Masabumi Kikuchi

Masabumi “Poo” Kikuchi was a Japan jazz pianist of legendary stature using a huge discography that ran the gamut from straight-up post-bop and vanguard classical to fusion recordings, single synthesizer schedules, as well as digital dub. He toured and documented with performers as different as Sonny Rollins, Lionel Hampton, Terumasa Hino, Sadao Watanabe, and drummer Paul Motian, amongst others. Kikuchi was created in Tokyo in Oct of 1939. He examined music on the Tokyo Artwork University SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL and, upon graduating, instantly formed his very own trio. Immediately after, he gained an area in Hampton’s Japanese touring music group. He produced his documenting debut being a jazz pianist in 1963 on Toshiko Akiyoshi and Charlie Mariano’s East & Western world. Kikuchi performed piano on composer Toru Takemitsu’s rating for the film by Masahiro Shinoda. In 1966 he made an appearance with Watanabe over the saxophonist’s Jazz & Bossa documenting, along with iconic drummer Masahiko Togashi. The entire year 1967 became a prolific one in Kikuchi’s profession: not merely did he show up on a minimum of five albums documented with Watanabe and Mariano, but he also made an appearance with Japan’s Golf swing All Celebrities. In 1968, along with program function, he and trumpeter Hino shaped the Hino-Kikuchi Quintet and documented their self-titled debut; the recording received nationwide acclaim. For this period, the pianist also came into a competition for overseas music artists sponsored by Down Defeat magazine. He earned a full scholarship or grant towards the Berklee University of Music in america. Before departing for Berklee, Kikuchi performed piano for Rollins during his Japanese tour. The pianist came back to Japan in 1969. In 1970, he was portion of Peacock’s group within the seminal Eastward recording. Kikuchi shaped his personal sextet immediately after, and documented Matrix in 1970; it had been the first documenting under his personal name to find out international distribution and it is one of is own classics. Poo-Sun, that was influenced from the sounds via Miles Davis’ band of the same period, was released the same yr. All informed, Kikuchi’s sextet documented a complete of seven albums in 1970, two in cooperation with Watanabe’s music group. He also made an appearance on Hozan Yamamoto’s Metallic Globe with Peacock. Between 1970 and 1979, Kikuchi was a well recorded as a like a sideman and presented visitor, and led a number of important times. He documented and toured with Mal Waldron, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones,Gil Evans, and Peacock, and lower two duet albums with Togashi, the really enigmatic Japanese vanguard jazz recordings Poesy: THE PERSON Who Keeps Cleaning His Hands (1971) and Music for Myself (1974). His personal non-sextet times through the ’70s included the enigmatic A BRIEF Story for Picture Hairpin Circus (1972), East Blowing wind (1974), Desires/Kochi (from 1976, offering people of Davis’ group including Reggie Lucas, Steve Grossman, Mtume, Dave Liebman, and Al Foster), as well as the single But Not for me personally (1978). Kikuchi got become close friends with Davis previous in the 10 years. He was among the music artists whom the trumpeter held touching during his pension, and both documented an recording collectively in 1978 which has under no circumstances been released. The ’80s had been an interval of experimentation, musical finding, and fresh directions for Kikuchi. In 1980, he was the pianist over the Gil Evans Orchestra’s Pay attention to the Silence: Live at the general public Theater. He implemented this with two electrical recordings that are believed essential elements of his catalog, Susto (1980) and One-Way Traveller (1981). He also made an appearance on Hino’s Daydream (1980) as well as the global strike Increase Rainbow (1981). Kikuchi documented eight themed single synthesizer information between 1984 and 1986. He also slice the single acoustic piano time Attached in 1989. In 1990, Kikuchi released the Costs Laswell-produced Dreamachine. The various other players included Bernie Worrell, Nicky Skopelitis, Bootsy Collins, and Aiyb Dieng. This is also the entire year that his cooperation with Motian and Peacock started in the group Tethered Moon. Their debut providing was appropriately entitled First Get together. In 1991 Kikuchi documented another duet with Togashi, entitled Concerto, and a self-titled providing with Tethered Moon. In every, Tethered Moon would concern five albums through the ’90s, included in this tributes towards the music of Jimi Hendrix, Edith Piaf, and Kurt Weill. Kikuchi also trim Miles Setting/P.M.P. with Motian and Marc Johnson (1993), two trio albums with Togashi and Peacock, and Triple Helix with Hino, Togashi, and Wayne Genus (1993). The pianist also released two single piano specifications offerings, After Hours (1994) and Like Music (1995). Also in 1995, the Hino-Kikuchi Quintet would reunite for just two albums, Acoustic Boogie and Second. In 1996 he documented another single standards day, Possessed. Despite his wildly occupied composing, documenting, and touring schedules, Kikuchi was still checking out fresh forms. He cut another electrical full-length entitled Uncooked Materials #1 in 1996, conceived by maker Mitsumasa Yabuki with people of Laswell’s steady aswell as Brooklyn program players. Three remix EPs adopted. Kikuchi welcomed the arrival of the 21st hundred years having a piano duet recording with Takeshi Shibuya entitled Tandem in 2000, adopted instantly by Melancholy Lady, a single piano recording that presented him playing reside in a French-style Japanese cafe! He also slice three critically acclaimed albums along with his Slash Trio in 2001 and 2002 before reuniting with Tethered Moon for Going through Tosca in 2004 and touring the world. He was area of the Paul Motian Trio 2000 + Two recordings Live in the Town Vanguard, Vols. 1 & 2, along with Chris Potter, Greg Osby, and Mat Maneri in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In ’09 2009, Kikuchi created a fresh trio with Motian and bassist Thomas Morgan. They documented the record Sunrise, made by Manfred Eicher; it had been released in the springtime of 2012. Kikuchi passed away on July 6, 2015 after a protracted illness. IN-MAY the following season, ECM released Dark Orpheus in tribute. This single concert was documented on the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Recital Hall in 2012 within the Audio Live Tokyo celebration.