Yoichi Murata Orchestra

May 9, 2005
Shinjuku Pit Inn

Yoichi Murata—trombone
Keiji Matsushima, Tatsuya Shimogami—trumpet
Takuo Yamamoto, Masakuni Takeno, Kenta Tsugami saxophones
Taisei Aoki—trombone
Isao Miyoshi—guitar
Koichi Osamu—bass
Yasuo Sano—drums
Yoichi Okabe—percussion

The funkiest jazz group in Tokyo, Yoichi Murata's mid-sized band swings hard, solos madly and finds the dormant energy of all the great material Murata picks out. The arrangements by Murata are dramatically constructed, yet loosely delivered, and leave plenty of room for jamming. The band clearly takes it as a point of pride to solo with deep feeling and an ear for electrifying rhythms.

Murata's band, formed with top-notch jazz heavies, has chops enough to make Charles Mingus tunes rage with electric energy and Hendrix tunes sound as elegant as Duke Ellington. The band is just the right size to do this, small enough for nimble, funky rhythms and long soloing, but big enough to embellish the melody and pound out a total full-band feel. They make many of the original recordings sound like demo tapes in comparison to their wide-open lushness.

With most bands, thickly layered harmonies interfere with rhythmic complexity, but Murata's band digs into polyrhythms and the complexities of horns at the same time. It's hard to get a funk rhythm right, but especially with tricky harmonies. In Japan, this kind of full-on funk is all too rare.

Murata clearly also has an ear for Mingus, whose tunes he favors, along with his own originals. Mingus' music is always about feeling, and getting into the loose vibe that fits the feeling. Murata's band captures not only the anger of Mingus and captures his sense of confidence and cool.

Murata and band make sure each tune flows dynamically, whether at mid-tempo, high-speed or the occasional ballad tempo. Under Murata's leadership, the band knows how to turn the material inside out to find the hidden sources of each composition's wildness. In the end, though, the songs hardly matter, as the musicians are intent on creating a huge, fat, funky sound and playing to their heart's content.

It's always nice to see a band tired at the end of a performance, and everyone was breathing hard and plucking at their sweaty shirts after two full sets. The music has so much energy; it has to come from somewhere. Even more than the energy, though, the musicians are clearly enjoying what they are playing, with the fullness of their sense and sensibilities. This blend of funkiness and complexity is Murata's special gift.