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Nori Naraoka
Eric Frazier: That Place
by Richard J Salvucci
Eric Frazier has been at it a long time, the better part of a quarter century. He started out as a public school teacher and administrator in New York City, and became a conga drummer out of his interest in African music. He has, as the saying goes, been around, played at venues like The Knitting Factory and worked with people like Pharoah Sanders and Jack McDuff. This is not his first CD by any means, and some reviews of ...
Continue ReadingKeisuke Kishi: Midpoint Cafe
by Dan McClenaghan
Did drummer Keisuke Kishi, on a continent-spanning road trip, “get his kicks on route 66?" Possibly, though he--as anyone making the journey for the first time would--certainly had his eyes opened to wide-open spaces, stark, flat landscapes and pale blue skies. Bobby Troup wrote an R&B song in 1946 called “(Get You Kicks On) Route 66." Nate King Cole covered it, as did the Rolling Stones. Troup's lyrics say: “Now it goes through St. Looey, Joplin, ...
Continue ReadingKeisuke Kishi: Elsewhere
by Dan McClenaghan
The album is titled Elsewhere. It is the work of Japanese drummer Keisuke Kishi, who is based in New York. But where is elsewhere? Is it the western shore of Oahu, an area of stark landscapes and poverty, in relative isolation from the bustling tourism of Waikiki? Or is it Bagamoyo, Tanzania? The album's cover art features a photo from Bagamoyo. Kishi has spent time in both of these locales. Or is elsewhere East Village, New York City, Kishi's home ...
Continue ReadingYuko Togami: Dawn
by Dan McClenaghan
Drummer Yuko Togami's Dawn arrives as a beautiful surprise. It is the debut of the Japanese-born and now New York-based artist. Debut sets don't carry great expectations--one hopes for competence and a hint of a flair for the art form, the occasional creative spark shooting up from an otherwise acceptable but perhaps mediocre effort. For a newcomer to the scene, this would be a success. Yet Dawn rises up over the horizon with a bright glow that takes things well ...
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Confirmation
From: 8.5By Nori Naraoka
Confirmation
From: 8.5By Nori Naraoka
Shade of Tree
From: ElsewhereBy Nori Naraoka
