Yoshihito Eto "Ray" (ewe) 2005
Yoshihito Eto—Drums
Yosvany Terry Cabrera—Sax
Nao Takeuchi—Flute, Sax
Yousuke Inoue—Bass
Pedro Martinez--Conga
From the first line of the first song, Elvin Jones' "Three Card Molly," one knows this band came to play. The muscular, tough drumming, freed-up sax, thick bass and neat, nifty conga push off all restraints and get right to the core of music. Eto's latest CD is a forceful, down-to-earth work out.
The quintet keeps pushing on every tune. They offer nice change-ups, natural shifts of direction, and keen musical insights again and again. The second tune "Sambra" moves into Latin territory, with a nice swing and lots of rhythms roiling under the surface. With drums at the center, the energy is a rhythmic one, with huge swells and swoops at unexpected times. Eto is a drummer whose rhythms rise and fall like the waves of a stormy sea. It must be hard to stay on top of them, but it's fascinating when the other musicians do. Fortunately, both Yosvany Terry Cabrera and Nao Takeuchi are strong enough players to ride Eto's huge, passionate waves of drumming.
Yousuke Inoue on bass and Pedro Martinez on conga, though, fit inside Eto's complex style. They work together with his challenging patterns to solidify the dense, brawny sound. Though the rhythms are thick, there is still open space in these tunes. On "Lady Luck," the saxes rambling openly and freely, with lots of back and forth, stops, starts, and unpredictable interaction. The drums erupt between saxophone breaks, and the bass shoots up like a geyser to come pouring down again over it all.
The fast paced and wildly rolling "Road Rage, an original from Eto, stands out, right in the middle of the song line-up. This high-energy fun is like a car chase through city streets. The big jumps of chords shift directions before the solos shoot down long straight roads, and then spin around to curve up a different avenue. Brilliant.
Everyone in the band gets a chance to pair off with Eto. "New Breed" gives the saxmen open vistas to explore with sinewy melodic lines and a constant forward motion. "Eat That Off," Inoue's composition, really lets him shine. His thick bass really delivers, with juicy slaps and thick reverberations of the massive bass strings. Eto works together with everyone in the band, one by one, then all together, keeping everyone always in mind and masterfully leading the music towards all-embracing intensity.