Terumasa Hino - 1990s

Hey there. Back today to begin the 1990s from Terumasa Hino. I'm about ready to move on to new horizons so I'm going to crank out these last few Hino posts. I'll extend my page a bit so they all show up.

We enter the new decade and first up is another live album. Recorded and released in 1991, Live In Warsaw features some new faces in John Hart on guitar, Roger Byam on sax, Onaje Allan Gumbs on piano, Jay Anderson on bass with Michael Carvin on drums.

This one opens fantastically with “Kimiko”, I’m assuming a tribute to the jazz singer Kimiko Kasai. Great playing from all involved. Byam and Hart specifically play very well, as does Gumbs. Another highlight here would be Hino original, “Why Knot.”

1991 also saw Hino's first release on Blue Note with From The Heart. We again have Byam, Hart, Gumbs and Carvin, although this time around we have Michael Formanek on bass.

This opens with “Free Mandela” which was obviously a huge topic internationally at the time. Hino also has a tune here titled “There’s Always A Time For Peace” so it looks like he’s definitely using his position in music to make a statement which you always like to see. We have another nice version of “Kimiko” here, as well as “Why Knot.” Not a bad contemporary jazz album, by any means.

Hino’s second album on Blue Note was released in 1992 and titled Unforgettable in the US. It went as Blue Smiles in Japan. Curious if since Hino was from outside the US, if Blue Note wanted to reference something familiar to US listeners with the title Unforgettable.

And after listening to this album, Blue Smiles is the absolute perfect title. I call this Sunday evening jazz, and frankly it’s been one of my favorite albums overall. Very easy going, straight forward stuff here. Supporting Hino we have the great Cedar Walton on piano, David Williams on bass with Michael Carvin on drums.

The title track, “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” and “Alfie” are my favorites here.

Next up for us is an album that I thought we had discussed during our deep dive into Masabumi Kikuchi. Sure looks like I missed it when we covered the pianist. Triple Helix was released in 1993 and features Kikuchi on piano, James Genus on bass with Masahiko Togashi on percussion.

This one is a little random and scattered at times with highlights for me being “Dr. U” and the ballad, “The Saphire Way.”

1994’s Spark is next for us and we have quite a few new faces in Tatsuya Sato on sax, Benisuke Sakai and Terumasa’s son, Kenji Hino on bass. We also have Jay Hoggard on marimba and vibes, Hiromasa Suzuki and Takeaki Sugiyama on synthesizer, Tatsuji Yokoyama, Mark DeRose and Don Alias on percussion with Moto on drums.

This one starts off superbly with a rendition of Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father.” A great take on an absolute classic. The multiple percussionists here is a nice touch. "Monday Night Village Gate" is another great, feverishly paced tune. A pretty fun album and one of the more interesting listens in the back half of the catalog.

The last album we have here for the 1990s is 1998’s Terumasa Hino Meets Manhattan Jazz Quintet – ‘Round Midnight. Joining Hino we have fellow trumpeter Lew Soloff, tenor saxophonist George Young, personal favorite and subject of a funky future post, David Matthews on piano, Charnett Moffett on bass with Victor Lewis on drums.

Mostly standards here and typically this would be easy to skim over but until the 90s, we haven’t really heard Hino play standards. “Art Blakey” is the highlight here, as well as a nice rendition of “Autumn Leaves.”

That’s a wrap for the 90s. Back soon to begin the 2000s.