Okumoto, Ryo - Live In Tokyo, Japan

Year of Release: 2004
Label: Mellotron Records
Catalog Number: MP-001
Format: DVD
Total Time: 81:00:00

If you thought a Ryo Okumoto DVD would contain an entire concert, think again. If you thought this DVD would contain all of his Coming Through solo album, think again. If you thought you'd get a thorough view behind the scenes, then sadly I have to ask you to once again think again! I'm not sure, but to me it all looks like a rush job, a DVD which had to be ready in time for Ryo's tour of Europe and Japan. First of all, the selection of songs is restricted to only a handful of songs with "Gozilla Vs King Ghidarah" turning up no fewer than three times! There's the full live version, as performed during the band's gig at the Astro Hall in Japan; there's the shorter version, as performed during the soundcheck that very same day; and there's the studio session, as performed by Ryo, Simon Phillips and Dave Carpenter.

Knowing Ryo as the keyboard madman from Spock's Beard, most of the material on this DVD is jazz inclined, meaning we don't see Ryo jumping from one part of the stage on to the other. We don't see Ryo mixing with the crowd whilst playing his keytar. Instead, we see Ryo adapting his skills to arrangements that come very close to authentic jazz and/or fusion. That kind of funky fusion forms the spine of "Shiba," displaying some wonderful Fender Rhodes playing by Ryo, accompanied by a splendid guitar solo from Takashi Masuzaki. In fact, all of the musicians playing live in Japan are Japanese. Another thing which strikes me at the Astro Hall is the discipline from the audience, which is so silent that you can hear a pin drop. Towards the end of "Shiba," drummer Hiroyuki Noritake illustrates what a great drummer he is. In fact throughout this DVD you can witness the fact that each individual musician is given enough room to excel in his own right whilst still being part of the total picture. "Godzilla" is performed entirely without guitar, yet during "Somewhere Safe" Masuzaki turns towards his acoustic guitar, including some Al Di Meola licks.

With ample light and with clear proof that the recording during the soundcheck is also a rehearsal for adjusting the camera properly, prior to the actual gig in Japan some recordings have been made of Ryo adjusting his equipment and rehearsing with bass and drums. With people constantly running back and forth in front of the camera, the footage is rather poor where quality is concerned. However during "Knights In The Dark Mist" proof is given what great musicians they truly are. After someone made a small mistake, it only takes the band a matter of seconds before all of them take off where they left off earlier. Only true professionals can deliver the goods this way! An interesting part is the studio sessions for Coming Through, as recorded at Ryo's home. We are welcomed by Ryo's son Sage, who is a great drummer himself, so it surely must be an incredible experience to see one of the world's best drummers, Simon Phillips, perform in your own living room! It's very enjoyable to see how people like Simon Phillips, Bobby Kimball and Michael Landau are playing with such ease in an improvised environment, which in this case is Ryo's house. This once again proves that these guys are only interested in one thing and that's making great music. Pity this DVD does not include more of these intimate moments, as there still is plenty enough time left on this disc to add tons of this kind of material. I mean why is there no footage of Ryo in Japan visiting his parents and relatives? Why don't we see Ryo with his family having a normal day (what "normal" may be in the case of Ryo!)? Why is there no footage of Ryo working together with Natalie Cole or Peabo Bryson? The diversity of Ryo Okumoto is big enough to include plenty more material. As said before, maybe this DVD came together rather quickly, so I can only hope for a second DVD that he'll include many more private moments for all to enjoy (and this doesn't mean a home movie of Sage being born!)

Tracklisting:
Ryo Okumoto live in Japan, Astro Hall 22nd February 2003: Shiba (11:45) / Godzilla Vs King Ghidarah (13:46) / Somewhere Safe (6:31) / Morning Rain (8:26)

Coming Through studios sessions May 2002: Close Enough (6:58) / Godzilla Vs King Ghidarah (6:18) / Bonus Tracks: Astro sound check 22nd February 2003: Morning Rain (7:09) / Godzilla Vs King Ghidarah (8:08) / Knights In The Dark Mist (7:07)

Musicians:


Discography:
Solid Gold (1980)
Makin' Rock (1980)
Synthezier (1980)
Winners Of The Heart/Free Fall (single) (2001)
Spock's Beard - The Light (1991)
Spock's Beard - Beware of Darkness (1995)
Spock's Beard - The Beard Is Out There Live (1995)
Spock's Beard - Official Live Bootleg (1996)
Spock's Beard - The Kindness of Strangers (1997)
Spock's Beard - From The Vault - 1995-1998 (1998)
Spock's Beard - Day For Night (1999)
Spock's Beard - Live At The Whiskey and NEARfest (1999)
Spock's Beard - Don't Try This At Home (2000)
Spock's Beard - V (2000)
Spock's Beard - Snow (2002)
Coming Through (2002)
Spock's Beard - Feel Euphoria (2003)
Spock's Beard - The Light - The Artwork Collector's Series (2004)
Spock's Beard - Octane (2005)
Spock's Beard - Gluttons For Punishment (2005)
Spock's Beard - Spock's Beard (2007)

The Beard Is Out There Live (1995) (VID)
Spock's Beard - Don't Try This At Home (DVD) (2000)
Live In Tokyo, Japan (DVD) (2004)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: December 19th 2004
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.ryookumoto.com
Hits: 2840
Language: english