Name: Tachibana
Brand: Tohru Aizawa Quartet

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

bbe469alp

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2018-07-27

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

The Orchard

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0730003146916

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Total Cap

2 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

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0730003146923

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Tohru Aizawa Quartet

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

BBE is a UK based record label, short for Barely Breaking Even. Founded in 1996 by Peter Adarkwah and Ben Jolly, the label releases both original works and compilations. Known for their compilation series such as "The Beat Generation" and "Kings of...," BBE features a wide range of collections in genres like jazz, soul, hip-hop, r'n'b, house, drum'n'bass, and more. With a diverse roster of artists including *J Dilla*, *Pete Rock*, *Roy Ayers*, *Marley Marl*, and many others, BBE continues to be a prominent force in the music industry.
The label's association with German label G-Stone Recordings has further expanded its reach. Since its inception, BBE has released numerous acclaimed albums and compilations that have garnered critical acclaim and commercial success.
With an extensive catalog spanning over two decades, BBE remains dedicated to showcasing exceptional talent from various genres while consistently delivering high-quality music to its loyal fanbase worldwide.

The desire to discover and delve into new and unexplored areas of music has turned attention on the Japanese jazz scene of the 1970s, often regarded as its gilded age. The recent groundbreaking sell-out BBE compilation J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz from Japan 1969-1984 threw much needed light on this fascinating era and presented a range of artists and music that surprised and delighted all who heard it. A key track on the compilation was one of the rarest and least known: Dead Letter by the Tohru Aizawa Quartet, taken from an album that was so elusive, some pondered whether it even existed. The album, Tachibana, was recorded in 1975 and, until included on the J Jazz compilation, was unknown except to a small group of obsessive Japanese jazz collectors. The privately pressed record was the only album made by the Quartet, four amateur musicians who were university students at the time. The session was financed by a local businessman, Ikujiroh Tachibana, who pressed up a few hundred copies to use as a business card. In the intervening 40 odd years since its recording, few copies have surfaced, making it an in-demand yet elusive artefact from the golden age of Japanese jazz. BBE Records are honoured to present a fully authorised reissue of this holy grail, licensed directly from the band themselves. Tachibana has all the necessary components of a cult album: pressed in small numbers, a few mysterious and vague details about its origins, languishing in obscurity for decades and, above all, superb musical craftsmanship and skill. It can now be enjoyed by a new audience around the world. The album opens with the dynamic percussion workout Philosopher’s Stone written by the then law-student and drummer Tetsuya Morimura. It propels along with the band at full pelt, showcasing Morimura’s well-developed drumming style. For a teenage amateur player to compose and perform such an accomplished and impressive piece is a testament to the talent that the band contained. Philosopher’s Stone is followed by Sacrament, an epic modal composition by saxophonist Kiyochiro Morimura that fans of Wayne Shorter, Pharaoh Sanders and late-era John Coltrane will appreciate. After an extended intro the band drop into a heavy, churning groove, Morimura’s saxophone scorching above the volcanic rhythm section. Dead Letter, written by Aizawa himself, is an epic piano led symphony of spiritual jazz. Think McCoy Tyner at his imperial finest and you’ll get a favour: impact, emotion and power all suffuse to create a overwhelming experience. Amazingly, this is still the only Aizawa composition yet to be recorded. The Tachibana album also includes two cover versions, both Latin favoured numbers delivered with élan and brio: La Fiesta by Chick Corea and the classic Samba de Orfeu by Luiz Bonfá. So, just five tracks in total, the sole existing evidence of an astonishing band, the Tohru Aizawa Quartet. The long-awaited reissue of this mythic album includes new liner notes and photos, plus fully translated notes from the original Japanese text. The album will be presented in an authentic thick card gatefold sleeve in a faithful reproduction of the original sleeve design.

Tachibana

Music GB