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Nobuki Takamen: Live at the Iridium
By Track review of "14-1"Takamen's medium-toned lines, via his semi-hollow body guitar, parallel what is often heard in standard jazz guitar quartets. His penchant for bop is highlighted on "14-1," which is accented by peppery swing vamps, and toggled by an alternating Latin-jazz groove. The quartet injects a touch of funk-rock into the schema, but it's the leader's articulate phrasings and attention-grabbing improvisations that tell the story here.
Pianist Hitoshi Kanda comps and contrasts Takamen, punctuated by the rhythm section's frothy flows. Otherwise, the guitarist's complex chord clusters, spirited intonations, tricky maneuvers and melodic overtones offer a comprehensive picture of his fluency as a consummate jazz musician. Moving forward, Kanda stretches out and reels-in the primary theme towards the finale. With his third solo release, Takamen takes a mountainous leap onto the jazz radar.
Personnel
Nobuki Takamen
guitarNobuki Takamen: guitar, pen; Hitoshi Kanda: piano; John Lenis: bass; Yutaka Uchida: drums.
Album information
Title: Live at the Iridium | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Summit Records
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