Masaomi Kondo - 1971 - Shokubutsushi Hitoribocchi no Heya

Masaomi Kondo

1971

Shokubutsushi Hitoribocchi no Heya

01. Ivy

02. Olive

03. Cabbage

04. Cactus

05. Mandragora

06. Baobab

Drums: Akira Ishikawa

Bass: Masaoki Terakawa

Guitar: Kiyoshi Sugimoto

Keyboards: Masahiko Satoh

Saxophone: Takeru Muraoka

Trombone: Hiroshi Suzuki

Killer Japanese funky psychedelic masterpiece that sounds like Innocent Canon. Kondo Masaomi is a well know Japanese actor who made this one-off LP in 1971. He raps away on 6 tracks about various plant species such as the Mandragora, breathing out an endangered atmosphere that borders at times on sheer anarchy and agitation. He ain’t no singer, by far but recites his texts in an distraught, frenzied, well-controlled and even calm fashion, gliding on the funky psychedelic groovy airwaves that his backing band – the Freedom Unity – churns out in an addictive fashion. The Freedom Unity on this occasion consisted out some of the finest musicians to be on the scene and included heavyweight players such as Sato Masahiko (piano); Ishikawa Akira (drums – Uganda etc); Sugimoto Kiyoshi (guitar – Count Buffaloos, Hino Hideshi Group, Rock Communication, etc), Terakawa Masaoki (bass – Love Live Life + 1, Ishikawa Akira & Count Buffaloos, Dema), Muraoka Takeru (Sax - Uganda, Count Buffaloos, Love Live Life +1, Dema) and Suzuki Hiroshi (Trumpet – various line-ups of Freedom Unity). The music they bring forth ranges from jazz, free jazz, psychedelic groovy acidic jams, jazz rock and fuses neatly with Kondo Masaomi’s raps, making it a perfect unison that resembles at times the musical greatness of Innocent Canon. It is funky, jazzy, psychedelic, groovy and intoxicatingly hip shaking all at the same time. A true amalgamation and genre-crossing disc, hybrid like for some reason only Japanese records seem to pull off without losing face. This sole recording by Kondo is largely unknown outside Japan, but it is regarded and revered as a great cult item and upon spinning this disc it is easy to understand why. It just has all the right ingredients: funky bass lines, killer guitar exploits, butt-shaking jazzy vibes, rare groove spiritual like rhythms, shrinking sax insertions, fuzzy wah-wah action, crazy raps etc, all executed by top level musicians. Magical slide out of 1971, shedding another light on Japans acidic free psychedelic moves and shakes. Largely undetected but bound to be a huge crowd pleaser once this discs intoxicating fumes reach foreign shores. Highest recommendation

Masami Kawahara & The Exotic Sounds - 1970 - Ecstasy

Masami Kawahara & The Exotic Sounds

1970

Ecstasy

01. Temptation

02. Black Orpheus

03. Taboo

04. Jungle Drums

05. Swahili

06. Man & Woman

07. A Coral Reef Of The Noon

08. Nightingale

09. The Voodoo

10. Flamingo

11. Emiliano Zapato

12. Poinciana

Bass - Masaoki Terakawa

Drums - Akira Ishikawa

Flute, Saxophone - Kosuke Ichihara

Leader - Masami Kawahara

Saxophone - Jake H. Concepcion

Trumpet - Koji Hatori

Vibraphone - Mitsuo Yamashita

I think the word "exotica" got mistranslated as "erotica" in Japan. That's the only explanation for this record which sounds like a woman getting whipped and spanked with a Les Baxter LP playing in the background.

The Tiliqua label is back, and not soon enough for these ears let me tell you. Since last year's explosion of 1960's classic Japanese porn-star albums I've been so sexually frustrated I've had to spend most pre-work mornings phoning into television helplines to vent my pent-up anger and desire for Japanese starlets with guns, so it comes as something of a relief to see Tiliqua return to this much sought-after blue series. This particular disc comes to us from the very capable stable of Masami Kawahara, not a name which might ring any bells instantly with you - but you might like to know that this was the same insane brain who was behind the very awesome and highly acclaimed Ike Reiko album (still to our mind the best in the Tiliqua catalogue, and now long sold out). So you should know what to expect if you managed to bag that little gem of a release, this is prime quality Japanese porn-jazz, with some Latin-flecked funk edits featuring a very saucy young lady moaning over the top. In the liner notes M.Kawahara reminisces that he doesn't remember who the girl was, but says when she had to moan she was touched or petted on cue - now that sounds like hard work eh? The funniest thing is that some of these tracks are actually totally insane, take the fourth track (it has a name in Kenji so please don't ask me to write it out) for example, all tribal drums and fractured synthesizers as our protagonist comes to a rather violent orgasm (amidst some whooping and chanting from what sounds like a cannibal filled jungle). This is utterly crackers stuff and for crate diggers, people searching for something totally unusual or those of you looking to get past the readers wives section of Razzle, this should be just the ticket. It's like Martin Denny's incredible "Exotica" series, except with some carnal activity going on in the background - how genius. Well I love it, and since we only have limited copies in stock you'd better act quickly if you want to bag one. Oh, and did we mention the gorgeous vinyl-reproduction Japanese packaging? Essential Purchase!

The present record is a standout work amid the myriad records of the x-rated / lounge genre of the 1960s and 1970s that catered to adult audiences in both the east and the west. Masami Kawahara, who was a mainstay in both the jazz and pop scenes in Japan, brought together musicians including Akira Ishikawa, Masaoki Terakawa, and Jake H. Concepcion for this recording. As would be expected of such a stellar and diverse lineup of performers, the tracks boast a unique and eclectic mix of musical elements spanning Latin, soul jazz, Afrobeat, and psychedelic styles. The erotic moods conjured up through various sound effects and female moans / scat vocals are sure to evoke pleasure, as well as some bashfulness, in listeners. This record, which had often been categorized under the mondo / bizarre slot and was only found in the collections of a handful of cult fans, was rediscovered by Japanese DJs during the 1990s and subsequently attracted the attention of collectors around the world. A bizzare and idiosyncratic work that could only have been created during the 20th century (and the 1970s at that), it has now been reissued on vinyl for the first time ever!

Kiyoshi Sugimoto - 1975 - Our Time

Kiyoshi Sugimoto 

1975

Our Time

01. Our Time 6:38
02. Jones Street 13:15
03. Take My Blues!! 7:04
04. Quiet Pulse 6:00
05. Marmalade Sky 5:16

Bass – Akira Okazawa (tracks: 1, 2), Isao Eto (tracks: 4,5), Masaoki Terakawa (tracks: 3)
Drums – Akira Ishikawa (tracks: 3-5), Motohiko Hino (tracks: 2), Shuichi Murakami (tracks: 1, 2)
Electric Piano – Hideo Ichikawa (tracks: 1,2)
Electric Piano, Keyboards – Hiromasa Suzuki (tracks: 3-5)
Guitar – Kiyoshi Sugimoto
Percussion – Fujio Saito, Larry Sunaga
Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica – Tsunehide Matsuki (tracks: 3)
Saxophone – Takao Uematsu
Trombone – Eiji Arai Group (tracks: 5)

Recorded at Nippon Columbia No.1 Studio, Tokyo on December 28, 1974, January 10 and 28, 1975.