Naosuke Miyamoto Sextet - Step! (1973) [Reissue 2013]

Born in 1936, Naosuke Miyamoto was already a veteran bassist when he made his debut album as a leader. In 1960 he had joined George Kawaguchi's Big Four Plus One band and played with Sadao Watanabe et al. The lack of his recording was only due to his decision to leave Tokyo and go back to his hometown in Kansai (the Midwestern part of Japan). For this first album he had waited more than 15 years to make, he assembled established musicians about his age and younger musicians with fresh sensibilities. The fiery playing style of the band reflects their influences from the post-bop movements by progressive artists such as John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter.