Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalo
Uganda
**tip-on sleeve with OBI strip.** The respected Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa was not messing around when he recorded the 'Uganda (Dawn Of Rock)' album with his band the Count Buffaloes. For this offering, originally released in 1972 on Toshiba Records, Akira Ishikawa takes us on a deep tripped-out journey. 'Uganda (Dawn Of Rock)' is a fusion of progressive and psych rock with African percussion workouts, dergy-wah wah blues-funk, and jazzy sensibilities; with different genres morphing an…
African Rock
Back in print ! Fully licensed and remastered from the original tapes. Akira Ishikawa runs through the land of Africa with both jazz and rock. "Prayer", "dawn", "hunting", "love" drawn with beautiful and exciting sounds. Akira Ishikawa's three pillars of musicality, jazz, rock and African music, are fused in the best balance, and it is a masterpiece that rushes one after another with thrilling songs. A solemn "prayer" reminiscent of the eternal earth, a clear and psychedelic scent "dawn", a quie…
Bakishinba: Memories Of Africa
“An ambitious, brand new album has reached the Japanese jazz scene. It is ‘Bakimba – Memories of Africa.’” This is how Akira Ishikawa Count Buffalo Jazz And Rock Band’s album was advertised by the Japanese press in 1970.
The Japanese jazz artists were bravely approaching the rock scene, and their choice became an inspiration to jazz-rock groups like Takeshi Inomata & Sound Limited, Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media, and more. The blending between jazz and rock was born in the United States, thanks to …
Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol.I
Tip! “Japanese jazz has been recognized and celebrated by music lovers worldwide for decades. The origins of this trend may be traced back to the rare groove movement that flourished in the 1990s, but its current deep and wide popularity seems to be connected to the fact that Japanese people have been reevaluating their own jazz since the mid-2000s, locally referred to as WaJazz ("Wa" meaning Japan but also the Shōwa emperor period, from 1926 to 1989). Since the beginning of the 2000s, there has…
Tsugaru Jongara Bushi - Drum & Tsugaru Jamisen
A unique Japanese funk masterpiece from 1973, in which Rinsyoe Kida, Tsugaru's shamisen Maestro, and Akira Ishikawa, one of Japan's most loved and celebrated leading drummers, as well as experimenter and brilliant composer, performed together. The ancient sound of the shamisen ride on the finest funk and the intense groove of Ishikawa. An extraordinary audiophile-quality recordings.
Back To Rhythm
Ultra-rare jazz-funk/fusion album by Japanese drummer, Akira Ishikawa. Featuring percussion-heavy versions of ‘Let's Start’, ‘Bongo Rock’ and ‘Pick Up The Pieces’. 'Back To Rhythm’ was the final recording in Ishikawa’s African-influenced period. He cut this record with his band ‘Count Buffalos’, featuring Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Takeru Muraoka, Larry Sunaga and arranger Hiromasa Suzuki. Includes excellent cover versions of The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, BT Express, Stevie Wonder, Average White Band, …
Let's Start/Bongo Rock
Japanese RSD 2018 release of Akira Ishikawa's awesome cover versions of Fela Kuti's 'Let's Start' and Incredible Bongo Band's 'Bongo Rock'. On 7" vinyl for the first time. Two fantastic funky numbers from this hip Japanese drummer! "Let's
Start" is a tight take on an early tune by Fela – with this cool chanted
vocal in the mix – and "Bongo Rock" is a fantastic update of the
Preston Epps classic, taken into the same funky territory as the version
by Incredible Bongo Band
Electrum
2016 Japanese deluxe edition. A really far-reaching and dynamic little set from Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa and his Count Buffalos group – one that definitely lives up to the promise of its Electrum title! As you might guess from a word like that, the sound here is relatively electric – served up with electric piano, clavinet, guitar, and electric bass – all in a style that's a lot more relaxed and open than some of the group's other work, almost in the best mode of spacier electric jazz fro…