Sunao Wada - 1974 - Now's The Time

Isao Suzuki & Sunao Wada With The Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, George Otsuka Quintet +2

1974

Now's The Time

01. Polka Dots And Moonbeams 9:22
02. Midnight Sugar 16:00
03. Now's The Time 26:28

Alto Saxophone – Kenji Mori (tracks: B), Yoshio Otomo (tracks: B)
Bass – Isoo Fukui (tracks: A1, A2), Mitsuaki Furuno (tracks: B)
Cello – Isao Suzuki (tracks: A1, A2)
Drums – George Otsuka (tracks: B), Tetsujiro Obara (tracks: A1, A2)
Guitar – Sunao Wada (tracks: A2)
Piano – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (tracks: A1, A2)
Piano [Fender Piano] – Toshiyuki Daitoku (tracks: B)
Tenor Saxophone – Mabumi Yamaguchi (tracks: B), Takao Uematsu (tracks: B)

Recorded March 26, 1974 at Toshi Center Hall, Tokyo
Three Blind Mice Records, Inc.

A pair of live performances – both of them great, and both done in the very open, creative style of the Three Blind Mice label at the time! Side one features core work by the trio of pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, but with key guest work from Isao Suzuki on cello and Sunao Wada on guitar – both players who really open up the groove a lot! Suzuki solos in this great way on a long version of "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and also makes an appearance on "Midnight Sugar" – which also has a long, soulful solo from Wada on guitar. Side two features a long take on "Now's The Time" – done in a freewheeling jam session mode – with Yoshio Otomo and Kenji Mori on alto sax, Takao Uematsu and Mabumi Yamaguchi on tenors, and Toshiyuki Daitoku on Fender Rhodes – all in a group led by drummer George Otsuka.

Now's The Time captured two groups who performed at the Three Blind Mice's own jazz festival called "5 Days in Jazz 1974." The first group was the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio with guest soloists Isao Suzuki on cello and Sunao Wada on guitar. They performed two songs on Side A of the original vinyl LP.

The entire Side B of the LP was occupied by a 26-minutes-plus title track, a jam session by the George Otsuka Quintet augmented by two guest musicians--Yoshio Otomo and Kenji Mori, both on alto sax. This is an exciting live album by the top Japanese musicians who were the stars of the TBM label at the time, with lots of inspired, spontaneous playing.

By the way, if anyone out there has a copy of Sanao Wada's second album (Blues World) I would very much welcome a digital copy to be able to post it here!