Ryosuke Asai 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.

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.

Wataru Hamasaki Meets Akane Matsumoto Trio: Big Catch

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

“Swing & Blues” is the name of the game with /Big Catch/’s jazz quartet album from 2013. Undoubtedly, the concept of a jazz sax giant meeting a piano trio is a tried and true formula on classic jazz albums (“Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson” and “Coleman Hawkins with the Red Garland Trio” come to mind), and this quartet upholds the tradition properly with a big sound and spirit, singing and swinging, bluesy and fun all-around good-feeling jazz.