Masabumi Kikuchi

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Masabumi Kikuchi ( Japanese 菊 地 雅 章 Kikuchi Masabumi ; born October 19, 1939 in Tokyo , Japan , † July 6, 2015 in Manhasset , New York , United States ) was a Japanese jazz pianist and keyboardist . He was characterized by his economical and z. T. very slow game, which was nevertheless bulky.

Life

Kikuchi started playing the piano at the age of six. He studied music at Tokyo Art College High School and then formed his own trio. Soon he was touring Japan with Lionel Hampton . In 1963 he recorded with Charlie Mariano and Toshiko Akiyoshi ( East West ). In the next few years he worked intensively with Sadao Watanabe and Charlie Mariano. In 1967 he appeared with the Japanese Swing All Stars . In 1968 he founded a quintet with Terumasa Hino , which they led together; her first album received very positive reviews in Japan. He also accompanied Sonny Rollins on his Japan tour. From 1968 to 1969 he studied at Berklee College of Music and returned to Japan. He founded his own sextet ( Matrix , 1970). Gary Peacock brought him to his Eastward production (1970); he was also involved in two albums by Masahiko Togashi . In 1972 he accompanied the singer Johnny Hartman on recordings in Japan. In 1974 he moved to New York City , where he made his own albums with Reggie Lucas , Steve Grossman , Mtume , Dave Liebman and Al Foster ; In 1978 he was involved in an album by Miles Davis that was never released. Around this time he became a member of Gil Evans' Monday Night Orchestra and worked as a keyboard player on electronic instruments; with Gil Evans several albums were created until 1988. In addition, he recorded synthesizer albums for Japanese labels in the 1980s. His album Dreamachine, produced by Bill Laswell , was created in 1989 and 1990 .

With Paul Motian and Gary Peacock Kikuchi worked since 1991 in the formation Tethered Moon ; with her he recorded an album in 1999 with interpretations of chansons by Édith Piaf . Five more CDs of this group were made, including a. with music by Kurt Weill . In the mid-1990s, the quintet was revived with Terumasa Hino, with whom he recorded two more albums in 1995 (the last one he released with him in 2007 with Sony in a quartet). In 1996 he accompanied the singer Helen Merrill , in 1997 he worked in the formation Trio 2000 by Paul Motian .

He also owes it to his friend Paul Motian that, at the age of 70, with the album Sunrise (2011), he found a departure to free his own composition and away from the interpretation of the works of others.

Recently, Kikuchi rarely gave concerts.

Selection discography

As a leader and co-leader

As a sideman

  • Gil Evans: Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Mole, 1978), Live at the Public Theater (New York 1980) (Trio / Black-Hawk, 1980)
  • Charlie Mariano & Sadao Watanabe: Charlie & Sadao - Iberian Waltz (Denon, 1967)
  • Paul Motian Trio: Trio 2000 + One (Winter & Winter, 1997)
  • Sadao Watanabe: Bossa Novas Concert (Denon, 1967)
  • Terumasa Hino, Triple Helix , enja 1993
  • Paul Motian Trio 2000 + One: On Broadway Vol. 4 or the Paradox of Continuity (Winter & Winter, 2006)

Lexical entry

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Ben Ratliff: Masabumi Kikuchi Dies at 75; Jazz pianist Embraced Individualism. In: The New York Times , July 9, 2015 (accessed July 10, 2015).
  2. ↑ Bulky Master of Slowness (BR-Klassik) ( Memento from September 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), September 5, 2015
  3. ↑ The 1978 Session: Miles's Missing Musical Link (interview with George Pavlis)
  4. Jump up ↑ Jazz Echo: Balladesque Free Spirit - Masabumi Kikuchi, Paul Motian & Thomas Morgan
  5. ↑ Ben Ratliff : Floating in Time, Hiding in Sight (2012) in The New York Times
personal data
SURNAME Kikuchi, Masabumi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 菊 地 雅 章 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese jazz pianist and keyboard player
DATE OF BIRTH October 19, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Tokyo , Japan
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 2015
Place of death Manhasset , New York , United States