Joh Yamada

Live at GH Nine September 1, 2002

Joh Yamada--alto sax
Keisuke Torigoe--bass
Izumi Masakiyo--drums
Yoshimitsu Hattori--tenor sax

There are only two groups of jazz fans in Tokyo--those who like Joh Yamada, and those who will like him. He’s formed a new trio that will be playing regularly this fall, so now’s a good time to check him out or check him out again. At their gig on the 1st of September, the trio had enough room to add Yoshimitsu Hattori’s robust tenor sax into their space as well.

On a sleepy Sunday night at the stylish GH Nine, the trio worked through a range of material from Charlie Parker to Ornette Coleman. Yamada’s sense in choosing and approaching these songs is serious, even reverent, but never over-cautious. They rip through them like a conversation with an old friend. “All the Things You Are” was taken at quick tempo that pushed both Yamada and Hattori into a post-bop style that fits them both perfectly. They shot through ideas without faltering or losing sight of the over-arching composition of the song. That set the standard for all the other tunes of the evening. Yamada slowed things down on the first set with Body and Soul, finding the soft tonal mood of the piece without slipping into an overly smooth tone. He kept to a raspy sound that created the right amount of friction. The solos all around were innovative and fresh.

The second set, though, found everyone opening up the big burners. “It Could Happen to You” and Wayne Shorter’s “Prince of Darkness” were scorching. Yamada’s solos searched for directional variations with a tremendous sense of control. “Isfahan” slowed the tempo slightly, but Ornette Coleman’s “Roundtrip” let all the members explore farther. Hattori fooled with sounds as well as volume, tempo and modes. Yamada captured the feeling of Coleman’s playing with a loose playfulness. After two full-on sets, it was a wonder that Masakiyo or Torigoe had energy left, but they did. Masakiyo’s drum solo was creative and sensitive. Torigoe on bass had a full range of beguiling ideas.

The trio works extremely well together, and even more with Yoshimutsu, who recently arrived from Osaka. Their sense of interplay and natural feel for these tunes was consistently and sharply engaged. Yamada’s phrasing and construction of solos is, as it always has been, a wonder. This new group is one to hear.