Masahiko Osaka

Project-N is the debut album from violinist Noriko Satomi, a classically trained violinist and “Nissan Presents Jazz Japan 2019” award winner. Satomi is active in the Japanese jazz live scene as a jazz violinist and graces many live spots with her beautiful string tone and charming presence. On this 67-minute album, Satomi leads a jazz quartet featuring Masaaki Imaizumi on piano, Kunio Oinuma on bass, and Masahiko Osaka on drums. This ambitious violinist released Project-N /in 2017, following up this debut with future releases /A Love Supreme (2019) and Duke String Quartet (2023), two excellent releases that focus her debut’s wide jazz spectrum into clear concept albums. ...

Noriko Satomi brings the passion and vibrancy of jazz violin to an acclaimed jazz composition on her 2019 homage to A Love Supreme, which received a Jazz Japan Award from Jazz Japan magazine in January 2020. No doubt familiar to most jazz fans, John Coltrane’s 1965 masterpiece sets a high bar for any jazz group, with both rote recitation and musical reinvention being risky propositions. At the same time, re-experiencing the classic performance at live concerts or on newly recorded albums can provide a thrilling way for fellow fans and the performing musicians themselves to appreciate the music together. ...

The jazz style of pianist/composer Yasumasa Kumagai has always been pinned to the leading edge of modern J Jazz built on a foundation of straight-ahead jazz standards and jams. With a strong influence from jazz pianist Robert Glasper, a one-time teacher of Kumagai, this pianist flows naturally with his fearless compositions and modern angles. Kumagai’s music is no-nonsense jazz rooted in tradition amidst elements of groovy gospel music, Latin flavors, and funky hip-hop — all with a fashionable streetwise attitude and a good-natured sense of humor. ...