Casiopea
When Char Siu Bao introduced me to this fantastic Japanese Jazz band a few years ago, I was instantly hooked by their music and their amazing musical talents. They are so amazing 'tight' in their harmonies and parts that listening to them is akin to hearing a very well orchestrated symphony! And we are talking about a 4 members band here!
You can read about the band CASIOPEA (official website link) here on Wikipedia - Click here to read
Although they have not been very active on the music scene nowadays but their music is evergreen with their versatility. And it's really a refresher for me everytime I pop their CDs to listen as there's just so much to learn from their techniques.
When we was in Japan, it was with great joy that I managed to get my hands on their CD : GiG 25 (2 Disc 'LIVE' edition).
Taipei's major music stores have ceased distribution of their CDs therefore this chance to get their CDs while in Japan was like finding treasure!
For electro Jazz band aficionados, here's why I love this band:
The members were Issei Noro (Lead Guitarist), Minoru Mukaiya (Keyboardist), Yoshihiro Naruse (the amazing Bassist) & my fav. drummer of all time, Akira Jimbo.
Watching Akira Jimbo play is like watching a magician performing a complex trick right before your eyes. A huge waste that I didn't attend his drum clinic when he was here in 2005 but I managed to catch Will Kennedy's as well as Kenny Hogan's. To watch them play 'Live' is really a humbling experience as they are so cool with their effortless rifts and patterns. And to learn some of their drumming tricks is indeed eye-opening. I managed to chat with Will Kennedy the other time and was really amazed that he was really young and yet already on the international scene.
Here's one of Akira Jimbo's drum solo (1986) -
Here's another spectacular video of a Bass Solo Battle between Yoshihiro (Mr Mustachio) and Tetsuo .. man, the things they can do with just the Bass!
I always feel that the bassist and the drummer are like the left and right hands of a band :)
You can read about the band CASIOPEA (official website link) here on Wikipedia - Click here to read
Although they have not been very active on the music scene nowadays but their music is evergreen with their versatility. And it's really a refresher for me everytime I pop their CDs to listen as there's just so much to learn from their techniques.
When we was in Japan, it was with great joy that I managed to get my hands on their CD : GiG 25 (2 Disc 'LIVE' edition).
Taipei's major music stores have ceased distribution of their CDs therefore this chance to get their CDs while in Japan was like finding treasure!
For electro Jazz band aficionados, here's why I love this band:
yes, they look very 80s but hey, it's the music that counts. Ohh did you notice, NO MUSIC SCORE!
The members were Issei Noro (Lead Guitarist), Minoru Mukaiya (Keyboardist), Yoshihiro Naruse (the amazing Bassist) & my fav. drummer of all time, Akira Jimbo.
Watching Akira Jimbo play is like watching a magician performing a complex trick right before your eyes. A huge waste that I didn't attend his drum clinic when he was here in 2005 but I managed to catch Will Kennedy's as well as Kenny Hogan's. To watch them play 'Live' is really a humbling experience as they are so cool with their effortless rifts and patterns. And to learn some of their drumming tricks is indeed eye-opening. I managed to chat with Will Kennedy the other time and was really amazed that he was really young and yet already on the international scene.
Here's one of Akira Jimbo's drum solo (1986) -
speechless...drum solos are not always about speed and the number of concurrent things you can play on the drum set but the ability to control what you play and form a singular musical composition with precision on the instrument.
Here's another spectacular video of a Bass Solo Battle between Yoshihiro (Mr Mustachio) and Tetsuo .. man, the things they can do with just the Bass!
I always feel that the bassist and the drummer are like the left and right hands of a band :)
Labels: Inspirations, Music, Thoughts
