TOSHIKO YONEKAWA 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Unlike previous instalments in the 180g label's Wamono series, this isn't a compilation in the strictest sense of the term, but rather a retrospective. It showcases a range of killer jazz-funk and rare groove tunes recorded at Nippon Columbia studios in the mid 1970s by arranger Kiyoshi Yamaya, koto legend Toshiko Yonekawa and shakahuchi master Kifu Mitsuhashi. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the mellow, slow-burn lusciousness of 'Nanbu Ushioi-Uta' and the up-beat, guitar solo-laden brilliance of 'Hohai-Bushi', to the all-time Japanese jazz-funk classic that is 'Saitaro-Bushi' and the solo-laden brilliance of 'Asadoya Yunti', whose dazzling Fender Rhodes solos are reminiscent of the early '70s work of the late, great Billy Preston.

Review: Known for their seminal work in the 1970s jazz funk scene of the Far East, arranger Kiyoshi Yamay and koto legend Toshiko Yonekawa also hooked up with the Contemporary Sound Orchestra for their Tapestry: Koto and the Occident Sea album. It is one of a three-part series that was produced by Nippon Columbia that paid tribute to the majesty of one of the main instruments of Japanese traditional music, namely the koto. Divided into chapters called Sea, Hillside and Country, Yamaya brought plenty of contemporary style to these translations while integrating that with the sound of the past.