Suzuki, Isao -quartet +2-
Orang-utan
With this reissue of 'Orang-Utan' by legendary bassist and cello player Isao Suzuki, Le Tres Jazz Club offers a remarkable and highly sought-after free jazz album. Bassist Isao Suzuki's popularity shot up to stratosphere with the release of Blow Up from the Three Blind Mice label. By the time he recorded this, fourth album for the label, he was actually the winner of the Swing Journal Readers' Poll. And this rather strangely titled album doesn't disappoint. Suzuki had a knack for surrounding himself with superb musicians and playing brilliant, groovy music that is firmly rooted in the jazz tradition. This time, he picked as the all-important horn player Kenji Mori whose superb playing on alto sax, bass clarinet and flute strongly remind us of Eric Dolphy. The guitar genius Kazumi Watanabe turns in wonderfully nuanced performances in every setting. Also, not insignificantly, Mari Nakamoto -one of the best female jazz vocalists Japan has ever produced- appears as a guest and sings Shirley Horn's 'Where Are You Going?' with excellent results.