Blog By James

Japanese group “Casiopea” was a big part of my music listening back in my late teens. It was through their music that I’d heard the amazing Akira Jimbo on drums for the first time.

Jimbo wasn’t the only thing that made Casiopea great though because the whole band has always been made up of stellar musicians. Bass player Tetsuo Sakurai quickly became a favourite and I’ve been following his work ever since.

For the last couple of days, I’ve been playing “My Dear Musiclife” in the car and really digging it. Joining Tetsuo on this one are what appears to be mostly Japanese musicians, some of which I hadn’t previously heard of. Two of the tracks are Jaco Pastorius tunes including the classic “Teen Town” (previously covered brilliantly as well by Marcus Miller) and the Pastorius/Hancock penned “Kuru”. Also included is a new arrangement of the 20+ year old Casiopea track, “Domino Line”. Here is some old footage of the band playing it live:

Another killer track is the album’s riffy opener “Regenerate”, which has some absolutely burning playing by all. The drum solo at the end by Hiroyuki Noritake had me shaking my head in disbelief. This recording has a great variety of styles and dynamics including both a solo bass piece and two duets with acoustic guitarists Issei Noro of Casiopea fame, and Rynten Okazaki.

If you’re interested in more info and hearing a few short samples, head over to Audiophile Imports.