Mitsuaki Katayama - 1979 - First Flight

Mitsuaki Katayama

1979 

First Flight

01. Unknown Point 6:34

02. Arizona High Way 5:50

03. It’s Over 5:40

04. Louis 6:55

05. First Flight 10:11

Bass – Kishio Kitahara

Drums – Mitsuaki Katayama

Piano – Kichiro Sugino

Recording at the Kesennuma Kaikan June 24, 1979

Exactly the kind of record that's got us digging Japanese trio sessions from the 70s so much -- a set that's filled with lots of warm, soulful sounds, creatively compelling changes, and fresh rhythms that really keep the tunes interesting! There's a slight undercurrent of funk on most numbers, but never too much -- as the set still preserves all the best lyrical lines of pianist Kichiro Sugino, who steps beautifully around the bass of Kishio Kitahara and drums of Mitsaki Katayama -- a perfectly-hinged trio who soar plenty on the record -- more than enough to earn the "flight" in the title! This one's really a cut above -- filled with wonderful energy, and never a dull moment throughout -- a real gem that's waiting to be re-discovered by the 21st Century generation

This album opens and closes spectacularly. Something about that opening drum solo sets a certain expectation for the rest of the album and then once the double bass and piano drop in you realise how different the atmosphere will be. The closing track somehow lives up to the expectation of that opening drum solo, being a fairly rapturous track. Going on from that, this album being 3 musicians is impressive, it's a beautifully full sounding album, deceptively full in fact. It's fair to say that these performances are indeed stellar and do exactly what they need to do.

Don't expect anything too radical. Maybe aside from the aforementioned tracks, the album isn't crazy. It sets a certain vibe and sticks to it largely. Saying that, due to incredible performances, it pulls off this fairly relaxed feeling incredibly. It's an unfortunate comparison to make when it comes to jazz but this would very much fit in a cafe, but I mean that in the best possible way, it's just a very pleasant listening experience.

If that's good enough, then this album is great.