Kenso - In The West


Year of Release: 1999
Label: Musea Records
Catalog Number: FGBG 4291 AR
Format: CD
Total Time: 69:02:00

Progressive rock mixed with jazz, which's about what you can expect from the Japanese band Kenso. On their album In The West we hear some fifteen original compositions recorded live in Tokyo. Formed in 1974, it took the band until 1980 before they released their first album (in a limited run of 400 copies). In the meantime, in addition to In The West, a mere eleven albums have been released, where each time one can find a combination of Hatfield and the North and Brand X. Also Happy the Man comes onto the fold now and again.

The keyboard contributions of Kenichi Mitsuda are especially divine, whilst Masayuki Muraishi's drums sound self-evidently bangs like fireworks on New Year's eve! The boys don't deny their Eastern roots, as we can hear during "The Sea." Strong individual contributions from a bunch of very disciplined musicians. Without any doubt, wonderful and lyrical music with a strong jazz-rock emphasis of which lovers of The Rippingtons, Wappa Gappa and even Jeff Beck will never have enough.


Tracklisting:
The Ofuner (0:38) / Alfama (2:07) / Sora Ni Hikaru (6:32) / Gesshya Senkoh (4:39) / Hyoto (3:59) / The Sea (6:32) / Sacred Dream (5:10) / Beginnings (6:28) / Today I Left Oia (4:30) / The Ancient In My Brain (7:16) / Mediterranean And Aryan (10:07) / Les Phases De La Lune Ii (2:58) / Power Of The Glory (2:) / Anesthesia Part Ii (4:45) / Gips (4:01)

Musicians:
Yoshihisa Shimizu - guitars, bouzouki
Kenichi Oguchi - keyboards
Kenichi Mitsuda - keyboards
Shunji Saegusa - bass
Masayuki Muraishi - drums

Discography:
Kenso (1980)
Kenso II (1982)
Kenso III (1983)
In Concert (1986)
Self Portrait (1987)
Sparta (1989)
Yume No Oka (1991)
Live 92 (1993)
Early Live Volume 1 (1994)
Early Live Volume 2 (1995)
Zaiya Live (1996)
In The West (1999)
Esoptron (1999)
76/77 (2000)
Ken Son Gu Su: 25th Anniversary (2000)
Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptis (2002)
Chilling Heat (2005)
Utsuroi Yuku Mono (2006)

Ha-Re-Ki (2003) (DVD)
Ayr (2004) (DVD)

Genre: Fusion-Jazz Fusion

Origin JP

Added: January 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www1.u-netsurf.ne.jp/~kenso/
Hits: 2701
Language: english

  

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