Imamura Seiji Group

March 31, 2005 at  Aketa no Mise

Starting the evening with a Latin rendition of "Take This Hammer," the blues/gospel protest song was only the beginning of the mix-and-match hipness of the night's package. Imamura's long-running (try 40-some years) Latin group, really, almost a workshop, was primed to play great music from the opening song. This group is wild and tough, a rare combination in Tokyo's often too-smooth jazz world.

"Monk Jump Monk" was the second punch of intensity. The group worked with fast tempos and intense solos. Through it all, of course, Imamura's potent percussion kept everything cooking on a high burner. Even when the group relaxed into more ballad-like territory, the congas kept the mix spicy. Closing the first set out with the always-potent "Manteca" just made the passionate devotion to great Latin jazz all the clearer.

With Imamura as anchor, everyone in the group had room to fully stretch out and play freely. Mine blasted away on every tune, taking the first solos and upping the level to make sure everyone had to play hard or fall short of the intense level he set. Shibuya on piano and organ shifted seamlessly from elegance to groove. Kato on guitar laid down solo after solo of sharp, pungent ideas. Many of the tunes during the night were his compositions, and he has played with Imamura often enough for him to be second in command. His guitar work stretched and pulled with unfettered complexity.

The first set's Latin beats were taken farther out in the second set. In the second set, everyone played with greater and greater intensity. In particular, Honda's drumming moved farther and farther away from the beat, letting Imamura define the center. Honda pushed and pulled everyone for freer and freer solos. No one had any problem with that, and sharp solos spiraled out into fascinating forms and unexpected directions .

Group leaders like Imamura are few and far between. A lot of leaders want to control, others are happy to lay back, but Imamura commands with his presence. His experience as percussionist and leader is, in short, one that inspires the other players. Not to mention how the fans in the audience feel—a bit tired from the high energy level, but a very joyful tired.