Aramaki Band

荒巻BAND
Sometime, Kichijoji
November 15, 2018 

Shigeo Aramaki 荒巻 茂生—bass
Nao Takeuchi 竹内 直— saxophone
Hajime Yoshizawa 吉澤 はじめ— piano
Tamaya Honda 本田 珠也—drums


Aramaki handles the bass like it’s a ukulele. He makes it seem small and easy to control. His muscular approach to the wood and strings creates a tough, hard-driving jazz that is all his own. Whether he’s popping an opening riff or stretching out on a solo, he makes the bass sound like it should—deep, strong and rock solid.

When he’s joined by the fluid blowing of Takeuchi and the dense, nimble drum work of Honda, as he has been for many years, the band has a depth of experience and reach of conception that makes them one of the most challenging and satisfying groups in Tokyo. The welcome addition of Yoshizawa on piano was the icing on their rich cake of highly improvised music.

With a very open approach to the songs, sometimes improvising an opening and sometimes an ending, the band were on the same unwritten page. They know that the best jazz comes not from the shared score, but from the shared mindset. All four musicians like an intense approach that lets each musician express themselves as both singular element and part of the brawny whole.

Standout songs included Takeuchi’s “Thompkins Square Park Serenade,” “Old Folks at Home” and “Never Fail to Come.” Neither of those songs sounded anything like the versions on their recordings, but that was all to the good. All four of them had a lot more to say on those tunes and didn’t have any need to stay with in any confines.

The band, though, knew just what lines to push with the crowd filling up the seats Sometime. They have a sense of how the music pushes boundaries and how powerful their spontaneity affects listeners. Their unique approach to intense, deep jazz never lets your mind stray. You are embraced by their sound. The Aramaki Band plays all too rarely, due in part to all their other commitments, but they are a band to hear when they do get together. Don’t miss them.  

Aramaki Band Homepage
http://www.airplanelabel.com/cdlists/ap1035.html
Earlier Review
http://www.jazzinjapan.com/homepage/shigeo-aramaki-group/