu Mitsuhashi)
2. Isohama Bon-Uta (feat. Toshiko Yonekawa)
3. Hohai-Bushi (feat. Kifu Mitsuhashi)
4. Otemoyan (feat. Toshiko Yonekawa)
5. Aizu Bandaisan (feat. Kifu Mitsuhashi)
6. Saitaro-Bushi (feat. Toshiko Yonekawa)
7. Soma Nagareyama (feat. Kifu Mitsuhashi)
8. Yagi-Bushi (feat. Toshiko Yonekawa)
9. Asadoya Yunta (feat. Kifu Mitsuhashi)
10. Konpira Fune Fune (feat. Toshiko Yonekawa)


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