New Jazz In Japan

Description

Nobuo "Hara," whose real name is Nobuo Tsukahara, is a Japanese saxophonist who gained recognition as early as 1951 with his big band the Sharps & Flats. Together, they recorded over a hundred albums throughout their career. Hozan Yamamoto, on the other hand, is a Shakuhachi player, a traditional Japanese flute, who enjoys such recognition in his country that he was designated a Living National Treasure in 2002. The first record bringing together the two artists is a live recording from 1967 at the Newport festival. It was a year later, in 1968, that New Jazz in Japan, their first studio recording, was released. Accompanied by the power of the Sharps And Flats, Nobuo Hara's tenor saxophone and Hozan Yamamoto's shakuhachi respond subtly to each other, giving this album, which had not been reissued since 1971, a truly unique style.