Description
Japan has produced some exceptionally talented jazz drummers and among them is Tatsuya Nakamura, who joins the BBE Music J Jazz Masterclass Series with his album “Locus” from 1984, a session covering several bases, from heavy percussive samba to meditative avant-ambient. This is the albums first ever reissue, although a track from Locus, 14 Samba, was included on J Jazz Vol. 3.
Nakamura began his drumming career as a teenager, inspired after seeing the documentary film Jazz on A Summers Day and listening to his idols Art Blakey and Miles Davis. By his early twenties, Nakamura was working with such luminaries as free jazz guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, pianist Masaru Imada and band leader & composer Mitsuaki Kanno. In the mid-70s, like several other Japanese jazz players, Nakamura decided to make the move to New York where he studied drumming with Roy Haynes, and performed with members of the AACM and players from the loft and free jazz scenes including Richard Davis, George Adams, John Hicks, and Pharaoh Sanders. Returning to Japan, Nakamura continued playing as leader of his Japanese band The Jazz Fellows and in 1979, he went into the studio as leader for the classic Where Is The Quarter session featuring Masaru Imada, Hideto Kanai and Kenji Mori. This session includes the original percussion heavy version of 14 Samba and was followed by a period back in NYC during which he recorded the funky/free session Rip Off in 1980. 1984 saw Nakamura working as leader of a heavy-duty fusion septet and in February of that year he led them in a performance at Audio Technica Hall. The album Locus on Sea Horse Records is the labels one and only release.
On “Locus”, Nakamura is joined by a stellar line-up. On trumpet is Shinobu Fujimoto and hes joined by seasoned bass player Hideto Kanai (1931 -2011) who began playing in the mid- 1950s, appearing on King Recs All-Star Jazz Series before going on to be a regular fixture on the legendary Three Blind Mice (TBM) label, backing many of its leading artists. He even released his own album on TBM, Ode to Birds in 1975. On guitar is Kazumasa Akiyama. Born in Tokyo in 1955, he taught himself guitar at 10 years old and was influenced initially by The Beatles and Ray Charles, and later Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Chicago Blues, and jazz. (via BBE)
Label: BBE
Series: J Jazz Masterclass Series
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: UK
Reissue: Sep 15, 2023 / Original Release: 1984
Genre: Jazz, Rock
File under: Japanese Jazz
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