Yoichi Murata
November 6, 2005
Pit Inn
Yoichi Murata—trombone
Shigeharu Mukai—trombone
Masaaki Imaizumi—piano
Noboru Ando—bass
Yoshihito Eto—drums
Murata's straight-ahead first evening of three at the Pit Inn was a paean to the trombone. Starting out with a straight quartet on the first tune, then bringing on mentor, friend and fellow trombonist Mukai, Murata and band showed why the trombone is such a unique instrument. Between Murata and Mukai, no trick of tone, pull, push, mouthing and sliding was left unused--all of them delivered not like tricks, but well-mastered techniques that integrated perfectly to the total sound.
Murata's style differs considerably from Mukai's. Their way of taking on solos and expressing melodies contrasted with just the right degree of divergence. Of course, as Murata pointed out, Mukai had brought him up when he was starting out to join him on the stage at the Pit Inn. Nowadays, Murata commands three night stands there. More than their differences in style, though, their interplay became the main focus. How do two trombones stay out of each other's way? In this case, easily and coolly.
Moving between classic tunes from Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, Slide Hampton, Carlos Jobim and Mukai's originals, the "double-boned" quintet offered a range of tones and temperaments. On "Anthropology," which opened the second set, they offered a stunning back and forth with Eto on drums. The speed and sense of fun made the fast bop standard as exciting as ever. The solos were pointed, sharp and concentrated.
"Israel" dropped deep into the cool minor blues, with plenty of chances for the two trombones to harmonize and counterpoint. Like two old friends in conversation, they moved naturally in and around each other's ideas and sounds. Whether delivering the melody together, with a slight tonal difference or with one trombone in harmony, their mutual sense of tone and placement was captivating.
On piano, Imaiizumi pushed the soloing level higher each time. Playing with Mukai often, he knows how to add just the right comping before stepping out to jam. His sharp fast-fingered runs were an entirely different texture from the trombone's slippery flow. Also nicely counterbalancing the trombones was Eto's drums. Eto's solos contain the melody inside the rhythms in that magical way only a few drummers have mastered. Whether moving deeply into ballads or pushing into wild open gospel-inflected sounds, these two, along with Ando on nimble and deep-flowing bass, kept the movement of every number fluid and flexible.
As an encore, the two trombonists played with no rhythm section, directly from their hearts. The sliding notes and pristine tones of just the two of them showed truly what the trombone is all about.