Kosuke Mine Quintet
Kosuke Mine Quintet was the group led by Japanese saxophonist Kosuke Mine, born Kenji Wakabayashi in Tokyo in 1944. The quintet recorded jazz in Tokyo in the early 1970s, with Fender Rhodes alongside saxophone and trombone. It is known for Mine, recorded in 1970, which was the first release on the Three Blind Mice label. Kosuke Mine began on clarinet before moving to saxophone as a teenager. On Mine he played alto and soprano saxophone with Takashi Imai on trombone, Hideo Ichikawa on Fender Rhodes, Takashi Mizuhashi on bass and Hiroshi Murakami on drums.
Mine
The very first record released on Three Blind Mice, a debut for both label and bandleader. Recorded in Tokyo in August 1970, Mine announces the saxophonist Kosuke Mine and sets out, in advance, the editorial stance the label would hold for the next two decades: serious post-bop with European clarity, Coltrane-era heat, and a particularly Japanese sense of restraint that lets the most intense solos hold their shape. Mine's quintet pairs his alto and soprano with trombone, the great Hideo Ichikawa…
Daguri
On Daguri, Kosuke Mine Quintet channel early‑70s Coltrane fire into a distinctly Japanese voice, fusing spiritual intensity, modal lyricism and subtle exotic color into a taut, forward‑rushing statement that stands among Mine’s finest recordings.
2nd Album
Following the wave of critical acclaim for his debut, the prodigious Japanese saxophonist Kosuke Mine cemented his place in the modern jazz world with the release of his 2nd Album, recorded in Tokyo in late 1970 and originally issued on the revered Three Blind Mice label. Now, this pivotal work is available again, celebrating a new generation of jazz lovers and collectors.
Rising to the forefront of the Japanese jazz scene, Kosuke Mine assembled an all-star quintet featuring trombonist Takashi I…