Four accomplished musicians reunite for Needful Things, a live recording of original compositions, bewitching music with a touching beauty.
Starting with a slow build-up of sounds and chant-like effects, the songs develop deeply, breathing traces of folk, pop, and contemporary jazz into melancholy themes. Without drums or percussion, the quartet is able to create a slightly floating feeling, while the players’ steady pulse keeps the time anchored, subtle yet solidly unwavering.
The players evoke a calm confidence together, creating music that grooves with tension and release, mixing solemnity with hopefulness, freedom with structure… a distinctively lovely product from these dedicated musicians.
Recorded live at Jalan Jalan in Wakayama, Japan on November 22-23, 2008.
Needful Things by Ryosuke Hashizume
- Ryosuke Hashizume - tenor saxophone, clarinet, effects, voice
- Takumi Seino - electric, acoustic guitars
- Masako Hamamura - piano
- Yasutaka Yorozu - bass
Released in 2009 on Grapes Records as GPS-1206.
Japanese names: 橋爪亮督 Hashizume Ryosuke 清野拓巳 Seino Takumi 浜村昌子 Hamamura Masako 萬恭隆 Yorozu Yasutaka
Audio and Video
- Excerpt from track #1: “Stone Pavement”