Showing posts with label Akira Otsuka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Akira Otsuka. Show all posts

December 22, 2018

Grazz Matazz: Delinquent Minor

Grazz Matazz Music CD S818410

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Swing Jazz
[Tracklist]
01 Mapleview Rag (2:41)
02 Walkin' One And Only (3:13)
03 Sunburst (4:16)
04 Oh, Lady Be Good (4:09)
05 One Morning In May (3:07)
06 Delinquent Minor (4:21)
07 Send Me On My Way (3:08)
08 Mitch's Dilemma (3:32)
09 After You've Gone (4:21)
10 Yodel Lady (3:19)
11 Fat Man In The Bathtub (9:03)
[Credits]
Al Petteway (guitar/mandolin/bass/vocals) Pat Petterway (vocals/piano/guitar) Akira Otsuka (mandolin/mandola/vocals) Phil Bloch (fiddle) Mike Auldridge (dobro) Carl Fanning (banjo) Ronnie Freeland (percussion) Carolyn Kellock (bass) Béla Fleck (banjo) Larry Dowdy (bass) Pete Kennedy (guitar) Mark Schatz (bass) Carolyn Kellok (cello) Rick Watson (harpsichord) Jethro Bums (mandolin) Fred Smith (bass)
Producer: Robin Siegel, Photographer: Jim Tyndall, Engineer: Bill Wolf
[Notes]
YOU CAN'T judge a band by the company it keeps -- or can you? After listening to "Delinquent Minor" by the local acoustic trio Grazz Matazz, it hardly seems a coincidence that such stellar instrumentalists as Jethro Burns, Mike Auldridge, Bela Fleck and Pete Kennedy would want to contribute to this album. They know a good thing when they hear it. Take the opening tune: Arlo Guthrie's "Mapleview Rag," while a nifty showcase for Auldridge's Dobro, ultimately leaves no doubt that Grazz Matazz' Al Petteway (on guitar) and Akira Otsuka (on mandolin) can play in the big leagues. Fleet yet expressive, their solos distill the rag's southwestern flavor and fit nicely alongside the playing of fiddler Phil Bloch and banjo player Carl Fanning. The remaining member of the band -- rhythm guitarist, pianist and vocalit Pat Petteway -- makes her debut on a finger- popping rendition of Dan Hicks' "Walkin' One and Only." Petteway's reedy soprano voice is just right for western swing tunes. But it also has a decidedly plaintive edge at times, especially on the traditional tune "One Morning in May" and the jazz standard "After You've Gone," delightful performances both. (Mike Joyce/The Washington Post)

July 11, 2018

Epilogue: A Tribute to John Duffey

Smithsonian Folkways CD SFW 40228

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2018
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Sad and Lonesome Day: Randy Waller and Lou Reid (2:36)
02 If That's the Way You Feel: Amanda Smith (3:20)
03 If I Were a Carpenter: Jonathan Edwards (2:44)
04 Lonesome River: Dudley Connell (2:56)
05 Sunrise: Sam Bush and Béla Fleck (3:22)
06 Going to the Races: James King (1:59)
07 Some Old Day: John Cowan (2:43)
08 Girl from the North Country: Steve Gulley (3:32)
09 He Was a Friend of Mine: Dudley Connell and John Cowan (3:08)
10 Poor Ellen Smith: Tim O'Brien (2:22)
11 Reason For Being: Fred Travers (3:16)
12 Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow: Don Rigsby (2:41)
13 Chim-Chim-Cher-Ee: Bruce Molsky (1:27)
14 Cold Wind a Blowin': Ronnie Bowman and Lou Reid (2:15)
15 Christmas Time Back Home: John Duffey Tribute All-Stars (3:13)
16 Bringing Mary Home: John Starling (3:48)
17 First Tear: Akira Otsuka (1:22)
[Crerdits]
Producers: Akira Otsuka and Ronnie Freeland, Annotation: Katy Daley, Dudley Connell and Jeff Place, Photographers: Charles Tompkins and Nobuharu Komoriya, Editor: Carla Borden, Engineers: Rick Watson, Bill Wolf, Greg Lukens, Brent Truitt and Phil Rosenthal
[Notes]
John Duffey's influence on bluegrass cannot be overstated. His contributions to legendary bands The Country Gentlemen and The Seldom Scene helped transform the genre from a regional Appalachian music to a sophisticated, urban sound, resulting in a legion of new fans the world over. On Epilogue, the bluegrass music community comes together to create a marvelously fitting tribute to "the father of modern bluegrass." Sam Bush, John Cowan, Béla Fleck, Bruce Molsky, Tim O'Brien, Don Rigsby, and so many more—it’s a rare and special all-star cast. Their eagerness and passion to record the album attest to how profoundly Duffey impacted them and countless other musicians today. 46 minutes, 44-page booklet with extensive notes and photos.

May 31, 2015

The Bluegrass 45 (ブルーグラス45)

Rebel Records SLP-1502

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1971
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Bridge Over Troubled Waters
A2 Black Mountain Rag
A3 That's The Time
A4 Hamabe
A5 I'm Comin' Home
A6 Along The Way
B1 Place In The Sun
B2 Fuji Mountain Breakdown
B3 Bring Me Back To My Hom
B4 Wild And Reckless Hobo
B5 Sakura
B6 Meet Me In Heaven
[Credits]
Josh Otsuka (ジョッシュ大塚 guitar/vocals) Akira Otsuka (大塚章 mandolin/vocals) Toshio "Speedy" Watanabe (渡辺敏雄 bass) Saburo "Sab" Watanabe (渡辺三郎 banjo/autoharp) Gakusei "Reo" Ryo (寥学誠 fiddle/percussion)
Cover Photo: Tsutomu Otsuka (大塚努) at Cofee House "Lost City", Kobe, Japan 1971
Liner Notes and Photos: R. Bucke