SALAH RAGAB - LATINO IN CAIRO 7"

Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Band from 1973-previously unreleased but now issued by Art Yard as a double A side on a 7".

Here's a Yuletide bomb for you and one to get the house rocking on Christmas morning-a latin stormer from the Cairo Jazz Band with Salah Ragab at the helm.Never issued before this comes to you courtesy of Art Yard Records with their first 7" featuring a mad exotic romp entitled "A tribute To Sun Ra"(I've just ripped the other side which is this piece of latin mayhem so put your hand in your pocket and buy the 7" - it's well worth it) Very Highly Recommended!

A nice write up from Boomkat:

For most listeners, Cairo-based bandleader Salah Ragab first appeared on the radar via the Art Yard label's splendid Egyptian Jazz LP, which featured the maestro in charge of a band versed in the militaristic repertoire of an army orchestra, but relatively unexperienced in the field of jazz. This 7" features music recorded towards the tail end of the 1968-1973 period over which that album was put together, and sports a tribute toSun Ra on the A-side - a fairly appropriate name to inspire an Egyptian jazz record. You'd be hard pressed to identify much of the Arkestra's free music stylings here though, the Cairo Jazz Band's sound is far more organised, albeit whilst gravitating towards a more unusual array of percussion instruments and quirky rhythmic patterns. The B-side 'Latino In Cairo' places even greater emphasis on this sort of percussive layering, and sounds similarly idiosyncratic. Absolutely brilliant stuff - a must!

MASABUMI KIKUCHI SEXTET WITH SADAO WATANABE QUARTET - COLLABORATION

Masabumi Kikuchi and Sadao Watanabe for Philips Japan from 1970.
Here's another first at Orgy In Rhythm-a contribution from Jazz-neko and it's a killer.The Okinawan jazz devil has dug deep-very,very deep and come up with this fantastic japanese rarity ripped straight from the original master tapes !!!
Two files to grab-here & here .
Now read on to find what he has to say about it.....................

I have been be-deviled by various issues for some time now that precluded my contributions to the jazz blog-o-sphere, but our dear friend, Bacoso, really set a fire under my lazy arse with his recent barrage of Japanese fusion - I hope you all have appreciated it as much as the ol' Okinawan Jazz-Devil. I hope you all will allow me a bit of your time, as I ease back into your lives. . .
Thanks to the influence of my father and mother, I was continually reminded that people are worth far more than just the colour of their skin or the faith by which one measured higher powers; I mean, I still recall people commonly referring to "coloured or negroes", which in turn became "blacks" and now is "African-American". The fact is people are still people. I made the change in my mind that Japan also was still Japan and did not deserve to be "inferior" in my mind because it was simply not fair to a culture.
Whilst growing up with one foot in Japan and another in either the States or Europe, I somehow became biased. Biased against all things jazz when referring to Japan – call it stupidity if you will but I somehow allowed a sense of inferiority to veil my judgment. I have come to realize that it was in part due to the larger-than-life influence of having a relatively successful American swing/bop sax player as a father: I was exposed to the best of the best long before I can remember. Also as I mentioned, throughout the '50s there remained a rather large prejudice against Japan.
Along comes my primate, percussion-loving friend with his J-fusion stream . . .and from the depths of some personal misery, I felt a bolt of pride shoot through me. Yes, we can find many blogs with Japanese prog rock or modern music; however, the manner in which 'Orgy in Rhythm' is raising awareness of current and past trends of Japanese jazz is nothing short of admirable, in my devilish opinion – cheers to Bacoso, my friend!
Today, I will offer you a quite spectacular treat with an extremely rare set by Kikuchi Masabumi and Sadao Watanabe. I saw two weeks ago here in Tokyo that someone had this set on sale for ¥ 1,560,000 (aprox. $13,000)! However, this is not the first time that Bacoso set me a mighty challenge to find one or another Japanese set. To make a long story short – I contacted Kikuchi-san. He warmly responded by telephone and we set a meeting for Tokyo the next time I was to visit from Okinawa. At the meeting, Kikuchi-san, his brother and former band members Suzuki-san and Ikeda-san showed up along with the daughter of Watanabe Sadao. It was really a lovely evening of old-timers catching up, and I was very fortunate to be invited. The following morning before leaving Tokyo, I met Kikuchi-san at his studio where he presented me with a master reel copy of today's offer – so when I say original rip, brother do I mean, o-r-g-i-n-a-l!
Think of '70s jazz fusion. The top of my list would be 'The Circle' (Braxton, Corea, Holland, Altschul) or McLaughlin's work with Miles. Now toss in the genius of Watanabe Sadao's playing in the late-60s or early '70s . Then turn up the heat with some long and hard guitar riffs, bruising percussion and lightning-fast keyboards. This is a recipe for classic Japanese jazz-fusion that I am sure some of you will . . . ~ enjoy!

Masabumi Kikuchi Sextet with Sadao Watanabe Quartet Collaboration Part 1 (1970, Philips/Nippon Phonogram FS-5052) [master reel copy @ 320kbps w/ jacket photos]

Kikuchi Masabumi (eP,harpsicord solo on 'So Por Voci'), Watanabe Sadao (sopranino), Kikuchi Masahiro (eP), Mine Kohsuke (ss), Masuo Yoshiaki (g), Ikeda Yoshio (b, except 'Up Tight'), Suzuki Yoshio (eB,eCel, Murakami Hiroshi, Tsunoda Hiro, Kishida Keiji (d); recorded on 08,13 October & 14 November, 1970 at Nippon Phonogram, Tokyo

Side 1:
01. Illusion (Kikuchi)
02. Thanatos (take 2) (Kikuchi)
Side 2:
03. Uptight (Masuo)
04. So Por Vici (Watanabe)
05. Lunar Eclipse (Kikuchi

MASABUMI KIKUCHI - ONE WAY TRAVELLER

Masabumi Kikuchi for CBS Sony from 1982.
Reposted from november last year.
Masabumi Kikuchi recorded this in 1982 with James Mason as producer and a line up of US fusion session players(listed below) for Columbia Japan. The Miles Davis electric period influences are obvious -long ,sprawling .slowly buiilding tracks often underpinned with heavy bass ostinatos,polyrhythmic patterns,chattering percussion and plenty of room for solo improvisation.Fusion is the word here - just too heavy to be jazz funk although it moves close to it at times.
This is ripped from the Sony Mastersound cd @320 which was re-issued in 1998 and is now long gone to the great deletions bin in the sky.I've looked for the original vinyl for years and have yet to find one.
1.
Alacalder (20:35) Masabumi Kikuchi, keyboards, synthesizer solo; Terumasa Hino, cornet solo; Steve Grossman, soprano saxophone solo; Richie Morales, drums; Victor "Yahya" Jones, drums; Hassan Jenkins, bass; James Mason, guitar; Butch Campbell, guitar; Billy Patterson, guitar; Ronald Drayton, guitar; Airto Moreira, percussion; Aiyb Dieng, percussion, congas; Sam Morrison, wind driver
2.
Sum Dum Fun (5:58) Masabumi Kikuchi, keyboards, synthesizer solo; Steve Grossman, tenor saxophone solo; Richie Morales, drums; Hassan Jenkins, bass; James Mason, guitar; Billy Patterson, guitar; Marlon Graves, guitar; Butch Campbell, guitar; Aiyb Dieng, percussion
3.
Madjap Express (11:20) Masabumi Kikuchi, keyboards, clavinet solo; Terumasa Hino, cornet; Steve Grossman, soprano saxophone solo; Richie Morales, drums; Victor "Yahya" Jones, drums; Hassan Jenkins, bass; James Mason, guitar; Marlon Graves, guitar; Gass Farkon, guitar; Alyrio Lima, percussion; Aiyb Dieng, congas; Sam Morrison, wind driver
4.
Sky Talk (2:50) Masabumi Kikuchi, keyboards; Sam Morrison, wind driver

SOIL AND PIMP SESSIONS - SUMMER GODDESS

Soil and Pimp Sessions for Victor Japan from 2006.
Bringin' it bang up to date with the world's number one death jazz combo.This is a 5 track mini album from last year that's now out of print.Here's a bit of background about them:

English description Soil and "Pimp" Sessions is an energetic Japanese club jazz band that have started to receive international recognition. The band consists of six members: Shacho ("agitator"), Tabu Zombie (trumpet), Motoharu (sax), Josei (keyboards), Akita Goldman (double bass) and Midorin (drums).
The band was born out of Tokyo's club scene, when Shacho and Tabu Zombie started including live jam sessions in DJ sets. Gradually the other members were invited, the band line up was finalised and the DJ sets dropped.
The band's adrenalin-fuelled live sets started to create a buzz on the Tokyo live scene, and in 2003 they became the first unsigned band to perform at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival. They were well received there and in the following months record companies were scrambling to offer contracts. JVC Victor won the battle, and summer 2004 saw the release of the mini-album "Pimpin'".
The album was a critical and, for a jazz release, commercial success, and this together with constant touring paved the way for the release of their first full album, "Pimp Master" in early 2005. The album captures the sheer power of their live performances as well as higlighting their individual musical talents.

TERUMASA HINO - PYRAMID

Terumasa Hino for Sony CBS from 1982.
Terumasa Hino/ cornet,flugelhorn Kenny Kirkland/ kb Lou Volpe/ eg Tom Barney/ eb Richie Morales/ ds Manolo Badrena/perc David Sanborn/ as Don Alias/ perc Suiho Tosha/ Noh Bue Alan Rubin/ tp Lew Soloff/ tp David Taylor/ bass-tb Joe Randazzo/ bass-tb Jerry Dodgion/ as Dennis Morouse/ ts Ronnie Cuber/ bs
Boogie business for Terumasa Hino hitting more on the jazz funk side of things.Check the title tune-handclaps,popping slapbacked bass and a hijacked disco feel that comes on like The Village People meets Miles Davis(well,Tom Barney played with Davis so that's my tenuous connection made!)."Igor's Hideaway" is much better with a stop start slow sliding funky tempo which made it the club cut from the lp.
The rest of the lp moves from the self expanatory "T Funk" and a couple of other up tempo tunes to some reasonable ballads but I have to admit the saccharine"Sunfields" really has me running for the sick bag!
Recorded at Record Plant Studios, NYC in June, July, 1982
Ripped @320 from the original vinyl-made a japanese cd which is now deleted.

SADAO WATANABE - RECITAL

Sadao Watanabe for East Wind from 1977.
Two files HERE and HERE
East Wind/Nippon Phonogram EW-8048
October 19, 1976 : Live at Yubin Chokin Kaikan Hall, Tokyo
WATANABE Sadao (as, fl, sn), MINE Kosuke (ts, ss),
FUKUMURA Hiroshi (tb), HONDA Takehiro (p, key),
WATANABE Kazumi (g), OKADA Tsutomu (b),
OKAZAWA Akira (eb), MORI Shinji (dr),
TOGASHI Masahiko (dr, perc)
This 1976 award-winning live album has a strong African flavour.Probably the last great lp before the rot set in with the move to easy listening fusion later that year.Some cracking tracks and overall a strong set including the jazz dance killers "Hiromi" and "Pastral" however you can hear the direction which Sadao was moving with the easy skanking "Maraica" .
Ripped@320 from the original vinyl which made a cd issue in Japan now long deleted.

MASARU IMADA - ANDALUSIAN BREEZE

Masaru Imada for Full House from 1980.

Masaru Imada-Piano,Electric Piano;Mitsuaki Furono-Bass;Shinji Mori-Drums;Yuji Imamura-Percussion;Kazumi Watanabe-Guitar.

One that came to my notice around 1982 via another Bangsy tape the beautifully titled "Fuck Face Fusion" to be exact."Nowin" was the tune-a great bass line coupled with a flying electric piano which had the dancers cutting up the floor back in the day.The track finally turned up on Peterson's Shibuya Jazz Classics-Trio compilation a few years ago.As the title reference to Andalusia suggests the whole lp is on a latin tip with "Samba Del Centauro" and "Gulf Stream" both latin flyers and "Touch and Go" a frantic samba with some cranked up guitar by Watanabe.
I loved these japanese lps with their beautifully made sleeves,the great cover art/photography and the icing on the cake-the obi strip!They cost a bomb and often the music was humdrum fusion but the look of 'em had my cash going over the counter.I sold most of the rubbish over time but recently started picking up some of the ones I missed and others I knew little about from japanese ebay sellers.
So watch out for a few more posts in the future plus my old mucker jazz-neko is threatening to get on the case with some of his collection-keep'em peeled !!!
Ripped @320 from the original vinyl-this made a cd issue with different cover art which is now deleted.

TERUMASA HINO - DOUBLE RAINBOW

Terumasa Hino for CBS Sony from 1981.
Thought I'd repost this monster as it's in keeping with my current Jap jazz theme.
320 rip this time from the original vinyl
Top piece of Japanese fusion with arrangements by Gil Evans and Masabumi Kikuchi from a stellar line up.Highly Recommended.

Merry Go Round was huge on the dance floor for Paul Murphy back in the day at the Electric Ballroom - a massive hunk of funk anchored by a titanic bass line with chattering guitars and a wall of percussion with soloists taking off in all directions - murdah !!!
Aboriginal is as good but this time 3 acoustic basses twist and turn under more percussion and keyboards with Steve Grossman and Hino blowing madly and then half way through Steve Turre kicks in with digeredoo and conch shells...Rolf Harris it aint!
Yellow Jacket is a more conventional slinky sliding bit of funk and the albums rounded out with a couple of moody atmospheric tunes-Miwa Yama and Cherry Hill Angel.
Eddie Gomez Bass (Acoustic) Harvey Mason, Sr. Drums Emily Mitchell Harp Kenny Kirkland Keyboards David Spinozza Guitar Barry Finnerty Guitar Terumasa Hino Cornet, Flugelhorn, Main Performer, Trumpet Masabumi Kikuchi Arranger, Keyboards, Piccolo Flute Mark Gray Keyboards Gil Evans Arranger Butch Campbell Guitar Anthony Jackson Bass Airto Moreira Percussion Steve Grossman Sax (Soprano) Lou Volpe Guitar Don Alias Percussion George Mraz Bass (Acoustic) James Mason Guitar
Manolo Badrena Percussion Herbie Hancock Keyboards Lenny White Drums, Handclapping
Sam Morrison Wind Synthesizer Billy Hart Drums Reggie Workman Bass (Acoustic) Steve Turre Bass (Acoustic)Conch Shells Didgeridoo

Arranged by Masabumi Kikuchi and Gil Evans
Produced by Kiyoshi Itoh; Assistant Producer: Hiro KajiwaraExecutive Producer:Toshinari KoinumaProject Coordinator: Hiro Kajiwara and Yukio Morisaki
Recorded by Jim McCurdy; Mixed by Jim McCurdy and Kiyoshi ItohRecorded and mixed at Sound Ideas Studio, NYC in Feburary and March 1981
"Merry-Go-Round", "Cherry Hill Angel", "Aboriginal" recorded at The Automatt, San Francisco on February 24, 1981 by Leslie Jones
Mastered by Mitsuharu Kobayashi SONY MUSIC Shinanomachi StudioAssistant Engineers: Todd Anderson, Bob De Caro and Barry Harris
This got a cd reissue in Japan years ago which is now deleted.

MASABUMI KIKUCHI - EAST WIND

Masabumi Kikuchi for EastWind from 1976.
Masabumi Kikuchi (p)Terumasa Hino (tp), Kousuke Mine (ts), Juni Booth (b), Eric Gravatt (ds).
More hard core jap business this is an acoustic session of wonderful deep spiritual jazz featuring two extended compositions for each side of the lp.A great heavy duty rhythm session of Juni Booth and Eric Gravatt gives you a good idea of what it's going to sound like.Must be one of Gravatt's last sessions before he jacked it all in and became a prison warder.He's been playing again over the past few years and I saw him give his kit a good battering in Gary Bartz's band about 2004.
Highly Recommended.
Ripped @320 from the original vinyl-reissued on cd about 1998 and now deleted.

SADAO WATANABE

Sadao Watanabe for CBS Sony Japan from 1972.
Sadao Watanabe(as-1, sn-2, fl-3, perc-4)
Hiroshi Fukumura(tb, perc) Masayuki Takayanagi(g)
Fumio Itabashi(p/elp, perc) Mitsuaki Furuno(b) Arihide Kurata(ds)
February 24, 1972 / Iino Hall, Tokyo
Two files- here & here.

Forget all that shite Watanabe recorded from the truly excrable "California Shower" onwards(bought it when it came out and it was crap then and it's even worse now)this is the real deal.During the 60s and 70s Watanabe was one of the spearheads of japanese jazz from bossa to fusion to straight ahead and this wonderful spiritual session is a great example of the fantastic music he produced back then.
All killer - no filler!Highly Recommended.
Just been reissued on cd in Japan only-this is ripped from the original vinyl @320.

LOUIE "SABU" MARTINEZ - SAFARI WITH SABU

Sabu for Vik from 1957.
Bongos and Tympani-Sabu;Congas-Ray Barretto;Congas-Ray Romero;Congas-Evelio Quintero;Timbales-Steve Berrios;Vibes,Trombone-Jack Hitchcock;Baritone Sax-Cecil Payne;Oboe,Tenor Sax-Gene Allen;Bass-Oscar Pettiford;Vocal Chorus-Uncredited.

Keepin' it hard core here's the mighty Sabu Martinez with a great piece of pounding jazz exotica from 50 years ago.I'm pretty sure this has never been posted in the public domain before so another first for Orgy In Rhythm - Highly Recommended.
Here's the sleeve notes:

This is a story in music, a story told against the ever-insistent and always persuasive rhythms of the drums, the ever-throbbing drums. It is the tale of a day in the life of a small, native village, tucked away in some remote and inaccessible region of the African continent or South America. Starting at sunrise and ending with the first light of the new day, through the wild excitement of a safari into the always dangerous and forbidding jungle.
As conceived and conducted by Louis Martinez, who as "Sabu" is considered one of the great bongo drummers of the modern era (a reputation he gets a chance to uphold and expand via his startling bongo and timpani work on this album), this musical tour de force for percussion instruments (four congo drums and timbales in addition to bongo and timpani are used) is much more than a mere percussion exercise. The skillful use of women's voices as a musical Greek chorus, and the introduction of modern instruments such as the saxaphone, trombone, oboe, vibes, and bass viol to carry melody, indicate the depth and planning that have gone into this unique and enlightening musical experience. There is a persuasive quality about the music recorded herein that creates an unusual rapport between the music and the listener. In the music performed here there is a sprinkling of three cultures: the African, as represented by the percussive instrumentation, the Latin American via the female voices, and contemporary American through the reeds and horns.
Each musical selection is complete in itself. Each one states a theme, expands it, then reaches a peak of fury and excitement, sometimes ending at the climax, and occasionally returning to the original exposition. But through all the music, underneath the melodic passages, the women's chants and cries, throb the ever-present, all-pervading sounds of the drums on this musical picture of a jungle safari with "Sabu."

Recorded at Webster Hall, June 13, 1957 and in RCA Victor Studio No. 3 on June 6, 1957.
Conducted and written by Louis Martinez.
Produced and directed by Bob Rolontz.

No reissues in any format-a good condition original will set you back a few bob!
Ripped @320 from the original vinyl.

CARLOS FRANZETTI - GRAFITTI

Carlos Franzetti for Guiness from 1977.
This one's been commanding a 3 figure price tag for years now on the back of it's rarity and the track "Cocoa Funk".Sonorama got hold of a copy and decided to reissue it with two bonus tracks from a Franzetti latin jazz project recorded shortly afterwards which went unreleased.These two cuts are fantastic("Rhumba Dreams" & the sublime "Guajira Without Words") and put the original lp in the shade for my money.
As Sonorama went to the trouble of reissuing this little gem I have just ripped the original lp format for this post without the extra tracks-if you wanna hear 'em buy the reissue.You won't regret it!
Highly Recommended.
Here's Dusty Groove on the case:
An amazing little record from keyboardist Carlos Franzetti -- a set that blends together jazz, Latin, and club influences from the 70s -- all together in one totally unique sort of sound! The album's got a vibe that's incredibly soulful -- filled with rhythms and changes that are quite different from the ordinary, but also pretty darn funky too -- in a way that's somewhere between the best 70s productions of Larry Mizell, and the two amazing records cut in the decade by Bobby Vince Paunetto! Franzetti plays Fender Rhodes, moog, and acoustic piano on the record -- and the backings are full, but always nice and lean -- mixing bits of strings with Latin percussion, electric bass, guitar, and loads of great horns. A few cuts have some great scatting vocals alongside the instrumentation -- and the sound here is unlike anything else you might have heard.