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Jazz Articles about Sabu Toyozumi
Misha Mengelberg / Sabu Toyozumi: The Analects Of Confucius
by Mark Corroto
Come for the music of Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg, and stay for Sabu Toyozumi. Or perhaps you are here for the Japanese drummer--the first non-American invited into the ranks of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM)--and are thrilled to hear him engage in a distinctly Japanese take on the New Dutch Swing. Either way, The Analects of Confucius, a newly unearthed gem from NoBusiness Records, offers a compelling document of creative improvisation at its finest.
Continue ReadingPeter Brötzmann / Toshinori Kondo / Sabu Toyozumi: Complete Link
by John Sharpe
Complete Link offers classic Peter Brötzmann, albeit of a modern vintage. The German reed iconoclast combines with two Japanese peers, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and drummer Sabu Toyozumi for almost 70 minutes of fiery live action. Recorded in Japan in 2016, this is their first recording as a trio, although as pioneers in their respective countries, their paths have intersected numerous times in the past. Notably so in the case of Kondo who has acted as a livewire foil to Brötzmann ...
Continue ReadingDerek Bailey Sabu Toyozumi: Breath Awareness
by John Sharpe
English guitarist Derek Bailey was a regular visitor to Japan, where he was particularly appreciated. Audiences were such that after his first tour in 1978, he reportedly brought home the money to buy a car. As a consequence, he encountered many of the major figures on the country's free improvisation scene, as releases such as Duo & Trio Improvisation (Kitty, 1978) and Aida's Call (STAR, 1979) confirm. However, he doesn't appear on disc with drummer Sabu Toyozumi until Live In ...
Continue ReadingPeter Brötzmann / Toshinori Kondo / Sabu Toyozumi: Complete Link
by Mark Corroto
As the liner notes to Complete Link by Yoshiaki Kinno state, “In the 1960s, each of them [saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and drummer Sabu Toyozumi] was inspired by free jazz, practiced it themselves and met each other in the process of overcoming free jazz." That is indeed a bold statement. Did he mean to say they gained mastery of it? Defeated it? Or is he suggesting the three evolved apart from free jazz? Most likely Kinno ...
Continue ReadingDerek Bailey, Sabu Toyozumi: Breath Awareness
by Mark Corroto
Guitarist Derek Bailey never compromised his approach to music, but was he influenced and his sound affected by set, setting, and playing partners? Those new to Bailey's working method may posit his approach was inflexible and unaccommodating, while long-time listeners can identify how a playing partner can affect the guitarist's sound. With the force of nature that is Derek Bailey, the greatest influences on his sound were certainly drummers and percussionists. Bailey performed with the likes of Cyro ...
Continue ReadingPeter Brötzmann / Sabu Toyozumi: Triangle - Live At OHM 1987
by John Sharpe
Free improvisers must be some of the world's most readily connected collaborators. They can strike up an instantaneous dialogue without the need for rehearsal or even a common language. Of course they might not always hit paydirt, but that uncertainty is part of the attraction. However, German reedman Peter Brötzmann, who was a regular visitor to Japan, successfully established potent relationships with many of the country's key figures, notably pianist Masahiko Satoh, multi-instrumentalist Keiji Haino and trumpeter Toshinori Kondo.
Continue ReadingPeter Brotzmann / Sabu Toyozumi: Triangle – Live at OHM, 1987
by Mark Corroto
Triangle--Live At OHM, 1987 is a recording of Peter Brotzmann in Japan. Here he is performing with master free jazz drummer Sabu Toyozumi. This is not the musicians first meeting. The pair have released a couple nearly impossible to find discs such as Live In Japan 1982 (Improvised Company, 1999) and Live In Okayama 1987 (Improvised Company, 2000) the latter CD with Derek Bailey. Thanks to NoBusiness Records from Lithuania we have this gem from December 1987 in ...
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