js Sadao Watanabe is one of the top alto saxophonists in the jazz world for the last six decades. He, along with Phil Woods, Eric Dolphy and Cannonball Adderly, is one of the top successors to the legacy of Charlie Parker. Sadao has put out many great records over the years and has worked with some of the best musicians that the US and Japan have to offer, but he is also known for putting on some commercial fare, more than likely to help pay the bills, which leads us to 1986’s “Good Time for Love”. The mid-80s were not a great time for jazz, commercial interests had taken over and saccharine smooth jazz was dominating the jazz charts. There is a lengthy list of musicians involved on this album and you may recognize many names from the US, Japan and Jamaica. About half the album is okay smooth jazz, with the other half just being way too sweet and vacuous for consumption.

Lets look at some of the better tracks. The album opener shares the same title as the album and is a decent reggae groove. It helps that they have some top notch Jamaican musicians on board as few things sound worse than badly played reggae. “Loving You is Easy” is a good funky soul jazz number and may be the best cut on the album except for the Caribbean groove of “Pogo”. “Pogo” is the only track on the album that just seems to end too soon. “Step Out on the Street” is okay smooth jazz RnB, but the rest of the album is pretty sappy and hits a low with “When We Make a Home”. This one actually has cringe vocals and the sort of lyrics you could imagine that would go with a song title like that. Overall, this is an okay smooth jazz record if you like that sort of thing, but if you like the real jazz, Watanabe has some much better albums out there.

js “Round Trip” is an album that is quite a bit different from the music Sadao Watanabe is usually known for. Although not exactly a household name in the West, Sadao has been one of the top jazz saxophonists of the last six decades, putting out many albums as a leader while working as a sideman with almost every top name in the business. Watanabe is usually known for his sweet Charlie Parker influenced tone on the alto sax which he has used to cut many top notch post bop albums, as well as more commercial type fare too. “Round Trip” is a whole nother trip altogether, on here Sadao plays the soprano sax with a biting and harsh sound as he and his band mates play high octane avant-garde fusion. The band mates, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette and Miroslav Vitous had all been playing similar over the top free fusion at this time, with DeJohnette and Corea fresh from some insane gigs with Miles at the Fillmore.

The album opens with the title track, which is an out and out free jazz barn burner with unbelievably high speed drumming from Jack, plus Sadao’s piercing soprano that seems to be mimicking traditional Asian reed instruments. This track covers most of side one and also features a top notch solo from Corea, who at this time was still playing at his youthfully intense best. His solos during this time revealed an interest in Afro-Cuban jazz, as well as the avant-garde, with the end result sounding like a cross between Eddie Palmieri and Cecil Taylor. In a short time after this recording, he will loose some of his early fire. The only drawback to this track is some occasional hyper attacks from someone on a vibraslap, not really sure who is responsible for this bothersome sound.

Side two opens with Jack pounding out an energetic fractured jazz rock beat while the rest join in for a very 70s jam. Whereas as side side one was atonal, on this new track the band settles into a D Mixolydian modal jam, a scale with a Celtic/Indian sound that was very popular with the hippie generation. Sadao continues with his odd soprano sound that now sometimes seems to mimic a bagpipe. Chick’s piano solo takes the music way outside the modal scale for some crazy adventures and Jack follows him every step of the way before Sadao leads the way back to the original groove. The final track, “Sao Paulo”, is some sort of Brazilian jazz gone berserk. Ulpio Minucci joins the band on piano for this one and he and Chick pound out intense interlocking rhythmic patterns while Sadao joins Jack in the percussion section.

This is an okay avant-garde jazz record circa 1970, you can find worse, but you can also find better. As far as Jack and Chick playing music like this, I would check out Miles live at the Fillmore. For Miroslav, check out his first album, or the first Weather Report album. If you are looking for a first Sadao Watanabe album, I would not go with this, find one where he is playing alto sax, his playing on that instrument is sublime. As for those who appreciate the experimental excesses of the late 60s to early 70s, "Round Trip" has enough good moments to overcome the lesser moments. In accordance with the time period, they get fairly crazy on here at times, and often in a good way.

snobb Japanese reeds player Sadao Watanabe is a living country's jazz legend. Started playing in early 60s, he introduced bossa nova to his homeland's listeners and built strong hard bop following there.Starting from late 60s Sadao Watanabe became most internationally popular Japanese jazz musician as well. His early fusion albums are briliant, unfortunately under pressure of time fashion starting from mid 70s Sadao switched to more safe and commercially secure pop jazz which he continues playing till now.

Sadao recorded only few fusion albums but almost all of them are true gems. "Paysages", recorded in 1971 with bassist Gary Peacock and three Japanese musicians, is great example.

Heavily based on another rising Japanese fusion star Masabumi Kikuchi electric piano sound, "Paysages" contains five originals(three Watanabe's, one - Kikuchi's and one Peacock's), all perfectly executed memorable tunes, with solid groove,the music which will make Weather Report or Return To Forever famous very soon.

Not really a Watanabe's album (obviously released under Watanabe's as leader name because of marketing reasons since Sadao for the time of release was way much more known and popular comparing with other members) but solid collective work, "Paysages" is one of the best Japanese fusion albums released ever. Watanabe will leave such music very soon for the favor of more commercial sound, Masabumi Kikuchi will continue releasing albums in similar key and become one of the great star of Japanese fusion.

Classic album of Japanese fusion, must have for everyone interested in genre.

snobb Sadao Watanabe is one between best known outside of Japan Japanese jazz musicians. In late 60s- early 70s he was on the top of his popularity playing pop-jazz and soft fusion (both genres are far of my interest in music).

Swiss Air , recorded in mid 70s, is his very special album - and I love it! Full-acoustic quartet with excellent pianist Takehiro Honda plays Watanabe's neo-bop originals live at Montreux!You can't believe what a different music it is!

Sadao plays energetic and inventive reeds without being afraid to disappoint his regular soap-jazz fans, pianist Takehiro Honda is a hero of the day - his excellent fast,technical and groovy piano almost steals all the show!

Rhythm section is very competent, and all music has slight African flavor,characteristic for Watanabe's more commercial works of same period. Excellent (if too short)and perfectly recorded live show for dedicated public,it sounds great even on old vinyl (not sure if this album was ever re-released on CD).

On this album Sadao Watanabe shows how enjoyable music he could play when he just is free to play what he likes to play.No final verdict to Watanabe's music could be done without listening to this his perfect album.