Masabumi Kikuchi - Part 5

We're nearing the end of our look into pianist, Masabumi Kikuchi. 

Unfortunately, there are quite a few albums from the 80s that I am missing. They all have elements as their titles so if anyone has copies, feel free to share. 

We jump up to the 1990s for our next album. 1992's Dreamachine takes a step towards the electro-funk sound of the 90s that is entirely hit or miss for me. Here we have Nicky Skopelitis on guitar, the legend Bootsy Collins and Bill Laswell on bass, Aiyb Dieng on percussion with Bernie Worrell on synthesizer. From what I can tell, Worrell is providing the "drums." I'm a huge fan of drummers so this isn't a sound I prefer.

"Night City" is OK, with what sounds like Collins laying down a funky bassline. I just can't get past the synth drums. A forgettable album for me. 

Feel You is next for us. The 1993 acoustic trio album features James Genus on bass with Victor Jones on drums. A pretty straight-forward album here which is welcomed after the previous album. "Up Beat Blues" and "Pain Killer - II" are the highlights here for me. They have the most tempo on the album.

Next for us is the 1994 release, Duo, which features Kohsuke Mine on sax with Kikuchi. This one is pretty soft throughout but a pleasant listen if you're in need of something calm. "I Remember Goko" would be my favorite tune here. Moving on.

We move to another century altogether with our next release. 2012's Sunrise is another trio album, this time featuring Thomas Morgan on bass with Paul Motian on drums. A very tame album, here. Not much stands out to me. 

Next up we have the 2016 release, Black Orpheus. Our first solo piano album, I believe. Naturally a very tame album, seeing how it was released on ECM. A label known for it's tameness. Solo piano albums just don't quite do it for me. This post is turning out to be a touch boring. Sorry folks. 

Last album I have here is Hanamichi - The Final Studio Recording. Again, a solo piano album released 6 years after Kikuchi's death in 2015. Cut from the same cloth as Black Orpheus, this one is another that didn't do much for me.

Our final post will feature the catalog from Tethered Moon. A trio featuring Kikuchi, Peacock on bass with Motian on drums. I'll see you guys soon.