Flamenco Jazz [Hiromitsu]
Live at Someday July 7, 2005
Hiroki Miyano-- guitar
Hiromitsu Obuchi—flamenco vocals
Masatoshi Kainuma—percussion
Yoshiaki Sato--accordion
Yoshiteru Ito--guitar
Flamenco music and gypsy music are cousins. They have a similarly intense style of playing, a love of passionate bursting-open and a powerful sense of sincere performance. The difference perhaps is geographical more than spiritual. Flamenco remains a distinct style in Spain, mainly, while gypsy music has, of course, traveled around. The best, and not just because of being the only, flamenco jazz group in Tokyo is led by guitarist Hiroki Miyano.
Their first set at Someday started out fast. The band traded solos at super-fast speeds, much like bop but within the harmonic structure of Spanish music. The flamenco rhythms, supported by accordion, let Miyano and Ito really let loose. Their solos had JAZZNIN's Marco Mancini mumbling "Beautiful! Beautiful!" uncontrollably through the entire of both sets.
Their solos were not the only element of their music. They also arranged with a very keen sense of musical structure and performance. On one of the most impressive and unique versions of "Summertime" I've ever heard, they blended flamenco, blues, jazz and pop brilliantly. Obuchi is a vocalist trained in flamenco, so he sings from deep in his stomach. His feel for all the musical styles at once on "Summertime" was a powerful statement on music's universality.
The other compositions, most by Miyano, were also appealing. "Thelonius," an original inspired by Thelonius Monk was a curious contrast to a lengthy piece inspired by Stravinsky. Like Stravinsky's orchestral works, the piece had separately developed symphonic-like sections that fit together into a complex whole that were much more than the sum of its parts. A flamenco version of Sting's lovely "Fragile" showed yet another side to the band's versatility and sensitivity.
Though the guitars took the spotlight, the members worked together closely. The handclaps and foot stomps from Obuchi added accents and a taut counterpunch. He knows that his entire body, from his hands and feet to his lungs, are all part of his instrument. Kainuma's percussion kept the group flowing. His touches, both light and heavy, ranged from bursts of firework crackles to soft feather dustings. His solo at the end of the night gave him a real chance to show off his sense and technique. Melodic, coherent and nimble, this solo made one think back to all his deep-in-the-mix support the whole evening.
The second set started off with calm, even pieces that pulsated and flowed along with the lyrical, sometimes-fluty, sometimes-gutsy sound of Sato's accordion. His range of textures squeezed out from the accordion supported the total sound with harmonies like a piano and a bottom line like a bass. He also doubled up on lead lines and whipped through fast, clean solos. Like three instruments at once, he would work underneath the others, then suddenly flip back up on top to pull the high end higher, then relax into accents and a pumping drive.
Both guitarists had high-speed runs, rhythmic blasts, and delicately fingered arpeggios. They never played one note but an entire scale, adding flourishes and runs at the end, and packing in a whole flurry of notes into any open space. This embellishment never seemed too much, but rather, they just had no end to their constant flow of ideas. Both guitarists played hard and fast, but it was Ito who had to take a tired breath first. Shaking his hand at the end of the night's numerous long, tricky solos, he had really given it everything. Miyano, though, appeared just as collected at the end as at the beginning, like some martial arts master unruffled by the contest and ready for more. A brilliant group with incredible feeling and a unique sound all their own, viva flamenco jazz!