Yoshio Suzuki “Generation Gap
Yoshio Suzuki “Generation Gap” (ONE / 55Records 2015)
Yoshio “Chin”Suzuki 鈴木良雄 —bass
Hakuei Kim ハクエイ・キム —piano
Ko Omura 大村亘 —drums
Keisuke Nakamura中村恵介—trumpet
Takuji Yamada山田拓児—alto & soprano saxophone
Ryuji Tomono友野龍士—wadaiko (track 1,4)
Fumika Sakamoto坂本富美雄—narimono (track 1)
Yoshio Suzuki’s excellent release, “Generation Gap,” starts out not with a generation gap but a cultural gap: traditional Japanese wadaiko drums bumping under a dirty blues trumpet line. It’s hard not to imagine Louis Armstrong riding a mikoshi festival shrine through the streets of some mountain village. But of course, it’s not a gap at all; it’s a seamless blend of elements that go together perfectly.
Suzuki keeps that blended vibe going on every cut. And yes, the other musicians are half his age, but in terms of elegance, taste and energy, they are all together with no gaps between them musically. The second cut, “Monet,” is a slow, reflective number, that feels as calm as painting. “Skavl,” named after the Norwegian word for snowstorm, is pristine modern jazz with a funky, driving beat.
Every cut, especially tunes like “Ai” (which means “indigo” in Japanese) are lushly conceived and strikingly considered. Suzuki always leaves room for each of the musicians to lay down their take on the theme, working together to create something more than the sum of the top-notch parts. Though Suzuki’s groups often focus on elegant, lyrical playing, on this set, he spices up the lushness with a strong spirit of fun and openness.“Roulette” stands out as an especially lovely work, with the quintet working together with delicacy and serenity, as the tune softens to a whisper. No need for anything more than just a whispering singular note from one or the other of the quintet, that carries it all.
“Metro X” rounds out the set with a hard-bopping burner, except for an unaccompanied bass solo at the end, where we get to hear Suzuki straight on. (My advice: Turn the sound up a little to let the bass really resonate through the room!) “Generation Gap” is an excellent recording with some of Japan’s best jazz musicians at the top of their form.