| HIGUCHI Keiko / Love Hotel Bishop Records, EXAC001 HIGUCHI Keiko (vo, pf) |
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ONNYK
/ in a trice... Bishop Records, EXJP016 ONNYK (ssax, makladapted alto sax, bsax, flux slute), KAWASAKI Jun (cb), NAKATANI Tatsuya (perc) |
 SOLD OUT |
SABU TOYOZUMI & EXIAS-J / Son's Scapegoat Bishop Records, EXJP015 SOLD OUT SABU TOYOZUMI (dr, perc), KONDO Hideaki (g), TANIKAWA Takuo (g, pc), MIYAZAKI Tetsuya (electronics), KANDA Shin-Ichiro (pf), KAWASAKI Jun (cb) with guest: IRUMAGAWA Masami (vcl), KARIMATA Michio (fl, ssax), ASAI Yuichi (trb) original released by SIWA Records |
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MOCHIZUKI
Harutaka / Solo Document 2004 Bishop Records, EXJP014 MOCHIZUKI Harutaka (alto saxophone) MOCHIZUKI Harutaka is a saxphonist who has experience under MUTO Ken-ichiro. He keep the heat on lives of the solo improvisation around Tokyo since 1999. Tracks are selected from his several best solo performances at the live house of "Goodman" in Japan 2004. His style is as sort of the brutal power of the breath which are rebuilt of segmentalized fragments by the dynamics, embouchure and the tempo control like ABE Kaoru or URABE Masahiko who has been building the originality of the Japanese sax improvisation in the world. He is exactly the incomer of them and his talent is already given proof by the invitatuon to "Le Weekend 2005" in Scotland 2005. |
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KANDA Shin-Ichiro's Ongaku- BIGAKU / Hifu
no Topology Bishop Records, EXJP013 KANDA Shin-Ichiro (piano, composition), KAWASAKI Jun (contrabass), NORIKANE Sakura (perc) The second album of pianist KANDA's Ongaku-BIGAKU. He has proceeded his concept that the improvisation controled by the composition. His sound involves several method any kind of music like classical, jazz, contemporary, sonic, etc. It is the borderless acoustica. In some ways, his atitude commons to Jhon Cage who pursued own music-language differs from scense of tradition. His play is intermissive and delicate sounds which is the sound-aspect of philosophical pointillism. |
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"SABU"
TOYOZUMI / SUBLIMATION Bishop Records, EXJP012 "SABU" TOYOZUMI (drums, perc), IIZUKA Satoshi (sax), KONDO Hideaki (gut guitar), KAWASAKI Jun (contrabass) The newest album of worldwide famous drummer TOYOZUMI Yoshisaburo well known as SABU. Although his drumming tastes Chicago-free, the sounds are european flavor with other characteristic coplayers of sax, gut-guitar and contrabass. There are much space with difference from classic free jazz, but their tension is dense and huge dynamic range. It is brillianat breathtaking play of each passing moment. This album is honored highest award on major-jazzmagazine "Swing Journal 04/Nov" in Japan. |
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TANIKAWA Takuo / Transfigured Night Bishop Records, EXJP011 TANIKAWA Takuo (gtr), KAWASAKI Jun (wb #1~3), KANDA Shin-Ichiro (pf #4), KOYAMA Shota (dr #3), Tim Barnes (perc), ENDO Kazumoto (think pad) The first leader album of TANIKAWA Takuo who is a guitarist of EXIAS-J. He studied classical guitar in Germany and its experience appears as the precision architecture and virtuosic technique on music. The sounds are technological and primitive by using a gut and an electric guitar with PC and also prepared. This album is multicolored by several costars like KOYAMA Shota of a world famous drummer of YAMASHITA Yosuke Trio, Tim Barnes of avant-garde percussionist in New York, ENDO Kazumoto of electronica and KAWASAKI Jun of a contrabass player who is the last disciple of YOSHIZAWA Motoharu and SAITO Tetsu. |
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KINNO
Yoshiaki / the unsaid Bishop Records, EXJP010 KINNO Yoshiaki (sax), IRUMAGAWA Masami (cello #2), KANDA Shin-Ichiro (pf #1&6), KAWASAKI Jun (wb #1 & 6), SHIMIZU Hiroshi (gtr #4), ICHIMURA Satoru (gtr #4), KONDO Hideaki (gtr #1), TANIKAWA Takuo (gtr #1), TANIKAWA Teruaki (sax #1), NISHIZAWA Naoto (dr #1) KINNO Yoshiaki is a famous saxophonist in Japan and well-knowned to play with many talented players like Jhon Zorn, Evan Parker, Fred Frith, Peter Brotsmann, HAINO Keiji and etc. His music career is enough long and fulfilling. This album is released after the time is ripe and his first leader album made with several improvisers included IRUMAGAWA Masami of M's NEXUS and members of EXIAS-J. His play is filled with intelligence in free jazz. |
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KAWASAKI Jun / Left
bank, Right bank Bishop Records, EXJP009 KAWASAKI Jun (contrabass), KUNIHIRO Kazuki (poetry reading #12), KANDA Shin-Ichiro (pf #1), KONDO Hideaki (e-gtr #13), NAKAMIZO Toshiya (oboe #4 & 7) The first leader's album of young genius basisit who is the mosttalented pupil of Tetsu Saito. He is also music director and composer of japanese traditional dancerNishikawa Senrei. His sound express lament, anxiety and furious with his unbelievabletechnic crossing over between composing and improvisation. Very sensitive and like seeking after truth. |
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KANDA
Shin-Ichiro, NORIKANE Sakura / Ongaku-BIGAKU Bishop Records, EXJP008 KANDA Shin-Ichiro (Piano), NORIKANE Sakura (Percussions) A duo album by KANDA Shin-Ichiro on piano and NORIKANE Sakura on original percussions. These two players, who make classical music a root, progress a peculiar aesthetic in improvised music. They stand at the point of middle between composing and improvising and come and go freely. It sounds like fragile aesthetics as if stepping on a thin ice of the time by a modern romantic phrasing and sensitive percussions. |
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Angels in twilight -A compilation dedicated to the cinema
of NISHI Shusei Bishop Records, EXJP007 Caprice (Russian project), EXIAS-J (Japanese project) etc. This is a music collection of a russian film "Angels in Twilight"drawing interstice of dream and reality by a japanese director "NISHI Shusei". To interesting, it is configured by original sound tracks in the film by Caprice which is a russian groupe and also tracks composed after watching film by EXIAS-J which is a japanese groupe of improvisers. It flows russian traditional taste and japanese feeling there with centering on the film. |
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EXIAS-J／Phenotypes
in a polygon Bishop Records, EXJP006 KONDO Hideaki (Gtr), NAKAMIZO Tosiya (Pf), NISHIZAWA Naoto (Dr,Perc), TANIKAWA Teruaki (Sax), IKEGAMI Hideo (Bass, Berimbau) They are improvisers primitively and easy for them to make so-called "free music". But in this album, they dare to force it on oneself to play under several rules or restriction to keep the tension and enhance new performance skill. It makes success to avoid the cliche of free music as a result. The performance with a superior micro distance sense and careful control is filled with cold geometrical beauty. |
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EXIAS-J / SPATIAL...IN
DEPTH Bishop Records, EXJP005 TANIKAWA Teruaki (Asax,Sopranino),NISHIZAWA Naoto (Dr,Perc) Not intervals or phrasing. The focus of the performance is narrowed to one point of which the breath struggles as vibration/resonance of musical instruments here. It forms lines by these many dangerous balances over this point, and draws the compressed scenery by changes of the breath. It seems that he resonants his soul with the vibration of sax and works to untie his soul into the space together with sounds. |
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EXIAS-J
/ VENOM Bishop Records, EXJP004 KONDO Hideaki (Guitar), NISHIZAWA Naoto (Dr,Perc) New Jap improv duo of two complete unknowns - Naoto Nishizawa (percussion) and Hideaki Kondo (electric guitar) - both completely unaffiliated to PSF, Alchemy, Org, or Creativeman Disc, and neither of whom have ever played with Keiji Haino, Asahito Nanjo, Kawabata Makoto, Taku Sugimoto or Otomo fucking Yoshihide. Which seems to serve to mean that they've directed their gaze away from home for inspiration. Although the booklet wears a weighty endorsement from Eddie Prevost praising their lack of idiommaticity, to my rather humble ears this is a very western-sounding Japanese improv record. 'Bishop' sits needling tracers of feedback guitar lines atop free jazz drumming in Ascension-esque fashion for 20-odd screechingly intense minutes, and the remaining two tracks see Kondo employing a slowed down/more melodic/less harsh remedial Baileyist style for 'Schrodinger's Cat''s busy bantering, and a quieter, more spacious 'Constancy Phenomenon'. The playing is, it must be said, technically excellent and very impressive (percussion especially) if a little derivative. Nonetheless, both participants display more than enough ability and promise to imply that they could likely come up with something a lot more ear-pricking that this before too long... -Nick Cain (opprobrium) |
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EXIAS-J / Critical Blank Bishop Records, EXJP002 TANIKAWA Teruaki (Asax,Sopranino),IKEGAMI Hideo (WB), KONDO Hideaki (Guitar), NISHIZAWA Naoto (Dr) ...and though, strictly speaking, this isn't it, it's excellent nonetheless. Enlarged to a quartet with the addition of Teruaki Tanikawa (alto, sopranino) and Hideo Ikegami (double bass), the group thoughtfully work their way through six "sets" - one sax/drums duo, one bass/drums duo, four quartets - of unhurried and contemplative improvisations, all taken from one October '99 day's recordings. The pace and level of activity is negotiated delicately but rationally, making for a languid, spacious and un-dissonant dynamic, with all members at various points sitting out for up to minutes at a time. The sets are not presented in the order they were recorded, but melt seamlessly into one another regardless. In a group as carefully poised as this one the sax is the inevitable point of focus, and it's perhaps overly dominant - Tanikawa is from time to time guilty of playing over the top of his collaborators, and indulging in inappropriate levels of volume and activity. When he checks himself, however, stretching and modulating his notes, eking out of them maximum melodic potential, and allowing them to soak the air, the quartet fall in around him to produce clean, understated and astutely judged improvisations which sound very fresh indeed. -Nick Cain (opprobrium) |
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ANTINOMY
4.7.1 / Obsessive Indication Bishop Records, EXJP001 KONDO Hideaki (Guitar), NISHIZAWA Naoto (Dr,Perc), **** (Syn) UNPUBLISHED |
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