Yoshio Suzuki The Blend Sometime

Sometime May 17, 2023

Yoshio Suzuki鈴木 良雄 - bass

Kosuke Mine峰 厚介- saxophone

Keisuke Nakamura中村 恵介- trumpet

Hakuei Kim ハクエイ・キム - piano

Tamaya Honda本田 珠也 - drums

This Blend is definitely the right one. The quintet moves so effortlessly through the songs that all the complexity blends into the intense appeal of the sound. The quintet is composed of people who lead their own groups, and play with the very best, and yet blend together perfectly.

 Kicking off with loud drums from Honda, the first song, “Morning Glow” offered up wild solos and let all the five get in sync, though it’s more artistic tension than smooth sync. They each keep their musical identity, but let it resonate with the others. That happens in every great group, but it’s done so well here from the very first tune.

 The second song, “Fish Market,” by Kim featured a neat rhythmic melody that felt like the flopping of a fish market in full flow. Kim’s piano was especially strong, searching for interesting directions and finding them again and again. Kim and Honda had an especially tight percussive interplay.

The rest of the first set featured appealingly cool and excitingly fast playing. Mine and Nakamura merged like the best West Coast jazz quintet, flowing and flying through the lead line and solos like two dragonflies in flight. They were just as tight on the last fast-tempo number, “Burning Point,” but on top of Kim’s McCoy Tyner-like runs and Honda’s muscular drumming. By the end, the quintet was breathing hard, and so was the audience.

The second set featured ballads and bluesy numbers, with a more reflective approach than in the first set. The tight interplay was there, but everyone was thinking together and reaching for more. Whether taking a slow bluesy lead line or unfolding the melody of a ballad, the quintet blended in a genuine conversation. It felt like they played together every night of the year.

On the last number, “Five Dance,” before the clapped-for encore, the band really opened up. With a slow intro and slow build, each of the five took very different solos, each fascinating in its own way, each supported by the others in their own ways. That’s a real musical discussion, and one only such experienced and talented musicians can create. The group’s dynamism is captured on 2022’s “Five Dance” CD, but live, they burn with an even brighter flame.