Kohsuke Mine “Rendezvous”

“Rendezvous”

(VideoArts Music) 2004

Kohsuke Mine—tenor sax

Eiichi Hayashi—alto sax

Takeshi Shibuya—piano

This unusual combination of instruments feels unusual only for a moment. After the beautiful melody of the first song, “Lost in the Stars” kicks in; one never misses bass or drums at all. Part of the reason for that is that these three musicians are old friends. They know each other’s playing from countless evenings jamming and years of recording dates. Though Mine has already influenced countless sax players, this CD will influence many more.

The melodies are especially well-chosen, real sax-lover’s melodies. With contributions from Hayashi and Shibuya together with standards and two from Mine, the compositions are all strong ones. They have batches of harmony to work with, and plenty of room to maneuver, not stuck into rhythm demands, but flowing in time. The saxes trade solos in front of Shibuya’s piano, then come back to together with natural timing. They are in no hurry, and take the tempo how they like, stopping and looking closely here and there, as on the “Ballad Medley,” or rushing forward when excited, as on “Oleo.”

Mine’s sax moves in long lines with clear ideas. His tone and sense of harmony fit together perfectly. The way he re-conceives the harmonies, with a playful comfort, makes the extended solos complete constructions in themselves. The slight hanging-on to certain notes, with Hayashi slipping under and inside them, is continually entrancing. Shibuya’s piano adds different elements, answering the sax lines with more than just groundwork, plucking in an unexpected chord here, letting notes drift in there.

This recording is also recorded extremely well. It’s a pleasure to hear the nuances of Mine and Hayashi’s playing. Mine has a tone that one really listens to, as complex as a vintage wine. The moments of duet and single instrument soloing are crisp and clear. Though many of the melody and improvised lines are incredibly pretty, both Mine and Hayashi have an edge to their sound. They don’t TRY to sound pretty, they just do. The sharpness of their tone creates its own lyricism.

They obviously are deeply in conversation with one another, and hear the feeling of the others. That interaction only comes from years and years of playing together. The time runs long on several cuts, because like old friends, they always have something more to say. The back cover and liner note photos perfectly capture their liveliness. Warm and luminous, these ten tunes are each an immense pleasure.