Shigeo Fukuda & Toshiki Nunokawa: Childhood’s Dream

Childhood’s Dream is a 10-song, hour-long studio recording from pianist Shigeo Fukuda and guitarist Toshiki Nunokawa. Both leading veteran players, the musicians are also in-demand sidemen and instructors, well-known in Japan’s live scene from the 1980s through to the current day. Clean, swinging piano playing together with warm, organic guitar tones balance perfectly over the mostly original material with three jazz standards, “How Deep Is the Ocean”, “The Peacocks”, and “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams”. While the cover songs offer the most swinging and familiar jazz themes, the pair’s original numbers complete the package with shades of rock, blues, and folk interpreted through a Japanese jazz lens. ...

June 14, 2021 · Brian McCrory