Various Artist - Diamond Best Mood Tenor Sax Best 2CD (2006)

Tracklist:

CD1
01. Kaoru Akimoto - Harlem Nocturne
02. Kaoru Akimoto - Ronriwan
03. Kaoru Akimoto - Mona Lisa
04. Kaoru Akimoto - Stardust
05. Kaoru Akimoto - Estrellita
06. Kaoru Akimoto - Summertime
07. Kaoru Akimoto - Again
08. Kaoru Akimoto - Theme Of Tara
09. Kaoru Akimoto - Love Letter
10. Kaoru Akimoto - Good Night Lover
11. Kaoru Akimoto - Yesterday
12. Kaoru Akimoto - Bruce White Night Fog
13. Kaoru Akimoto - Hiki
14. Kaoru Akimoto - Moon River

CD 2
01. Akimoto Kaoru - More
02. Akimoto Kaoru - Sandpiper
03. Akimoto Kaoru - Strangers in the night
04. Akimoto Kaoru - Lover Of Eva
05. Akimoto Kaoru - I love To death
06. Akimoto Kaoru - The Breeze And I
07. Akimoto Kaoru - The Yumeji Madoka
08. Akimoto Kaoru - Misty
09. Don Byas - San Francisco Memories
10. Sil Austin - Danny Boy
11. Sil Austin - Unchained Melody
12. Sil Austin - Without The Passage Of Time
13. Sam Taylor - Tenderly
14. Sam Taylor - Blues lost In
15. Sam Taylor - Red Sunset Sail
16. Sam Taylor - Blue Flicker Of Light Blues

Beautiful, excellent quality, quite expensive sparse instrumental collection, known and very popular in the whole world of saxophonists, Kaoru Akimoto,Don Byas,Sil Austin,Sam Taylor!

The Japanese really loved the tenor sax instrumental style a lot longer than most listeners in the US – and kept on recording for years in modes that were made famous in the 50s by artists like Plas Johnson or Sam "The Man" Taylor! Here, Kaoru Akimoto blows these long, moody lines on tenor – very much in the kind of easygoing late nite mode that Taylor especially favoredon his albums for MGM – often with a nice degree of echo in the production, and an especially cool wordless female voice in the arrangements – almost adding an Edda Dell'Orso element to the proceedings! The cover makes the whole thing look cheesy, but the sound is beautifully soulful – on titles that include "Ebb Tide", "Moon River", "Strangers In The Night", "Sinno Me Moro", "Tara's Theme", and "Yesterday".