堀秀彰 on Jazz of Japan | Brian McCrory

Hikari Ichihara Group: Unity

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Unity is the sixth album from trumpeter Hikari Ichihara and the second album from the Hikari Ichihara Group band name, following their excellent debut release Move On from 2010. Unity, released in 2011, features nine original songs and a playtime of fifty-six minutes.

The music on this album is straight-ahead jazz built on the familiar format of trumpet-sax-piano-bass-drums hard-bop quintets. The playing style has a modern jazz feel with a mix of swing beats and straight-eights that is rooted in an energetic, soulful style, the kind that fans of Jazz Messengers and similar classic Blue Note era albums will find immediately appealing.

Hideaki Hori & Wataru Hamasaki: Encounter

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Encounter is the first album from co-leaders pianist Hideaki Hori and saxophonist Wataru Hamasaki, released in 2008. Since then, in addition to their other bands and activities, the two jazz musicians have continued to perform together and release many albums under the group name Encounter.

This first Encounter album is bursting with energy, and it feels like the inspiration that each player gets from the others irresistibly drives them to reach for the stars. The four members of Encounter—Wataru Hamasaki on sax and flute, Hideaki Hori on piano, Hiroshi Takase on bass, and Junji Hirose on drums—are always busy touring and playing in this regular group lineup for their live shows. In addition, as a special guest on their first album, Satoshi Takino plays electric guitar on three tracks.

Hideaki Hori: Melodies for Night & Day

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

As a companion piece to the previous article on Hideaki Hori’s /Horizon/, this follow-up post introduces the pianist’s recent solo album Melodies for Night & Day from 2022. Posting about the same musician in succession here is rare but somewhat appropriate, as this new album also pairs well with the pianist’s debut album from the previous article, marking a twenty-year milestone and a total of twenty albums released under his name in those years.

Hideaki Hori: Horizon

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz pianist Hideaki Hori kicked off his recording career 20 years ago, and it all started with this debut album Horizon from 2003. Since then, he’s released another 20 albums as leader in his nearly 30-year career under his own name or as the group “Encounter” with saxophonist Wataru Hamasaki. As a session musician and recording partner, Hori has also played on more than 160 albums for many notable Japanese and international acts including “Dreams Come True”, “Paris Match”, Eddie Henderson, Mabumi Yamaguchi, and many others. It’s an impressive resume for an accomplished pianist who’s still actively playing live music somewhere in front of an audience almost every day.

Duo Tremolo: Resonance

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Pianist Hideaki Hori and guitarist Takayoshi Baba create beautiful music together on Resonance, their first studio recording as the unit “Duo Tremolo”. On eleven tracks made up of four standards and seven original compositions, the pair play through easy-going swing, bop, and jazz/rock tracks with hues of Jarrett, Corea, and Metheney glowing within.

The graceful players combine the dimensions of Hori’s precise, finessed notes and Baba’s snazzy, bluesy lines at relaxed mid-tempo jaunts, rapid and fluid modern pieces, Latin grooves, and gentle ballads. The music is joyful and emotive, and the two converse with a comfortable flow built solidly on their years performing in various settings. The duo clearly enjoys playing together and it comes through in their playful, professional music.

Hideaki Hori Trio: In My Words

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Pianist Hideaki Hori lets his dexterous fingers do the talking on In My Words from 2010, a solid jazz trio record from Japan.

Hori leads a bright, swinging trio on this jazz record, full of high-energy peaks and steady grooves. Extremely nimble in his playing, Hori’s clearly executed phrases fill his improvisation with exciting patterns and curlicues, urged on by the propulsive anchor of rhythm section members Daiki Yasukagawa on bass and Gene Jackson on drums.

Hikari Ichihara Group: Move On

Thu, 16 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Hikari Ichihara’s fifth album Move On features the trumpeter’s quintet performing finely-tuned compositions with jazz integrity and a vibrant sound full of sparkling energy. The tracks range from knife-edge sharp modern jazz, bouncy swing, wistful ballads, and rapid-fire straight ahead jazz. Also included is a single jazz standard, a fresh interpretation of “Everything Happens To Me”, delivered here with a relaxed groove.

The quintet consists of strong, like-minded players who play with a polished yet intimate feeling, creating a solid framework for the improvisers to gracefully leap and flow over. Ichihara’s trumpet solos consistently capture attention, full of impressive decorative swoops and turns, loaded with dramatic soul and a beautifully fluid and organic sound.

Maki Fujimura: Best Wishes

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Glamorous Osaka-based singer Maki Fujimura enraptures the audience with her silky voice and energetic improvisation on this live album recorded at the intimate Tokyo jazz bar “Apple Jump”.

Going by “The Duo!” together with the amazing pianist Hideaki Hori, the two musicians expertly create music with pulse, Fujimura building upon and playing with Hori’s rhythmic timing and impeccable pianistic touch, with her soft yet strong vocals gliding around the piano’s notes in perfect interplay.

Sanae Ishikawa: Grown-up Christmas Gift

Mon, 24 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Enterprising singer Sanae Ishikawa presents us with her passionate voice on Grown-up Christmas Gift from 2018, a mini-album celebrating classic and modern Christmas songs in a jazz and pop setting. As part of her successful Seasonal Japanese Songbook Project crowdfunding, the popular singer released this album along with her full-length album 冬-Winter- to great anticipation, just in time for the Christmas season that year. 春-Spring- (2019) and 夏-Summer- (2020) have also been released in this jazzy J-pop series, with a hope of seeing 秋-Autumn- in the not-too-distant future.

Hideaki Hori Trio: Unconditional Love

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Unconditional Love is the 11th album from pianist Hideaki Hori and features his trio playing live at Nardis, a gem among Tokyo’s many respected and intimate jazz bars. Throughout this double album, the trio captures the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that this home-ground bar provides, all while creating top-notch jazz to delight the audience.

Unconditional Love features songs recorded live over three consecutive nights at Nardis. Presented on the two discs as “1st set” and “2nd set”, this arrangement gives the listener the feel of being a part of the in-house audience from the first song to the encore. The long-established trio’s playing is impeccable with high levels of musicianship and solidarity, eliciting joy and affinity from the audience.