Yuichi Inoue Quintet at Someday
Yuichi Inoue 井上祐一 - piano
Keiji Matsushima 松島啓之 - trumpet
Masanori Okazaki 岡崎正典 – tenor sax
Yuhei Honkawa 本川悠平 - bass
Shogo Hamada 濱田省吾 - drums
Inoue’s quintet is a hard-driving, hard-bop quintet. They don’t make any bones about it, rather they take the bones of classic numbers and make them live again. It’s not just resurrection, it’s a full-on, in-the-moment pleasure making straight-ahead jazz and working through great songs with challenge and vivacity.
After the band got warmed up on the opening number, they kicked into high gear on the second, a great version of Clare Fischer’s “Pensativa.” It’s a bossa nova number, but in the style of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the early 60s. It’s laid back, but intense. The members dug into solos and cued up alongside each other. They formed an in-sync, in-the-pocket connection that continued to the last song of the night.
Mulgrew Miller’s “Grew’s Tune” was taken at a fast clip with great solos all around. Okazaki is one of the least flashy and most heartfelt of soloists and on this tune, he played his heart out. Matsushima, though capable of very fast soloing, hung into the cool of this song and soloed with just as much feeling. Their sounds blend together as much more than the sum of two parts.
“Darn That Dream” featured Matsushima’s ballad work. He has a full round sound on trumpet, and the slower he plays the stronger he plays. Inoue jumped in with a tasteful solo here, and gave another after Okazaki finished his featured spot alone on “Georgia on My Mind.” Okazaki’s dulcet tones fit the ballad perfectly.
The first set closed with a rousing version of “The Eternal Triangle.” The quintet took it as fast, tight, and hard as the original, which triangle was formed by Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, and Dizzy Gillespie. It was a joyous song played with relish. The speed was maintained by the tight engine of bassist Honkawa and drummer Hamada. They gave support to the other three on every number, but you could see them working on the fast ones.
Beyond the standards, Inoue has a knack of picking great tunes, none more so than Joe Henderson’s bluesy “Homestretch,” delivered with bluesier solos. Pianist James Williams’ “Alter Ego” was given a lovely treatment and a stellar solo by Inoue. It was clearly a tune he and holds musically dear. “Ruby, My Dear,” as piano trio without the horns, was another tune Inoue cherishes in the playing. The love of these classics shone through clearly in the way Inoue leads the quintet, and in how they all play.
The quintet closed with a fast version of Bud Powell’s “Tempus Fugit.” The solos were amazingly fast, at a speed which makes you lean forward to be sure you’re hearing them right. There are too many notes to process! On this number, Hamada’s solo was especially nimble. He’s a drummer who supports, but doesn’t hide, either. From everyone in the quintet, the delight that went into the tune made you want them to just play it again!
However, all good shows must come to an end. The time flew not only as the last song, but for the entire two sets. Inoue’s quintet is a delight at every tempo.
