Shungo Sawada Quintet - Formation (1970/2024) [Hi-Res]

Has there ever been such a mysterious "Footprints" before? This is a masterpiece in which the legendary guitarist Shungo Sawada challenges himself to a new mainstream style of playing.

Sawada Shungo, active since the 1940s, built the foundations of the modern jazz scene in Japan through the formation of the famous combo Double Beats and the Mocambo Sessions. Although he is an indisputable virtuoso guitarist, he has surprisingly few albums under his own name. Among them, this work "Formation" in the "Victor Japan Jazz" series is highly regarded as Sawada's ambitious work and a masterpiece. The album opens with Wayne Shorter's "Footprints". It is dignified and neat, but its cool appearance is also exuded with a certain simplicity, making it very tasteful. Then, sandwiched between the explosive and fast-paced "Formation" and the jazz-rock approach of "Unlucky Guy", the album closes with "Chief Crazy Horse", also written by Shorter. The album is diverse yet unified in tone, and the album is extremely well-made. This is a special album that captures the image of the new mainstream in Japan. [Text by Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUNDS / DEEP JAZZ REALITY)]