Tokyo Jukebox 3

Description

The presence of Marty Friedman in the world of music, guitar, and Japanese pop culture is mystifying and simply inspiring. Friedman first attracted attention with the band Cacophony, which he founded with legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He was then recruited by Megadeth in 1990, appearing throughout the following decade on some of the most influential metal albums of all time. Since 2003, Friedman has lived in Tokyo where he has become a household name, even beyond the world of music.
Since 1988, Friedman has regularly released well-received solo records. His new album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3," is the latest in this distinguished and ongoing line. As the title suggests, it is the third in this series of albums featuring covers of Japanese songs and follows 'Tokyo Jukebox' in 2009 and 'Tokyo Jukebox 2' in 2011.
The album was recorded at Power House Studios in Tokyo, with Friedman, also the producer of the project, joined by bassist Kiyoshi and drummer Anup Sastry. Started in January 2020, it was supposed to be completed in March with a release last May. But then the pandemic hit and everything was pushed back. As a result, he had no firm deadline to finish the album, and could take his time reworking the music and improving everything as he went along. In the end, it took several months to complete the album, but it was time well spent. Friedman, who held a full live streaming concert on New Year's Day to celebrate the "Jukebox" series, will play several shows in Japan to promote the new album in early 2021, and hopes he will also have the opportunity to take the show further.