JazzMusicArchives.com Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home >Jazz Music Lounges >Live Performance Reviews
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Kazutoki Umezu & Djamra in Vi-Code 24.08.2013
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Kazutoki Umezu & Djamra in Vi-Code 24.08.2013

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
DamoXt7942 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Jan 2011
Location: Okayama, Japan
Status: Offline
Points: 262
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DamoXt7942 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Kazutoki Umezu & Djamra in Vi-Code 24.08.2013
    Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 6:18am
August 24, 2013 ... Got a heavy rain in Osaka, and especially in an Osakan live house Nakatsu Vi-Code it was wet with full of passion. A Japanese saxophonist PRIDE Kazutoki UMEZU, with his jazz rock project KIKI BAND, featuring Natsuki KIDO (guitar), Takeharu HAYAKAWA (bass), and Joe TRUMP (drums), was on a live tour all around Japan (this live tour has been held as a commemorative one for Zappanale 2013 they'd attended and their newest album "Coyote"). And finally they came to Osaka that day!


Look, and get surprised at the audience's passion


After their stage appearance and a storm of applause for'em, their gig got started with Natsuki's heavy jazz rock (one of their repertoires) "Crawler", with Natsuki's cool, strict guitar shots!


Natsuki KIDO (guitar)


His cool / brilliant guitar sounds knock us completely.




btw he's called as "Guitar Angel" by Kazutoki (see below).


Takeharu HAYAKAWA (bass)


In Zappanale, the audience shouted "Bass God!" for him (yeah this is the reason why Natsuki's called as "Angel").




The second song "Gibbs' Paradox" let us the audience hear Godfanatic heavy / gorigori-hard /  swift bass play!


The aggressive drummer Joe TRUMP (drums, percussion) aka "Drum Fairy".




His "Day / Break / Night / Shift" comprises supra-splendid deep drumming with psychedelic experimental jazz rock.


And Kazutoki UMEZU (saxophones, bass clarinet), a Japanese jazz rock KING.


He calls himself as "Sax Tengu", like others lol ... anyway, his play was a real killa!


His songs "Atama-uchi (reaching the limit in English)" and "Shiri-agari (contrary to Atama-uchi, getting better in English)" are superb experimental / avantgarde saxophone-based ones, with deep / aggressive plays by other three.


Their playlist was as follows; except the first "Crawler", all were featured in their newest album "Coyote" released a while before, that is a fantastic one.
  1. Crawler
  2. Gibbs' Paradox
  3. Gel-colloid
  4. Day / Break / Night / Shift
  5. Atama-uchi
  6. Coyote
  7. Geopathic Stress
  8. Shiri-agari
  9. Sou-shun (encore)

Listening to the encore "Sou-shun (early spring)", dedicated to Tohoku (Kazutoki's hometown) where has got damaged  via Higashi-nihon Daishinsai (Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami) and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Meltdown, we the audience could not help weeping indeed ... we said many thanks to them for such a excellent, gorgeous gig.




Thank you for reading my review for UMEZU KAZUTOKI KIKI BAND's gig in Osaka!

--

DamoXt7942

Guilt Is A Great Motivator.
Back to Top
DamoXt7942 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Jan 2011
Location: Okayama, Japan
Status: Offline
Points: 262
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DamoXt7942 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 6:21am

Before Kiki Band's gig, our Osakan pride DJAMRA appeared on stage ... in great respect for their pioneers Kiki Band, they played more enthusiastically, more aggressively, with strained looks!


What an impressive combination their horn section always made.


"More powerful" was a suitable phrase for their play on that stage.


Masaharu NAKAKITA (bass) ... with sharp-edged bass lines as well.


Takehiko FUKUDA (keyboards) ... beautiful, danceable, and sometimes funny, funky play he does.


The opening number "Kamihitoe" is one of their masterpieces ... yeah a close to the edge-ish one!


Sayaka KAWADA (trumpet) and Shinji KITAMURA (alto saxophone) ... ah impressive two tops.


Their standard one "Assassin In Sin" was very smooth, experimental, beyond the expression.


Akihiro 'Enon' ENOMOTO (drums, percussion) ... he said he'd got remarkable power via Kiki Band (especially Joe?).
His drum solo in the last song "Neo Skin" was more and more enthusiastic, powerful than usual really.


The audience has got immersed, even upon the third 'visualized' track (and their new one) "Kihihi (A Yellow Baboon)".


In another newer song "Kaitoh Naitoh San (Mr. Naitoh The Phantom Thief)" they shouted "Kaitoh Naitoh San Dorobo (thief) ... Nusume (steal it)!" or so.


They all looked pleasant extremely hahhaha (especially pretty Sayaka).


btw guess Masaharu was the most strained of all ... via his MC (oh always dizzy, funny MC though lol).

Their playlist were;
  1. Kamihitoe
  2. Assassin In Sin
  3. Kihihi
  4. Zetsuen Doon w/ some temporary Latin beats
  5. Komurakaeri
  6. Kaitoh Naitoh San
  7. Neo Skin w/ Enon's drum solo

Thank you for reading my live review for DJAMRA's gig!

P.S. And let me say "All the best for their Europe Tour this autumn"!
--

DamoXt7942

Guilt Is A Great Motivator.
Back to Top
snobb View Drop Down
Forum Admin Group
Forum Admin Group
Avatar
Site Admin

Joined: 22 Dec 2010
Location: Vilnius
Status: Offline
Points: 28368
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote snobb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 12:21pm
Kazutoki Umezu is probably one of most interesting sax player on modern Japanese jazz scene, it's great you saw him playing live!He played here in Vilnius in 2003 (with Masahiko Satoh!),2004 and again in 2005 , unfortunately I've been living in Holland and Balkans during these years Ouch.
Back to Top
DamoXt7942 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Jan 2011
Location: Okayama, Japan
Status: Offline
Points: 262
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DamoXt7942 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 6:23pm
Hey Slava, please come to Japan! LOL

Thanks for your appreciation. Big smile
--

DamoXt7942

Guilt Is A Great Motivator.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 10.16
Copyright ©2001-2013 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.129 seconds.