SMILE (2024 REISSUE)

(LP)
Bold and grand. Delicate and sharp. Richly expansive with deep emotion. This masterpiece, featuring the first recording of "Watarase", overflows with Japanese sentiment.

  • Pressed on clear sky blue vinyl
  • Housed in a gatefold jacket
  • Extensive liner notes by Yusuke Ogawa (Universounds/Deep Jazz Reality) in Japanese and English translation
  • Originally released in 1981


Genre Jazz
StyleModal, Japanese
FormatVINYL
Cat. noCOJY-9518
Label NIPPONOPHONE/J-DIGS
Artist TAKEO MORIYAMA
Release Date31/01/2025
CarrierLP
Barcode4549767322261
Tracklisting
SMILE (2024 REISSUE)
vinyl Album or track playing

Since the late 1960s, jazz drummer Takeo Moriyama has been a dominant force in the free jazz scene, initially with the Yosuke Yamashita Trio, and more recently, collaborating with the KYOTO JAZZ SEXTET, earning respect from past to present. Recorded in 1980 with his quartet featuring Fumio Itabashi, this album is renowned for being the first to include the emotionally rich Japanese masterpiece "Watarase". Other highlights include the spirited "Exchange" and the beautifully poignant "Goodbye". Each track is a standout, offering a grand-scale performance where tranquility and movement organically intertwine, making it one of the top albums in the history of Japanese jazz.

Takeo Moriyama(Drums)
Yoshio Kuniyasu(Tenor & Soprano Sax)
Fumio Itabashi(Piano)
Hideaki Mochizuki(Bass)
Koichi Matsukaze(Alto & Tenor Sax, Flute)