Label: ENJA
Recorded at: Studio Bauer, Ludwigsburg (1980).
Audio CD: (September 30, 2008)
Jazz
Born; 26 February 1942, Tokyo, Japan. Although he had played professionally at the age of 17, pianist Yamashita went on to study at the Kunitachi College of Music (1962-67). He established himself playing in the quartets of and . The earliest influence of soon gave way to the influence of . When Yamashita formed his own trio with Akira Sakata (alto saxophone) and Takeo Moriyama (drums) and toured Europe (1974) the music was so wild the group was known as the Kamikaze Trio. For inspiration Yamashita looked back to "the beginning of jazz - Europe had the system but Africa had all the feeling. All the material I use belongs to the system, but as long as I can stand on the outside and approach things from the outside, I will never be suffocated". He kept a trio going throughout the 70s and continued to play as a sideman with the bands of Kazumi Takeda (tenor saxophone) and Seuchi Nakamura (tenor saxophone). From 1974 he made regular trips to Europe with the trio in Germany as well as playing with (1975), then as a soloist and in 1977 in a duo with bass player Adellard Roidinger. He disbanded the trio in 1983 when he felt that he had achieved as much as he could in that format. Yamashita formed a big band with an eclectic style and performed in many varied situations including solo performances of his own versions of classical pieces, playing with , a Japanese drum choir, and having pieces performed by the Ozaka Philharmonic Orchestra. During the 90s he was again playing and touring with a trio, comprising and . Yamashita also composes for films including (UK title: ) (1995), (UK title: ) (1998) and (UK title: ) (2001). From 2004 he was visiting professor at Tokyo's Kunitachi College of Music.
From MUSE.
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Yamashita studied piano as a child and has played professionally since the age of 17. He attended Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo from 1962-1967 and played for a time with saxophonist Sadao Watanabe. Yamashita formed a bassless trio in 1969; his Bill Evans-influenced style expanded to include free jazz, a rather radical step given the conservatism of the Japanese jazz scene at the time. Beginning in the '70s, his trio toured widely and played many major European events, including the Berlin and Montreux jazz festivals. Yamashita's U.S. debut was at the 1979 Newport Jazz Festival; he also recorded with members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago around that time. In the '80s, Yamashita began playing frequent solo concerts. He also branched out stylistically, playing with Japanese and Korean percussionists and incorporating adaptations of classical works into his repertoire. Yamashita has worked with many internationally famous artists, including Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Bill Laswell, Mal Waldron, and Lester Bowie. In 1985, he made the first of what would come to be annual appearances at Sweet Basil night club in New York. He formed an "American" trio with bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Pheeroan akLaff; the group became his primary performing unit when in the States. In the '90s, Yamashita recorded several albums for Verve; in 1994, he played solo at the label's 50th anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall. Yamashita has recorded more than 40 albums. He's also an accomplished essayist, having written several books.
By Chris Kelsey. AMG.
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Yosuke Yamashita- Piano
Katsuo Kuninaka- Bass
Shota Koyama- Drums
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01. Soul Eyes (7:15)
02. One-Upmanship (12:17)
03. Mal Is Back in Town (16:32)
04. Minoat (3:52)
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