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Blog - ŌTOMO Yoshihide New Jazz Ensemble feat. Kahimi Karie

Music Ōtomo Yoshihide New Jazz Ensemble feat. Kahimi Karie

Yesterday I went to see a radio recording of NHK-FM's show Live Beat, presented by Koga Yutaka (K.O.G.A Records) and Suzuki Keiichi (Moonriders).
Admission to the recording is free but requires sending a two-way postcard before the application deadline, and also applauding loudly between the songs and remaining quiet the rest of the time. Last night the place was rather packed with about 400 people.

This time the headline was Ōtomo Yoshihide New Jazz Ensemble (below ONJE) featuring Kahimi Karie. ONJE is Ōtomo Yoshihide's latest free jazz project that has grown from his ONJ Quintet. They play original songs in a way that leaves a lot of place to improvisation.
The current members of ONJE are Otomo Yoshihide (guitar), Tsugami Kenta (alto sax), Alfred Harth (saxes and trumpet, he is a German guy based in South Korea), Sachiko M (sine waves), Takara Kumiko (vibraphone), Mizutani Hiroaki (acoustic bass) and Yoshigaki Yasuhiro (drums and trumpet).

The show featured Kahimi Karie as a guest vocalist on three songs for which she wrote the French lyrics. Given the nature of the pieces, her performance was closer to poetry reading than singing. Her French seems to always be getting better.
Otomo Yoshihide sat discreetly on stage left playing his guitar and occasionally giving cues to the ensemble members.

They announced that an album will be released at the end of April, I think as Ōtomo Yoshihide New Jazz Orchestra (he admitted being himself confused with all the name changes), again featuring guest vocalist Kahimi Karie and also Hamada Mariko.

Other artists who appeared last night were Origami ("降神", rap duo) with KOR-1 (turntables), of which I mostly enjoyed KOR-1's great scratch intro, while the singing wasn't quite my thing, and then Yukawa Shione who sang beautifully while accompanied by harp and harpsichord (and sometimes piano), two instruments that always amazed me.

The shows will air on NHK-FM according to this schedule:
March 16: Origami / Yukawa Shione
April 6: Ōtomo Yoshihide New Jazz Ensemble feat. Kahimi Karie

I may well be returning to Live Beat when other artists that interest me will show up.

Posted on March 4, 2005 at 15:08 | Tweet |

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i enjoyed the show too.
ah, now after looking at your photos, i realise i was sitting right behind you at the show! i thought you looked familiar.
i was the foreigner in the hat.

Posted by craig on March 5, 2005 at 01:06

No way! I wish I'd have spoken up.
Let's plan to go see some show together someday. :)

Posted by Patrick on March 5, 2005 at 01:28


FYI: The Ōtomo Yoshihide New Jazz Ensemble have a prior U.S. release on John Zorn's label.

That time around the guest vocalists were Phew and Jun Togawa

http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=7238

Posted by ndkent on March 5, 2005 at 09:35

Yeah I had noticed that in the discography at japanimprov.com.

A guy who I met at the show recommended me their live album, I think ONJQ "Live".
http://www.japanimprov.com/indies/diw/onjqlive.html

Posted by Patrick on March 5, 2005 at 10:42

thanks

in comparison that's the Quintet of course- no female vocalist on the DIW release and both close with the same Jim O'Rourke track

the Quintet (rather than ensemble) release on Zorn's label have electronics
http://www.japanimprov.com/yotomo/newjazzquintet/disco/flutter.html

Posted by ndkent on March 5, 2005 at 15:07

hello! I caught the ensemble in ljubljana last night. they opened with "song for che" adn ended with "orange was the colour of her dress, then blue silk" or something similar. I liked Alfred Harth's phrasing a lot, his playing reminds me of another Zagreb-based tenor player. If you are curious, you may ask me for the band's URL privately. my review will be on-line as soon as I receive the concert's hitlist.

Posted by vid jeraj on March 23, 2005 at 22:26

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