Miwako 4
Miwako 4
with Bill Watrous and Ayako Sumi
Akasaka B-Flat Friday, November 2
Miwako - Alto Sax, Flute
Ayako Sumi - Vocal
Norihiko Kawakubo - Piano
Alan Gleason - Bass
Noriyuki Sugata - Drums
Special guest: Bill Watrous – Trombone
B Flat was filled with fans and Miwako 4 came to play. Add on the beauty of Bill Watrous' trombone and the evening was complete. As a CD release party for their second recording and a special evening with the amazing Bill Watrous, there was no reason to let the energy lessen. From the first note, the quartet came out swinging, with fast tempos, exciting lines and buckets of energy. They stayed in high gear through the entire evening.
The quartet chose several songs from their CD, but had enough flexibility to jump into anything they felt like playing. The choice of songs hardly mattered compared to the agile solos and strong feeling. When Watrous came out after the first two numbers, the quintet really moved as one. The solos traded back and forth with real openness and deep swing on Miwako's originals and several standards.
Vocalist Ayako Sumi came out mid-set (in both sets) to open things up further, first with a rousing version of "It Don't Mean a Thing." This song got the crowd going even more than they already were, and the follow up "Someone to Watch Over Me" was played with a heartfelt tenderness and quiet fragility. "No More Blues" rounded the set out, by giving everyone a chance to show off their great rhythmic sense, Sugata letting loose on rhythm and everyone else on melody, with Gleason packing meaty bass lines in the middle.
The second set kept the energy level just as high. Miwako's long solo lines became especially poignant, drawing appreciative nods from Watrous, as he listened closely from the side. The exchanges between Watrous, Miwako and Sugata on drums were exceptionally fun, but also communication at a high level. Watrous really came alive in the second set. His thinking on solos and conception of melodic lines were stunning. Add on to that his resonant, very individual tone, and he showed how each and every note works deeply. Kawakubo in particular responded with more and more resonant comping and soloing.
The encore, "Cherokee," was the perfect end to the evening, with everyone in the group jamming free and easy. And as the song says, "who could ask for anything more?" After drying off and starting to unwind from the high, Miwako sat at a table signing the latest CD of this straight-on quartet's music. No one wanted to go home without one.