ITARU OKI 沖至 — Iroha-Uta: Volume 1 (review)

ITARU OKI 沖至 — Iroha-Uta: Volume 1 album cover Album · 2006 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
snobb
Japanese trumpet player Itaru Oki represents one of the very first country's jazz musicians generation. During late 50s-early 60s he played in local big bands and with bop artists, in late 60s he switched to just born Japanese free jazz. Since that he played with many leading jazz musicians with big variety of genres. From mid 70s he resided in Paris for decade,traveling Europe and Japan and organizing Japanese jazz artists concerts in Europe. He is still active till now (I saw him playing live with Japanese band Hikashu just few months ago in my hometown).

Itaru Oki Unit is musician's first all-Japanese band for few decades,formed in 2000. Band's debut, "Vol.1" has been recorded in Japan and contains collaboration with two well known jazz artists of mid-generation - pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura (among others). Itaru himself besides of his regular trumpet plays fluegelhorn and bamboo flute here.

Album's music represents modern Japanese avant-garde jazz, eclectic and saturated with ethnic elements,quirky,free form but containing lot of melodic snippets.

Six-piece band often sounds as real small orchestra with lot of brass,muscular rhythm section and very high energy music in general. All material is a band members originals,dominating sound is two trumpets soloing against each other with heavy support from rhythm section (bassist Hiroshi Funato is known by his work in Japanese jazz-rock bands Sights, Bidziliba, O.A.D. and Wilkinson Brothers). In contrast,there are pieces with flute and free piano soloing, characteristic Japanese theatrical vocalize,etc. Unfortunately, sound mix quality is only average and far from legendary Three Blind Mice or just average Japanese jazz recordings from early 70s standard.

Since big part of Itaru Oki Unit (including himself) spend big part of their time and are heavily influenced by European and US jazz,it's difficult to speak about "Vol.1" as about a characteristic example of Japanese jazz coming from the edge of the centuries. At the same time,that cosmopolitanism,eclectic mix of different traditions,aesthetics and techniques besides of necessarily presented folklore elements represents modern Japanese jazz in a best way. In all cases, musically rich and multilayered music,requiring repetitive listening and truly entertaining.
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