Kojikanatsuru "3 +1"

(Ragmania) 2005

Yoshinobu Kojima—Piano
Hideaki Kanzawa—Bass
Tomo'o Tsuruya—Drums
Seiji Tada—Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute

This great just-released CD is tremendously serious fun. The first song starts off slowly with "My Foolish Heart," almost as if teasing about what will come later. This first song sounds like a piano trio "is supposed to sound." But, the trio made quartet doesn't rest there. Instead, they move beyond the classic and calming to a wide range of all kinds of sounds, textures and directions.

Track two, "Cantaloupe Island" bursts open with a passionate flurry of activity from the core trio joined by Tada on sax. From the first notes, Tada rips into a great lead line followed by a blistering solo. Kojima follows with even more passion and energy. He's a nuanced pianist, but knows, too, how to play thick and heavy and right on target.

"Side Stick Sister" sets a lively rhythm, full out, with Tada on flute, pretty and clear. The bass line, though, is what really drags you in with its rambling, unusual feeling. "Mahimahi" has a Thelonius Monk-like off-kilter feeling to it that moves in unpredictable, angular and intriguing directions. The song keeps undoing itself in fascinating ways: stopping and starting, laying out and adding in, and always keeping a tempo that is broken up even as it is laid down.

The other tunes offer intriguing innovations and accomplished, high-level technique. "CK" has a rollicking rhythm over a fat bass line and a tricky rhythm. "Solution," though has a near-rock 4/4 hammer to it that opens up into a full-blast blues. "So Ra Do Mi Do" is a slow walking blues tune with soul to spare, trio only. Dylan's "My Back Page" needs no lyrics with the melody line taken on bass with passion and unhurried gracefulness.

A Carlos Jobim song rounds out the CD for an overall unusual selection of tunes. Everyone in the trio offers a song that does not fit into the typical categories. They are unusual compositions with a unique pull delivered with the right balance of restrained care and overflowing energy. The trio with Tada feels like a real quartet, and one that has worked intimately together for a long time. The members of many bands sometimes feel forced, as if it's a good idea but no one gets along musically. These four all get along together perfectly, though, with a tightness and flow and gratifying impact.