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TAKEO MORIYAMA

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Takeo Moriyama

Live At Lovely

BBE

Japanese master drummer Takeo Moriyama returns to BBE Music’s J Jazz Masterclass Series in a majestic live set showcasing his exemplary musicianship and stature as one of the leading names in Japanese modern jazz. Recorded in December 1990 at the jazz club Lovely in Nagoya, this set sees Moriyama’s quartet deliver an exemplary session of the finest modal, post-bop and spiritual jazz. Moriyama is backed by long-time colleague Fumio Itabashi on piano and the group perform a stunning rendition of Itabashi’s classic ‘Watarase’, revisiting the track they first recorded on Moriyama’s 1981 ‘Smile’ album. Demonstrating his range as a composer, Itabashi penned four of the five tracks on this album. ‘Live at Lovely’ also features regular bassist Hideaki Mochizuki and tenor saxophonist Toshihiko Inoue, who also feature on Moriyama’s ‘East Plants’ album, previously reissued in the J Jazz Masterclass Series. The quartet’s communication and interplay are revelatory, each player listening closely and finding their own space within the richly textured music. The album opens with ‘Sunrise’, a blast of blistering unrestrained post-bop, with Toshihiko Inoue’s strident horn motif and Itabashi’s commanding piano underpinned by Hideaki Mochizuki’s thunderous bass and Moriyama’s relentlessly authoritative and expressive drumming. On ‘Exchange’, another Itabashi composition, the quartet up the energy level even further, pushing to the edge of free jazz but maintaining enough structure to keep it together as they race headlong into a 20 minute epic that leaves the listener as out of breath as the band. Every track on ‘Live at Lovely’ stands by themselves, but taken together, it’s an extraordinary listening experience that demonstrates the calibre of the Japanese jazz players who emerged in the 1970s and who, like Moriyama and Itabashi, continue to perform today. This special double vinyl edition is mastered by the Grammy-nominated Carvery and is the first ever reissue since the album’s original Japan only CD release in 1991 and comes with a translation of the original notes plus a new sleeve note by Tony Higgins. J Jazz Masterclass Series is curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden for BBE Music.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Watarase
2. Sunrise

Disc: 2
1. Hush-A-Bye
2. Exchange
3. Good Bye

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Takeo Moriyama

East Plants

BBE

BBE bring us the next instalment in their J Jazz Masterclass Series: ‘East Plants’ by Takeo Moriyama, one of Japan’s finest jazz drummers. A genuine ‘under the radar’ album known only to a handful of Japanese jazz collectors, ‘East Plants’ is now available once more, reissued for the first time as a double 180g LP, with exact reproductions of the original artwork, obi strip and insert. It also comes with the original notes fully translated. ‘

Originally released in 1983 on the Japanese VAP label, ‘East Plants’ is an essential album in the J Jazz canon. It’s an album that distils several key characteristics of Moriyama’s music: clearly articulated and inventive rhythms, open yet orderly arrangements, and an accessible groove balanced with a graceful control.

‘East Plants’ features no piano, just percussion, bass and reeds. From the luxurious raga-like build of the album’s hypnotic title track and the fierce post-bop workout of ‘Fields’, to the stately modal track ‘Kaze’ ( as featured on the sell-out BBE compilation, ‘J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1968-1984’), the album was, until now, a rarely acknowledged masterpiece. ‘East Plants’ shows Moriyama’s quintet at their most transcendent: delicate layers of percussion by Yoji Sadanari, a warm and pliant bass from Hideki Mochizuki, with colour and texture provided by the eloquent reed work of Shuichi Enomoto and Toshiko Inoue. And, overseeing it all, Moriyama’s discreet yet commanding drumming.

The BBE J Jazz Masterclass Series is curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden and is dedicated to presenting the very finest in Japanese jazz. The series will feature rare, long-lost and unreleased material presented in the highest quality reproductions of the original releases, fully licensed and authorised.