snobb
Tomoyoshi Nakamura is Japanese sax player and band leader,better known by his Native project. Founded in 1999,Native traveled around the country in car playing up to 100 gigs yearly and soon became one of the leaders of what is known in Japan as "club jazz" - contemporary jazz version cleaned from chamber mannerism and adapted ultra-stylish clubbers look.
Even more - Nakamura formed another even more stylish jazz project - BLACKQP'67,popular between Japanese neo-mods. When in 2013 he went solo, Nakamura successfully returned to jazz roots, adding to mainstream jazz his renowned ultra-fashionable main street aura.
"Dance With The Wind" is his already second solo album, and it sounds as pre-Mwandishi Herbie Hancock band is playing on today's Tokyo's street. All compositions has strong (often-catchy) tunes and are played with fun and swing. Title song contains sunny and dreamy female vocals, and all album's music radiates warm,positive and very optimistic atmosphere so rare in modern music.
Does the world need one more hard-bop album? Yes, if it is the album like "Dance With The Wind". Seasoned jazz fans cleaning the dust from their 50s and 60s jazz vinyl collections don't need to forgot that there are already new generation or two who has no idea what "golden era of jazz" is, doesn't matter is it bop,cool,or hard-bop. Nakamura's band playing in ultra-fashionable clubs is often first ever chance to them to find out so great and so unknown and new for them music. And even more important - it is alive and kicking jazz, not dusted nostalgia.
I believe albums like this can recruit many new fans to old and evergreen jazz,just give it the spin!