Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bobby Watson: Live at "Someday" in Tokyo

Bobby Watson: Live at "Someday" in Tokyo

By Dave Nathan
February 1, 2001
View read count

Japanese musicians. It's nice to report that not only was this a good idea, but so was the outcome. This is an exciting session that will keep your toe tapping and heart thumping throughout the entire 70 minutes of music. All but one of the compositions are by Bobby Watson—"Ms. B.C." was written by Pamela Watson--- some of which he wrote during his tour with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Appreciating the dynamics of the group is vital to appreciating what they are doing. The mood swings in some of the tunes are breathtaking. Listen to "Long Way Home" where Watson's dissonant fast paced alto playing seques into a lovely ballad backed by the soulful sounds of the big band. One wonders why this song isn't in the repertoire of more of today's modern big bands. In Case You Missed It" is played with an intensive high voltage energy that recalls Count Basie's high-flying outfit of the early 1970's. There's some very good Carl Fontana like trombone solo by Masahiko Kitahara and an upper atmosphere trumpet coda to end the tune. The other soloists on this set are similarly outstanding like Kose Kikuchi's swinging flute on "Karita."

Not only is the ensemble and section playing and solo work by the members of the band a strong indication of just how far Japanese jazz musicians have advanced, but the fact that they can sustain the listener interest in a piece of music that runs for more than 15 minutes reveals just how versatile and imaginative their playing has become. Their prowess also allows them to smashingly respond to Bobby Watson's demanding arrangements and alto. This set is modern big band music at its best and is highly recommended!

Track Listing

Dual Conversation; Ms B.C.; Karita; Long Way Home; Unfold; In Case You Missed It

Personnel

Bobby Watson

saxophone, alto

Bobby Watson--Alto Sax/Leader; Shiro Sasaki, Mitsukuni Kohata, Keiji Matsushima, Yoshiro Okazaki--Trumpet; Hideaki Nakaji, Haruki Sato, Masahiko Kitahara--Trombone; Masaki Domoto--Bass Trombone/Tuba; Seiji Tada, Atsushi Ikeda--Alto Sax; Tatsuya Sato -Tenor Sax; Kose Kikuchi--Tenor Sax/Flute; Atsushi Tsuzurano--Baritone Sax; Masaaki Imaizumi--Piano; Koichi Osamu--Bass; Tappy Iwase, Yoshinobu Inagaki--Drums

Album information

Title: Live at "Someday" in Tokyo | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Red Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Dem Bones
< Previous

Dot Com Blues
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.