Igor91
Drummer Motohiko Hino's "Toko" is some killer psychedelic jazz rock with some avant-garde leanings. This is a live recording from 1975 and this style of fusion may have been on the way out at the time, but Motohiko must have wanted to put his stamp on the genre before moving on to other things. And boy did he.
Like many Japanese jazz records at the time, the recording quality is excellent, and the band was firing on all cylinders that evening. Joining Hino are Mikio Masuda on keyboards, Katsumi Watanabe on electric guitar, and Isao Suzuki on bass. Masuda's keyboards and synths are often wrapped in psychedelic sound effects, while Watanabe's guitar is frequently fuzzed-out and occasionally loaded with wha-wha pedal madness. Suzuki, meanwhile, employs an acoustic bass, giving the music a solid jazz foundation.
The record is essentially 3 long jams, but the band is totally locked in with each other and energized. While there is plenty of improvising going on, there are no boring, meandering moments. They avoid going too far off the rails and remain locked-in with each other throughout the entire performance. All four band members are going off on their individual instruments, yet never lose sight of where the music is going.
Toko is truly a lost gem of jazz rock / fusion. If you enjoy your fusion raw and psychedelic, this album is a must listen - a masterpiece of the genre.