KOSUKE MINE FIRST (Remastered) Kohsuke Mine

• 1 Morning Tide 10:46
• 2 Love Talken 06:03
• 3 Straight No Chaser 07:42
• 4 Mcphee 09:29
• 5 Little Abbi 10:09
• 6 Bar' L' Len 05:53
• Total Runtime 50:02

Info for KOSUKE MINE FIRST (Remastered)

Japanese jazz is sadly one of best-kept secret. But, it would be a a huge lost to miss "Mine", sublime first album of Kosuke Mine Quintet, released in 1970 on the legendary Three blind mice label. The record, made of a 4 long pieces where Kosuke Mine's sax (alto and soprano) and Hideo Ichikawa's Fender Rhodes never stop to respond each other is a monument of dense and spiritual jazz.

BBE Music present the latest in the acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass Series: Kohsuke Mine ‘First’, the debut album by one of the leading artists in the new wave of modern jazz that swept Japan in the late 60s and early 70s. ‘First’ epitomises the shifting sound of the Japanese modern jazz scene of the time, characterised by rich textures and tones, kinetic rhythms, punctuated by urgent, angular melody lines.

Reissued for the first time since original 1970 release, Mine is joined by master keyboard player Masabumi Kikuchi on electric piano, and two American players – bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Lenny McBrowne – to deliver one of the strongest debuts in the J Jazz canon. ‘First’ announced the arrival of a serious talent, one who was to be a hugely influential figure in the Japanese jazz scene across the decade that followed and beyond. ‘First’ established an artist who built a reputation for standout albums spanning spiritual jazz, post-bop, modal and funk-fusion. All of that started here, on this exemplary album.

"First might be an illustration of uninhibited studio collaboration, but it would be wrong to minimize the input of the man whose name adorns the cover. Mine’s sax work is cast in the spirit of Coltrane’s post-Ascension freedom, soaring around the room in fluttering flight. The sleek, sly “McPhee” begins with Ridley’s fingers creeping up and down his double bass like a cat burglar on an uneven roof; Mine joins him in creating the rhythm, before cascading away without losing the song’s sense of collectedness. His performance on “Little Abbi” is a clinic in midnight-cool jazz sounds. The album ends with “Bar ‘L’ Len” and some eccentric orchestral stabs that make way for a huge drum solo. It’s like finishing the night with a shot of hard liquor before dashing out the door." (Dean Van Nguyen, pitchfork.com)

Kohsuke Mine, alto saxophone
Larry Ridley, bass
Lenny McBrowne, drums
Masabumi Kikuchi, electric piano, Fender Rhodes

Recorded at Victor Studio, June 17 & 18th. 1970
Engineered by Norio Yoshizawa
Produced by Masaharu Honjo

Digitally remastered

No biography found.

This album contains no booklet.