Masahide Tokunaga

*2023 stock. 200 copies limited edition* Masahide Tokunaga is a Tokyo-based alto sax player/improviser who carries out extremely distinctive performances comprised mainly of long tones. On the Hitorri label he has released the improvised performance CDs "Alto Saxophone 2" (2015) and "Bwoouunn: Fleeting Excitement" (2017), as well as "while your master is sleeping" (2020), on which he performs a composition by Taku Sugimoto. With the exception of that composition recording, "Masahide Tokunaga" is Tokunaga’s first solo album in five years.

The first and third tracks of this three-track album are improvised alto sax solos by Tokunaga. The long (39-minute) second track, “Observer,” is a trio performance by Tokunaga (alto sax), Tomoki Tai (viola da gamba) and Fumi Endo (upright piano). “Observer” is a text score composition that Tokunaga wrote in 2022 at the request of the Chinese musician Zhu Wenbo. While the original was written as a solo piece for Zhu Wenbo, the work on this CD is a trio version with new revisions added by Tokunaga.

All three tracks are live recordings of performances held at Ftarri, Tokyo, on February 14, 2022 (1 and 2) and December 20, 2021 (3). This monumental album documents Tokunaga’s further evolution as an improviser while showcasing his recent explorations in the field of composition.