Isao Suzuki Part 6

This will be a slightly longer post because I'd like to wrap up our look into Isao Suzuki. We have a few from the 80s to look at and 1 from the 2000s. I'm going to keep it short and sweet for each release so we can keep it moving. 

First up we have 1980's Bass Club, which is essentially a duo bass album with Red Mitchell. There is a piano presence on a couple of the tracks from Tsuyoshi Yamamoto. All standards here with my favorite being a nice rendition of "Yesterdays". 

Another duo album is next for us, this time featuring pianist, Kunihiko Sugano. Sincerely Yours is also comprised of mostly standards. A relatively calm vibe throughout on this one and I find Sugano to be an excellent pianist. Favorites for me are "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set" and the closing tune, "Goodbye."

Next up for us we have Four Wings, also from 1980. Here we have the well traveled Hidehiko Matsumoto on saxophone and flute, Sugano again joins on piano and George Otsuka on drums. Mostly all standards here again, with the opening "Speak Low" as a personal favorite; a tune I always enjoy. The closing, title track from Otsuka is another highlight here.

We are into 1981 for our next release, Self-Portrait. A fully solo album featuring Isao on a variety of instruments plus adding some non-lyrical vocals. Definitely a bit of meandering here and possibly not an album for everyone. We do have some originals which is outside of the norm for this time period. I enjoyed "Loving Lash" and "Dialogue In My Self".

Also in 1981, Isao released Samba Club and while it is all covers/standards, at least we have some tempo to lively things up a bit. On keys we have both Ichiro Doi and Yamamoto, along with guitarist Takayuki Kato. On drums and harmonica we have American Donald Bailey and adding some percussion, we have Francis Mann. Nice version of "Tenderly" here, along with a nearly solo rendition of "Greensleeves" from Isao. 

Next up, we have another 1981 release in Three Cushion. Here Isao is joined by guitarist, Yoshiaki Miyanoue, pianist Doi, saxophonist Akira Miyazawa, trombonist Tadanori Konakawa and drummer Motohiko Hino. I'll have a post for Motohiko soon. Pretty straight forward album of mostly covers with the exception being the title track. Favorite for me is the Teddy Edwards tune, "Together Again."

The last album from the 1980s I have is 1986's Approach. Quartet here with the fantastic pianist Hideo Ichikawa, Akira Shiomoto on guitar and Masahiko Togashi on drums and percussion. All originals from within the group with personal favorites being the Ichikawa tune "Otari" and Isao tune "Mysterious." Mostly straight forward album here to close out the decade. 

We travel all the way to 2003 for our next, and final, release, Blow Up 2. My assumption is this must have been recorded over various sessions because we have quite a few players lending support. On keys we have Sugano, Yamamoto and Josei Sato. On drums we have Otsuka, Makoto Rikitake and Takayuki Koizumi and also along for the ride is guitarist, Takeshi Nagayama. A straight-ahead album here of mostly covers/standards again, but overall a pleasant album for the tail-end of a legendary career. I enjoyed the nice rendition of "What A Wonderful World."

Whew. So that's everything I have from legendary bassist, Isao Suzuki. If you're here I hope you've found at least a few albums to enjoy.