dreadpirateroberts 'Tales of a Courtesan' didn't hook me the way the first two Akiyoshi/Tabackin collaborations did. It's certainly not a bad record at all, but I just didn't find the arrangements as engaging here.

There's still a lot of variety and punch (especially to the energetic 'Strive for a Jive') and some reflective pieces too, like 'Interlude', which reminds me a little of some CTI-era Freddie Hubbard, but I was surprised to find the title track a little too sparse. It almost sounds like it was scored for a film but suffers a touch without accompanying visuals. Still, some haunting flute from Tabackin in there.

The surprise stand out for me is the brooding 'Village' which brings more of the progressive big band feel to the fore.

For fans of either Akiyoshi or Tabackin, this is still worthwhile I'd argue, but maybe the start with their first two if you're looking for a spot to dip into their respective catalogues.

dreadpirateroberts Start here.

If you're a fan of Progressive Big Band, and even Big Band or maybe Hard Bop, you should dig this. Much like Toshiko Akiyoshi and husband Lew Tabackin's previous album (Kogun) 'Long Yellow Road' is a stunning big band workout with inventive arrangements and great soloing from a range of instruments, including (among other players) piano from Akiyoshi and sax and flute from Lew.

Everything that is enjoyable about 'Kogun' is retained, improved and added to here. Once more Akiyoshi's arrangements are most impressive indeed. What makes them so good is their blend of the unexpected with the familiar - take the title track which leads off the album with something of a fanfare before switching to a bit of big band 'cool' and is in turn followed by 'The First Night' where playful flute gives was to a really swinging middle section.

'Opus No. Zero' is a classic-sounding Big Band piece with lots of space for horn solos and is an obvious standout, with a great tempo change that kicks things along. Next comes 'Quadirlle, Anyone?' with perhaps the best sax and trumpet interplay in the album, where the shifting rhythms do conjure up a complex dance.

And the piece that I haven't been able to stop playing? In some ways more sparse than the others, but also more subtly arranged, 'Children in the Temple Ground' is a triumph, using the big band to support melody in such an effective way that you forget you're listening to a large cast of players. Aside from the brilliant meeting of musical traditions heard in the song, it features wonderful extended soloing by Akiyoshi, something that I'd been craving.

To close the album is a split track 'Since Perry/Yet Another Tear' the first half (a hard bop/big band piece) written by Akiyoshi and the second (by Tabackin) which is more of a ballad, at first focusing on piano and sax, and then building to incorporate a fuller sound, the track being a little weaker than the rest of the record.

Once again, start here. It's the best way I can say it, start here. Five stars for me, no hesitation.

dreadpirateroberts Aside from her obvious skill as a piano player, Toshiko Akiyoshi is one of the best modern big-band arrangers you will hear. 'Discovered' by Oscar Peterson in the 50s, it was some time before she would meet, marry and team up with tenor saxophonist Lew Tabackin and form a Big Band.

'Kogun' is their first release, in 1974, and it does everything you want a Big Band album to do. It sounds full, the tempo snaps, the solos are satisfying, the arrangements often go somewhere unexpected and there is, at times, a dose of something else completely when Akiyoshi incorporates traditional Japanese music into the sound.

The album opens with 'Elegy' something of a hard bop/big band track where we hear some nimble piano playing as Akiyoshi takes center stage by opening the song with a solo. This is wonderful but all to brief, as throughout the album her piano is used more for accompaniment, as she focuses on arrangement and (I imagine) conducting the band. That in itself is not meant to detract from the album, I simply found myself wanting more of her solos. 'Kogun' then switches gear with the brooding 'Memory' a ten-minute exploration of sombre territory, with muted trumpet and almost hesitant flutes featuring over sometimes menacing crescendos from the rest of the band. It also incorporates some clipped and processed spoken word that makes for a fascinating inclusion to the piece.

The title track is next, where the influence of Japanese music is clear. Here the fusion of styles dazzles the listener in a song with such a tonal range that it almost feels like a film score - if you search out any song from this album to hear before making a decision on a purchase, start with this one. 'American Ballad' is more in the tradition of older, war-time ballads but is treated to some lively moments. Closer 'Henpecked Old Man' matches the snappy tempo of the opener and is bit of a showcase for sax soloing and should keep your foot tapping.

'Kogun' is defined in part by the arrangements and the horns, but also by the sound of the flute, which plays a really important role in the songs - especially in helping to convey the otherworldly moments that the album carries off so well. Highly, highly recommended for fans of Progressive Big Band - and though this album is essential if you're interested in Akiyoshi, I'd actually start with the follow up 'Long Yellow Road.' That said, 'Kogun' shouldn't disappoint either.