NAOSUKE MIYAMOTO — Step! (review)

NAOSUKE MIYAMOTO — Step! album cover Album · 1973 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
snobb
Double bassist Naosuke Miyamoto has been already experienced jazz musician in his late 30th (played with George Kawaguchi and Sadao Watanabe among others)when he released his debut as leader in 1973. "Step!" received positive press and became one of the most popular jazz albums,released that year in Japan.This didn't change Miyamoto's musical career at all - soon he left Tokyo for life in provincial town where stayed playing jazz in local scene for decades. Last year(2014) Naosuke Miyamoto (77) participated as youngest band's member seeking Guinness World Records recognition as world's oldest jazz trio (with average age of 81).

Miyamoto's debut(and most probably the only true album as leader; the other one he released some years later exists as promo/limited edition release)has been released on Japanese one of most prestigious label Three Blind Mice(kind of Japanese ECM known by their audiophile sound)and is perfect illustration how important sound/mix quality is for any release success.

Miyamoto-led sextet(consisting of some musicians of his generation and some youngsters)plays very solid but quite safe mainstream jazz, somewhere between hard-bop and post bop. Of five album's compositions,two are less known Harold Land songs("Step Right up to the Bottom" and "A New Shade of Blue"),rest are members' originals. Miyamoto, obviously influenced by Mingus music,plays deep and rich but quite linear bass,accented on the mix as leading instrument. All sound is extremely spacious,warm and sounds as if the listener is sitting on scene between musicians. Both sax players soloing is tuneful,clear with beautiful tones as well as piano sounds. Trying to analyze all music components it becomes obvious that music and musicians all are good professional band and hardly more, but entirety is much better than each part.

Many Three Blind Mice albums have same fantastic sound, not all them sound same attractive though. Still "Step!" is a great example how virtuosic production can make one just a little better-than-average music sounding much,much better.Being a true artist and label success at the time of release, this album is still popular till now and evidences many reissues (incl. SACD audiophile versions). Good sound engineering is important part of musical art doing good music even better.
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