Masabumi Kikuchi - Wishes/Kochi (1976) [2015 East Wind Masters Collection 1000] CD-Rip

An excellent mid 70s Japanese fusion set, led by the Gil Evans protege Masabumi Kikuchi – with a very similar group to the one on his awesome Susto LP! The vibe isn't quite as funky on this outing – in fact it's a bit more reminiscent of Miles' spacey electric explorations – though there are some pretty hard groovin' moments should definitely appeal to fans of funky fusion. Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman play some nice coloristic lines on reeds, and Terumasa Hino is in fine form on trumpet. The rest of the group is rounded out by Reggie Lucas on guitar playing some hard choppy accompaniment to Kikuchi's synths and electric piano, Mtume on percussion, Al Foster on drums and Anthony Jackson on bass. We're especially keen on the dark and heavy "Auroral Flare", the spacious "Pacific Hushes" which opens with a beautiful line played by Hino and the set's closer "Alone".

Tracks:

01 - Auroral Flare
02 - Caribbean Blue
03 - La Moca Esta Dormindo
04 - Pacific Hushes
05 - Electric Ephemeron
06 - Alone

Personnel:

Masabumi Kikuchi - Acoustic Piano, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Yamaha YC-45D Organ, ARP Odyssey Synthesizer, Korg Synthe-Bass, Biwa
Terumasa Hino - Trumpet, Percussion
Steve Grossman - Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Dave Liebman - Soprano Saxophone, G Flute
Reggie Lucas - Electric Guitar
Anthony Jackson - Electric Bass
Al Foster - Drums
M'tume - Conga Drums