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previous artist: loco takayanagi		there are 18 titles featuring masayuki takayanagi in stock. they are listed below.		next artist: akemichi takeda

$20.32

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
march 9th, 2007

threads:
free-jazz
guitar-themed
concert-recordings

doubtmusic (japan) #dm 113 cd

masayuki takayanagi / new direction for the art “complete la grima” compact disc

“la grima” (41:45)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "“la grima” (1971)"

march 2007 release of the complete version of the new direction for the art’s “la grima” (“tears”) suite, recorded live at the legendary genyasai festival in 1971...

at this stage takayanagi had stripped down his “unit” to a mere guitar / sax (the endlessy blaring kenji mori) / drums (the insanely propulsive hiroshi yamazaki) trio... all three are absolutely on fire throughout (take a listen to the sound-sample; keeripes - just a flat-out explosion of sound straight out the gate... no wonder there was an uprising...)

with each successive issue of takayangi’s work, we get a much clearer picture on just how remarkably ahead of his time he really was... this rivals any contemporary free-jazz/guitar-noise blow-out session. highly recommended.

doubtmusic press release...

doubtmusic / dmh-113
takayanagi masayuki new direction for the art
complete "la grima"

takayanagi masayuki (guitar)
mori kenji (saxophone)
yamazaki hiroshi (percussion)

"la grima" (tears) was performed on august 14. 1971. at the genyasai festival in sanrizuka. japan. the first six minutes or so of this performance can be heard on the omnibus lp genya (released on co in 2004). six minutes is far too little time for such a rich. dense mass projection piece. however. and the excerpt served only to frustrate listeners. this co presents the complete. unedited version of the performance.

the genyasai was part of the anti-airport protest movement taking place at the time in sanrizuka. a district of narita city. and as such was not a music festival in the pure sense of the term. it isn't surprising, then. that the audience reacted violently against the "new jazz" of the time. of which takayanagi was the leading figure.

as if to slash through the audience's scornful. jeering reaction to takayanagi's opening remarks. the group launched into a fiercely convulsive performance. despite having a variety of objects thrown at them. takayanagi and the others kept on playing. they ended the performance to a storm of booing and shouts of "go home!"--further evidence that takayanagi's musical concept was over 30 years ahead of its time.

the tape of the complete performance, which had remained in takayanagi's home. made its way to doubtmusic via saitoh yasunori of jinya disc. for this release it was meticulously remixed and then mastered. thus. the performance of "la grima" by the newly-launched new direction for the art has been reborn in a fresher, more vivid form.

$20.32

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
august 13th, 2006

threads:
free-jazz
guitar-themed

doubtmusic (japan) #dm 111 cd

masayuki takayanagi / new direction unit “axis - another revolvable thing vol.2” compact disc

fragment - i gradually projection (19:42)
fragment - iv mass projection(12:27)
fragment - v mass projection (13:14)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "fragment - iv mass projection"

best-selling item now back in stock!

this and below/above: two long-awaited reissues of two lps originally released on the offbeat records co., ltd. label in the mid-70s... each featuring 3 long selections from a concert that took place on september 5th, 1975 at tokyo’s yasuda senmei hall by the now-legendary masayuki takayanagi new direction unit.

these are some of the earliest recording of this full-bore noise-oriented free improv quartet, fêted via a few discs on psf a few years back; takayanagi subsequently rediscovered by a new generation of free-jazz noise guitarists as the missing link between sonny sharrock and rudolph grey. just colossal waves of free sound crashing shore over and over again... selections run the gambit from abrasive scrape & holler bleed (see the sound sample for the first volume) to mystical, gestural buildup & release (ditto the sound sample here.) takayanagi is in fine form throughout, pealing off feedback-laden haze...

given how long we’ve waited for further takayanagi & co. recording to be unleashed from the vault(s) - the appearance of these discs is a pretty damn momentous occasion. these discs are essential to pretty much any fan of the mid-70s free-electric jazz spec...

doubtmusic press release...

doubtmusic / dmrp-111 (cd)
takayanagi masayuki new direction unit
axis - another revolvable thing vol.2

takayanagi masayuki (guitar)
mori kenji (reeds)
ino nobuyoshi (bass,cello)
yamazaki hiroshi (percussion).

recording data : 5th sep, 1975 @ yasuda seimei hall, tokyo
original lp : offbeat records / orlp-1009
linernotes soejima teruto (japanese, english)
case : paper cover

...

on september 5, 1975, at yasuda seimei hall in shinjuku, tokyo, new direction unit gave a creative, energetic concert entitled "another revolvable thing." new direction unit members masayuki takayanagi (guitar), kenji mori (reeds), nobuyoshi ino (bass, cello), and hiroshi yamazaki (percussion) played "fragments i-vi." of these, numbers ii, iii, and vi have already been released on the album axis vol. 1. in my liner notes for that album i likened it to a photo showing the sunlit side of a planet. axis vol. 2 gives us the other side--"fragments i, iv, v"--thus completing the reproduction of the planet's image. just as we've seen the "dark side" of the moon, we're now able to hear that day's concert in its entirety. if you'd like to hear an exact replay of the performance, listen to the albums in this order: vol. 2, side a; vol. 1, side a; vol. 2, side b; vol. 1, side b.

it was takayanagi, the leader of new direction unit, who named the concert "another revolvable thing." the performance clearly conveys takayanagi's concept of breaking away from established jazz theory and making music based on the players' own ideas. it could even be called a manifesto of sorts. in my view it's also the latest of several letters of parting written to a japanese jazz community that neglects its own development in favor of copying american jazz. four years ago the members of new direction began chipping in funds for their self-produced concerts, which they continue to put on bimonthly. while takayanagi used to describe the thing he pursues with his entire musical being as "real jazz," he now calls it "non-section music." this indicates that in recent years his creativity has expanded even further.

masayuki takayanagi was born in tokyo on december 22, 1932. at the age of 16 he began studying jazz and contemporary music. his talent was recognized early on and soon he was sharing stages with the likes of toshiko akiyoshi and akira miyazawa. in the period when he played in the historic gin paris sessions, takayanagi (along with hideto kanai) essentially served as leader. he formed and disbanded several groups before launching new direction in the summer of 1969, from which point he plunged headlong into freeform jazz and developed a playing style full of destructive power. he is a revolutionary of japanese jazz and a seeker of eternal upheaval. as a guitarist, too, he is unarguably a leading figure not only in free jazz, but in all jazz formats.

in addition to naming the concerts, takayanagi gave the album its title, axis. it's a word that points up his penchant for logical self-analysis, reveals his personal philosophy, and clearly communicates his resolve in relation to this performance.

in takayanagi's music one senses both a dry, inorganic, abstract structure and a certain voluptuous eroticism. as i pointed out in the notes to vol. 1, this is because there is an axis running through it, connecting two extremes: the raw image of fresh blood, and the methodology of purely physical mass. to what sort of place is his music's dynamism headed? and in what sort of space does it revolve?

for some reason, when i listen to new direction unit i'm seized by a hallucination: i see sound. the percussion, reeds, bass, and cello spin out a fierce and passionate chaos. with piercing speed, the guitar sound released from within that chaos shoots into the front of the listener's brain, races pleasantly through its center, and goes out the other side. when this happens the listener's consciousness and imagination press the accelerator to the floor and set off at full speed in pursuit of new direction unit's music.

one begins to see--and hear--each sound they make. the musicians listen to one another carefully and produce groups and bunches of sounds with awesomely meticulous care. the music is constructed on a foundation of superb interplay. the sound structure gradually becomes denser, so that eventually time is born, in the same way that amoebas emerged on earth. time is already racing. and when the playing is going well, time stretches like rubber to infinity. propulsion. acceleration. it isn't ligetti or xenakis. it's the music of new direction unit.

the music's internal tension and density produce speed. and speed produces space, which leads to a further increase in speed within the space of the performance. the listener's consciousness intensifies, and pursues, the speed. the totality of the performance comes ever more clearly into view. twisting and sharpening, it soars through the air. the overwhelming speed of the minds of four musicians. takayanagi's guitar playing, which somehow has a japanese feeling, speeds up the music once again.

this is the logic of acceleration. it could be said that the actualization of this logic is the thing called mass projection, and that the act of moving along the reverse side is "gradually projection." this is why, listening to new direction unit's music, one is overpowered by the sensation of floating.

time is inside, then outside, then inside again, as if running along a moebius strip. the listener's mind repeatedly goes up and down within an unfamiliar space. then the music, as it soars through a space filled with minute particles, is condensed in the darkness of the listener's own consciousness. like the spire of a heretical buddhist temple, it is suffused with a weird but intense beauty. the imaginative power that has piled acceleration upon acceleration is comfortably on the edge.

and silence reverberates within the chaos.

the tracks on this album, especially "fragment iv," have a luminous brilliance that comes from a deep place never before visited by new direction. we listeners are enthralled by this brilliance.

i recommend starting with side b.

teruto soejima

$20.32

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
august 13th, 2006

threads:
free-jazz
guitar-themed

doubtmusic (japan) #dm 110 cd

masayuki takayanagi / new direction unit “axis - another revolvable thing vol.1” compact disc

fragment - ii (gradually projection time 14:20)
fragment - iii (percussion solo time 13:05)
fragment - vi (mass projection time 22:06)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "fragment - vi (mass projection)"

best-selling item now back in stock!

doubtmusic press release...

doubtmusic / dmrp-110 (cd)
takayanagi masayuki new direction unit
axis - another revolvable thing vol.1

takayanagi masayuki (guitar)
mori kenji (reeds)
ino nobuyoshi (bass,cello)
yamazaki hiroshi (percussion).

recording data : 5th sep, 1975 @ yasuda seimei hall, tokyo
original lp : offbeat records / orlp-1005
linernotes soejima teruto (japanese, english)
case : paper cover

...

anyone who is called a jazz musician by other people or who confidently applies the term to himself is bound to have at some point pondered the question, "what is jazz, anyway?" such a person, moreover, is sure to have ruminated on the thought, "how should i play my own jazz?"

it is these two themes and the connections between them that determine the person's musical aesthetic. what's most important, though, is how deeply and widely he explores them and whether or not he thinks about them each day of his music-making life. this is the measure of his music's weight. simply put, it's the point where the difference between a jazz player (sound generator) and a jazz musician (creative artist) comes into focus.

masayuki takayanagi has used a number of terms to describe the thing he is pursuing. first it was "jazz," then "real jazz," and, now, "non-section music." the terms have changed, but takayanagi's autonomy has remained constant and his motivation has changed not one iota. in fact, over the nearly three decades since he first took up music as a boy, he has continuously deepened and broadened his explorations. and he has always played tomorrow's music today.

masayuki takayanagi was born in tokyo on december 22, 1932. at the age of 16 he began studying jazz and contemporary music. his talent was recognized early on and soon he was sharing stages with musicians like toshiko akiyoshi and akira miyazawa. during the period when he played at gin paris [a ginza club where free jazz sessions were held], he essentially served as leader, along with hideto kanai. takayanagi formed and disbanded several groups before launching new direction in the summer of 1969, from which point he plunged headlong into freeform jazz and developed a playing style full of destructive power. he is a revolutionary of japanese jazz and a seeker of eternal upheaval. as a guitarist, too, he is unarguably a leading figure not only in free jazz, but in all jazz formats.

"for me, playing free jazz is a necessity, and it's also theory," says takayanagi firmly. this creed certainly stems more from his personal perspective on time than from his experience. as for theory: having applied a systematic logic to the tracks left by his intentions and to his progressive orientation, takayanagi originated and maintains a unique and sophisticated theoretical system. this is evidenced in his methodology, with its twin nuclei of "mass projection" and "gradually projection." from within his own musical theory and repeated musical actions, he attempts to approach something even more essential. this sort of orthodox method is seldom encountered in the world of jazz. takayanagi is not only a formidably skillful and talented guitarist, but an artist continually and comprehensively rethinking his point of view and his own musical character. while new direction unit's powerful performances may seem emotion-driven, we must always remember that they are built on a fundamental methodology, and that there is a well-defined logic on the other side of the performance space. for this very reason, the group's music distances itself austerely from simple eruptions of feeling and facile expressions of sentiment, and creates a world utterly different from that of "go with the flow"-style music.

consequently, those who listen to this group from a superficial jazz perspective will find its music extremely hard to fathom. genuine things must be approached in a genuine way. if you dispense with established jazz ideas, you'll be carried along by the music and afforded both a glimpse into your innermost self and a mental trip into outer space.

drifting through all of new direction unit's music is the scent of blood. not old, clotted blood, but fresh blood. this isn't a mere semblance of music; it's sound through which the blood of living human beings has passed. which is why, in the group's performances, blood seethes, flows against the current, burns, oozes, rises, congeals, is spewed out, gushes forth. vivid red blood. takayanagi's ultimate artistic aim may well be the color of this blood. blood calls forth blood. for these four musicians, playing music together essentially means drinking one another's blood. this could be regarded as a secret signing-in-blood ritual that, in turn, calls for solidarity from the audience. truly, circumstances and art are instantaneously united in this place and time. to borrow the title of a koji wakamatsu movie, "blood is redder than the sun."

if we consider the physiological motif of blood as one extreme, we can say that the concept of completely physical "mass" is the other. in fact, very few things convey the quality/mass opposition as effectively as new direction unit's sound. take volume, for instance: it may be faint in some tunes and deafening in others, but in either case it is based on a carefully selected tone quality. even as a piece unfolds, sonic quality organizes mass and mass determines quality. what's more, quality transforms into mass and mass gives rise to new kinds of quality. it's as if the feedback between mass and quality were on an endless upward spiral. the consciousnesses of all those who happen to be present--musicians and listeners alike--soar upwards. where are they heading? towards the blackness of outer space, where the mind is completely free. perhaps we've taken possession of time at last. or perhaps, as the hollow earth theory holds, it's possible for us to go and see the underside of the planet's surface.

to put it another way, this freedom is amphibian. the pleasant sensation we derive from dangling our hands and feet in water is something far removed from the tribulations of daily life. indeed, when we listen to new direction unit we're completely steeped in sound. on september 5, 1975, the concert "another revolvable thing" (so named by takayanagi himself) was held at yasuda seimei hall in shinjuku, tokyo. the performance provided a glimpse of a wondrous planet. in a sense, this album is a photo of a heavenly body--a print of a planet's sunlit side.

fragment ii - takayanagi's gut string guitar answers kenji mori's bass clarinet. although takayanagi apparently hadn't touched the gut string guitar for two years, his tone is incredibly sharp and clear. midway through, nobuyoshi ino's cello comes to the fore, subtly changing the music's density. the effective use of fortissimo and pianissimo produces an invisible atmospheric undulation.

fragment iii - a percussion solo by hiroshi yamazaki. this tune demonstrates how powerful a player yamazaki is and how very carefully he considers the organization of the whole. he's more than just a percussionist; he makes us aware of everything from body/space interaction to the origins of sound construction. yamazaki was born in tokyo on march 28, 1940. he began to make his mark in the gin paris period and had his own group for a time. in 1970 he joined new direction. his experimental, ambitious approach has been widely praised.

fragment vi - in this mass projection piece, sound clusters issuing from the limits of physicality collide, pile up, and hurtle headlong in all directions. it's the energy of thick magma. in accordance with instructions given through takayanagi's feedback technique, the flow of clumped sounds is gradually accelerated and taken all the way to the void of outer space. sound makes consciousness float. supreme ecstacy comes about only in this extreme place.

teruto soejima

$26.98

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
june 30th, 2008

threads:
guitar-themed
free-improvisation

jinya disc (japan) #jinya b13 cd

masayuki takayanagi “live at taro” compact disc

come fall (11:02)
time on my hands (11:39)
you’d be so nice to come home to (11:17)
subconscious-lee (10:30)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "subconscious-lee"

june 2008 release ; the thirteenth title in mr. saito’s campaign of archival materials of legendary japanese free/jazz guitarist masayuki takayanagi ... this presents four standards recorded by an electric quartet at the tail end of the 70s. shades of jazz fusion are evident throughout (read: rhodes piano) ; tak & co. are definitely in “in” mode here ; the playing is straight-laced, swingin’, & on-meter throughout ...

always a pleasure to hear more extant/archival playing from the man ; but again, like the “lonely woman” & “flower girl” sets this one’s more for the takayanagi completist ...

jinya disc press release...

the takayanagi another world which performs jazz with strong picking!
live sound recording of shinjuku jazz club “taro”.

live at taro masayuki takayanagi group

member
masayuki takayanagi (el.g)
kenji kosei (el.p)
yasuhito mori (b)
yasuhiro yamazaki (ds)

information of sound recording
mono (monaural)
takayanagi's private tape
recorded cassette tape recorder
june 24, 1979

produce jinya disc
mastering alm record
design akira sasaki

jinya disc b-13
2008 may 3rd sale schedule

special thanks to michiko takayanagi and taro akiyama

$26.98

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
july 17th, 2007

threads:
guitar-themed
free-improvisation

jinya disc (japan) #jinya b12 cd

masayuki takayanagi / new direction unit “april is the cruellest month” compact disc

we have existed (10:21)
what have we given? (6:43)
my friend, blood shaking my heart (19:43)
we have existed (alternate take) (10:06)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "my friend, blood shaking my heart"

june 2007 re-release; finally, the last missing piece in the jinya-disc / masayuki takayanagi puzzle: his 1975 new direction unit” quartet date “april is the cruelest month” (originally slated for release on the legendary esp-disk’, but alas stollman folded the label just after preparations had begun...) reissued in a lovely mini-lp-sleeve replica edition with a bonus track and liner notes in both english and japanese ...

(ps - i’ve reprinted teruto soejima’s the english liner-notes below - one of the more entertaining bits of writing on “energy music” i’ve come across in a good long while ...)

jinya disc press release...

3023 stereo
april is the cruellest month
masayuki takayanagi new direction unit

personnel =
masayuki takayanagi (g)
kenji mori (as, a, bcl)
nobuyoshi ino (b,cello)
hiroshi yamazaki (perc)

all composition (outer frames and forms) by masayukl takayanagi

...

this is new direction
by teruto soejima

this is indeed a new direction. the driving power of the standout group new direction unit has come into being via several different paths.

the group's leader, masayuki takayanagi, plays in various genres in addition to free jazz and is well known as japan's best guitarist. many musicians go to takayanagi whenever there is a complex guitar score to be played. with his exceptional talent, it would have been a simpie manner to gain monetary wealth as a musician.

but takayanagi chose artistic integrity over wealth. his stance, as the guiding force of japanese new music's core group, never wavers. he always aims for the ultimate technical progress and, by continually pursuing new musical ideas, strives for greater depth in his own music. takayanagi maintains a rigorous attitude towards music itself.

through the experience and theoretical grounding gained during his long career in music, takayanagi has developed two fundamental concepts, which he explains thus: “these are static and kinetic phenomena that take the forms of 'gradually [sic] projection' and 'mass projection.' when the two are combined or united, the possibilities are infinite.”

in keeping with this methodology, takayanagi instructs the group's members to free themselves from existing frameworks and formats. together they play completely improvised freeform music.

the album and track titles were taken from the famous poem by t.s. eliot.

tracks 1, 2, and 4 take the “gradually projection” approach, whereby power is expressed internally as well as externally. in an airtight space, energy is gradually accumulated and the density of the mass produced through all-out effort continues to increase. the invisible power whirls through the space, racing along incessantly while occasionally emitting flashes of light at the outer limits. just imagine this spectacle. this is the musical energy of new direction unit. the power comes from their unique sense of time, and the sound is vividly brought to life by their superb collaboration.

in track 3, through the “mass projection” method, the power produces a monumental explosion. energy rushes headlong into the far corners of infinite outer space. this “madness” is constructed with great care. it’s as if the weightiest things were gathered from among all kinds of ordinariness and packed into the sound. this sound takes on meaning and launches an attack.

at first the sound strikes the listener as loud noise. is this really music? yes - magnificent music. the performance is filled to the brim with the takayanagi spirit. in a calm, levelheaded manner, he builds his own kind of sound - a sound like a raging sea, a sudden squall, a flying jet. the sound is hurled into unknown musical territory. it's the awesome crescendo of new direction unit!

the volume is stepped up even more. the playing accelerates exponentially, and it feels good. only freeform music delivers this surpassing swing.

at around the halfway point in the music, we become aware of an unexpected change in the sound. deep within the roaring sound, we perceive something like a continuous stream of extremely delicate shards of beauty. in the far reaches of a wilderness of volubility, a castle of silence floats, mirage-like, into view. the group's music has guided us on a trip into hyperspace. for a short time our consciousness wanders in a mirror-image world. this sensation of all phenomena being reversed is in fact the elegance that is present on the reverse side of vio.lence. curiously, there exists within new direction unit's massive sound a solemnity similar to that in the organ music of j.s. bach. it's a metaphysical enlightenment and tranquility that could even be called religious.

into hiroshi yamazaki’s, magnificent waves of percussion are interwoven takayanagi’s awesomely beautiful guitar and kenji mori’s alto sax. nobuyoshi ino's cello presses insistently nearer. in this sound, their passionate artistic aspirations are realized. we listeners just stand there, helplessly mesmerized. and at length, we take our leave from this place of fearsome beauty.

at the base of this music, which is too sharp-edged and furious to be described as unique, one senses the influence of traditional japanese culture. vivid autumn hues that burn up the landscape. noh-like dramaturgy that connects this world with the netherworld. takayanagi the musician violently expands refinement and, what's more, makes the listener perceive this elegance. this is where his power as an artist becomes apparent.

one more thing. it should be noted that the violent nature of takayanagi’s, expressive style is a manifestation of his anger about the corrupted state of today's world. his keen sensitivity establishes an “image of blood” connoting freshness, beauty, and violence. his artist's blood cries out in response to beauty and in protest against corruption. this is evident in the album's track titles, too. and this is what new direction is about.

- june 1975

$26.98

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
april 1st, 2007

threads:
free-jazz
guitar-themed
sound-poetry

jinya disc (japan) #jinya b11 cd

masayuki takayanagi “shibito” compact disc

[the deceased] (21:05)
[ancient observatory] (10:26)
[god of stone] (25:01)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "[god of stone]"

eleventh & most recent title in the jinya series; a 1984 recording of a spoken word/sound-poetry piece with accompaniment by masayuki takayanagi on guitar & satoshi on bass/cello.

as with all takayanagi-related music from the 80s on; a mysterious force pervades throughout - this gets pretty damn violent/noise-addled in spots, only to be followed directly by long snatches of silence.

an excellent note to end on...

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

good fortune increase takayanagi river

poet coaction of masayuki "good fortune increase hardness structure" and takayanagi river satoshi basis.

part
good fortune increase takayanagi
second section
good fortune increase takayanagi river

the deceased (it does by the recitation of good fortune increase and the ) from starts and recording the stage which performed representative work ancient observatory other than good fortune increase with no cutting. as for takayanagi, the time when from direction it is in the midst of moving in action direct. this time which was called metaimprovisation besides the fact that using the chain and the steel scale, it performs the guitar, using the tape, had made the various sound sources mix. coaction with the poem you do not say and very in the collision whose word is extreme as for being accompaniment, you can become tense.

the paper of the material feeling like the thick japanese paper where the jacket made the designated plate of the designer sasaki dawn person was used. it was written thin, you wrote letter "of the deceased", on good fortune increase person himself.

good fortune increase hardness structure
1939 tokyo origin. celebration justice private school university course in japanese literature graduation. from while attending developing "mita poet" "drum can" central poem activity. ever since, today activity is continued with the point of poem. "to entrance of house" of god fireworks of main anthology "starting" "golden pralter" " stone" and so on.

good fortune increase hardness structure (recitation)
masayuki takayanagi (guitar)
river satoshi basis (cello)

1984 sound recording
to cd we have converted from the private tape which takayanagi records.

mastering alm recoard
design akira sasaki

$26.98

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
april 1st, 2007

threads:
guitar-themed

jinya disc (japan) #jinya b10p cd

masayuki takayanagi “flower girl (pink version)” compact disc

so deep and so blue
far-away land
prologue to summer
night flight
love wave
flower girl
sablier
so soft
tan tan
blues for narcisse

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "flower girl"

tenth title in the jinya series; the masayuki takayanagi quintet play “flower girl” (as composed by cion tomita) in 1968. another odd one in that it’s a set of groovy bossa-nova tinged instrumentals run through by a crack studio-band (consisting of akira mitobe on vibes, eijiro hagiwara on bass, motohiko hino on drums, and toshio sato on rhythm guitar...)

shades of walter wanderley throughout; not even the slightest hint of transgressions/aggressions to come... another one for the “headz”...

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

jacket pink version

only 100 my house board lp which is pressed with the original jacket cd conversion. as a work of the sixties the luxurious jacket which used the silver unusually. also design is beautiful. all the compilation orthodox performance contents.

bossa nova boom of the sixties. the takayanagi quartet has competed with the tv program where the gill belt performs. takayanagi of this time was the time when it is in the midst of free form unit preparing. there is an episode that with club of the schedule which performs jazz suddenly at large volume the glass of the table fell on the floor including feedback.

flower girl
flower girl: a collection of toshio tomita' s musical works
masayuki takayanagi quintet plays
1968 sound recording
cd remasterd: alm record
cd issue additional designed: akira sasaki

jinya disc b-10

* as for this work in 1969 only 100 it is something which the private board which is pressed to cd is converted. lp, two jackets of the blue and pink being to exist with the same recording contents, prepared two colors even in cd edition. we deleted the modification and 1 tune (so soft) of number the occasion where it sells as "the smile i love" (jinya dasc b-03), but with this work we have become contents of production that time.

reissue board
paper jacket specification

masayuki takayanagi :guitar
akira mitobe :vib
eijiro hagiwara :bass
motohiko hino :drums
toshio sato :2nd guitar
kiyoshi yamaya :arrange
all composition by toshio tomita

$26.98

back in stock as of
june 19th, 2009

first in stock on
april 1st, 2007

threads:
guitar-themed

jinya disc (japan) #jinya b10b cd

masayuki takayanagi “flower girl (blue version)” compact disc

so deep and so blue
far-away land
prologue to summer
night flight
love wave
flower girl
sablier
so soft
tan tan
blues for narcisse

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "flower girl"

“blue” version - identical compact disc as the “pink” version, only in a baby-blue sleeve with a blue insert ...

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

blue version

only 100 my house board lp which is pressed with the original jacket cd conversion. as a work of the sixties the luxurious jacket which used the silver unusually. also design is beautiful. all the compilation orthodox performance contents.

bossa nova boom of the sixties. the takayanagi quartet has competed with the tv program where the gill belt performs. takayanagi of this time was the time when it is in the midst of free form unit preparing. there is an episode that with club of the schedule which performs jazz suddenly at large volume the glass of the table fell on the floor including feedback.

flower girl
flower girl: a collection of toshio tomita' s musical works
masayuki takayanagi quintet plays
1968 sound recording
cd remasterd: alm record
cd issue additional designed: akira sasaki

jinya disc b-10

* as for this work in 1969 100 it is something which the private board which is pressed to cd is converted. lp, two jackets of the blue and pink being to exist with the same recording contents, prepared two colors even in cd edition. modification and 1 tune of number (so soft) we had deleted the occasion where it sells "the smile i love" (jinya dasc b-03) as, but with this work we have become contents of production that time.

reissue board
paper jacket specification

masayuki takayanagi :guitar
akira mitobe :vib
eijiro hagiwara :bass
motohiko hino :drums
toshio sato:2nd guitar
kiyoshi yamaya :arrange
all composition by toshio tomita

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threads:
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jinya disc (japan) #jinya b09 cd

masayuki takayanagi / new direction unit “mass hysterism - in another situation” compact disc

mass hysterism - part i (10:01)
mass hysterism - part ii (10:08)
mass hysterism - part iii (9:56)
mass hysterism - part iv (10:29)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "mass hysterism ii"

ninth title in the jinya series; a single 40-minute blast of twin-guitar (a positively baby-faced akira ijima doing his damnedest throughout to keep up with masayuki takayanagi’s flare-out) & drums (the incomparable hiroshi yamazaki) recorded at... you guessed it; kid ailack hall on august 14th, 1983.

for me, this disc has long been one of the highlights of electrified free jazz from any era/location. fans of rudolph grey’s blue humans and latter-day free-energy/rock-damage practitioners such as lambsbread owe it to themselves to check this out...

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

new direction unit

cd (jazz today music)
live sound recording
label jinya disc

last form of the new direction unit which grasps the secret of the latter-term takayanagi music which reaches to action direct

takayanagi masayuki new direction unit
1983 sound recording

masayuki takayanagi (g)
akira iijima (g and etc)
hiro yamazaki (dr and per)

page 8 jackets
photograph south tatuo
yoshiyuki explanation kitasato

it is the free jazz which is led to the body pulse which as for the group projection in 20th analog the - situation, hiro yamazaki spreads stuffs the sound field all the way and. without either repelling the phrase of one piece, the supply system of electric sound the distortion guitar 2 it converts, although swimming freely and the fish which it turns we would like to see in the water, cutting time with method of swimming each one and tearing, in beautiful one bodily sensation it has satisfied the world with electric sound. being simple above this, probably is there beautiful music? (from explanation)

recorded kid ailak hall august 14, 1983

another situation vol.20 part2

jan cord/code 4539113102500

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jinya disc (japan) #jinya b08 cd

masayuki takayanagi “lonely woman live” compact disc

lonely woman (11:37)
kary's trance (6:45)
for guitar (12:21)
song for che (12:37)
lennie's pennies (8:05)
epilogue (lonely woman) (2:08)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "kary's trance"

...i know, i said that “april is the cruelest month” was the last piece of the puzzle; that is before mr. saito was nice enough to sell me a box of this long out-of-print disc containing masayuki takayanagi’s legendary “one note” versions of several standards, recorded live at the pit in on december 1st, 1982.

by “one note”, i mean exactly that; there’s none of that joe-pass “guitar as orchestra” style comping or melody/bass-line arrangements. this is simply takayanagi playing the heads, then transmogrifying the melodies and chord contour in extended takes. think steve lacy’s “solo monk” sets translated to guitar...

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

live of lonely woman

the name board of the guitar solo where the mind of modern and free is complicated ' the lonely woman ' performance of the body which is commemorated

masayuki takayanagi (electric guitar)
1982 sound recording

page 6 jackets
photograph south tatuo
yoshiyuki explanation kitasato

recorded pit inn december 1, 1982

$26.98

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jinya disc (japan) #jinya b07 cd

masayuki takayanagi “a jazzy profile of jojo” compact disc

the things we did last summer (3:42)
who can i turn to (3:03)
that old feeling (2:37)
prelude in chords (1:12)
rock-a-bye your baby with a dixe melody (2:36)
there'll never be another you (3:39)
say it (over and over again) (3:14)
my foolish heart (4:19)
moritat (3:14)
prelude no.4
op.16 (1:13)
embraceable you (3:33)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "rock-a-bye your baby ..."

seventh title in the jinya series; an entirely straight-ahead 1970 quartet date (double bass, drums, piano - all musicians other than masayuki takayangi uncredited - in english at least...)

“a jazzy profile of jojo” features 11 45-length run-throughs of standards by gershwin, coltrane, weill, etc... takayanagi comps, riffs, & solos admirably throughout - he’s got a tal farlow / barney kessel-esque sense of phrasing in this context that’s, frankly, something of a gas.

strictly for the heads... noise-weirdos: keep your distance.

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

"1970 victor japanese jazz series"

the work which pursues the ad lib of jazz. beginning cd, first recurrence.

from the corporation the sound source it is something which is leased. it reissues with the design which is close to the original jacket.

masayuki takayanagi (g)
harada governmental length (b)
hiro yamazaki (dr)
takeshi shibuya (p)

takeshi arrangement shibuya

1970 march sound recording
jinya disc bir-007

jan cord/code 4539113101985

$21.98

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jinya disc (japan) #jinya b06 cd

masayuki takayanagi / angry waves “dislocation” compact disc

first (17:28)
second (17:49)
third (21:26)
fourth (13:32)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "third"

sixth in the jinya series; a 1983 trio date featuring the “angry waves” - the bass-less trio of masayuki takayangi (electric guitar), fumio yasuda (piano), and hiroshi yamazaki (drums.) four side-length meditations of free-sound; much in line with late 70s euro-british improv, yet brimming with takayanagi’s singular voice.

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

fault dislocation

cd (jazz)
live sound recording
label jinya disc

live 1983 of angry waves. thrilling stage at "of store of " in performance order of the day 70 minute complete recording.

angry waves
masayuki takayanagi (g)
fumio yasuda, middle (p)
hiroshi yamazaki (dr)

1983 november sound recording
jinya disc b-06

jan cord/code 4539113101978

$21.98

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threads:
live-electronic
electro-acoustic-improvisation
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minimalism-drones

jinya disc (japan) #jinya b05 cd

masayuki takayanagi “three improvised variations on a theme of qadhafi” compact disc

variation i (26:05)
variation ii (20:11)
variation iii (6:18)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "variation i"

fifth title in the jinya campaign (the third , “the smile i love” was simply an earlier version of the same music reissued on the “flower girl” sets (jinya b10b/b10p) - the fourth, “el pulso” appears to be o/p) - this 1990 solo session really caught me by surprise; it’s never been mentioned (to me at least) as one of the “seminal” takayanagi releases; yet it appears to be an almost entirely electronic (as in synthesizers, effects, filters, etc...) take on the groundwork laid out earlier (later?) that year on “inanimate nature” - strange as he’s only credited with “guitar” both on the disc and in the label-info...

regardles of which tools he is or isn’t using, this is amazing, eye-opening music.

jinya disc press release...

liner notes by jim o’rourke:

you might find it odd that in the history of music making, it is not often that someone thinks to hold their instrument the wrong way. why not play the cello backwards, and why not play flute with a saxophone mouthpiece?

of course, in the last decades, people have asked the same question, frances marie-uitti has not only played the cello backwards, but with two bows, and mats gustafsson slapped a sax and flute together, sending supersonic squawks into our ears. only the piano seemed to escape these barriers early on, opening the lid, reaching inside, whether it was the hands of cage, crumb, or cowell, or their many followers. if the piano was not so heavy, someone might be tempted to turn it on it's side and play it like a giant autoharp.

the guitar is not nearly as heavy though, and although it is considered bad manners to put the guitar on his back, it has been those who stepped back and said" why pick it up?" that have expanded the language of "the world's most popular instrument." late in masayuki takayanagi's musical adventures, he made the same decision, almost as if he was constrained by looking down at his six strings from the side, he need to attack it head on.

the first time i heard his tabletop guitar was on "collaborative performance", his lp with john zorn on the moby's disk label. i was expecting something in the vein of his earthshattering duo with kaoru abe, and was strangely curious when i saw the back cover: there was takayanagi and zorn shaking hands after a performance, but there on the table in front of him, piled high with kitschen utensils, pedals, motors, etc., laid takayanagi's instrument, like a championship runner, spread out on the ground after a gruelling race.

i found the picture both odd and intriguing, like keith rowe, he had the guitar laying on it's back, but the pedals and homemade electronics were more reminiscent of the 60's electronic setups of david tudor, gordon mumma, or takehisa kosugi. but takayanagi sounded like none of these, like on his solo record "mass projection" and on these very special recordings, he's creating a dense constellation of moving bodies, expanding gasses, and exploding stars.

these sounds do not seems to come from one place, bursting forth from a single cardboard amp speaker, instead the seem to come from above, below, and all around both inside and outside our heads. this is a music that sets us free to roam at our own pace, through endless corridors of possibilities and discovery, and when we revisit it again, we find it is still unmapped territory, where we thought there was a path we find only detours, and what once before was a forboding high mountin peak is now a tranquil lake.

a elaborate field filled with braid strokes and detailed images, and to think, some people still think he played the guitar "wrong" ---------- jim o'rourke

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threads:
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jinya disc (japan) #jinya b04 cd

loco takayanagi / los pobres “el pulso” compact disc

leguisamo solo (2:23)
murmullos (2:36)
silencio (2:45)
milonga del 900 (2:01)
ataniche (2:18)
ay, aurora (2:31)
intimas (2:27)
mi buenos aires querido (4:42)
dos amigos (4:11)
margaritas (2:43)
volver (2:44)
sol tropical (2:45)
amemonos (2:55)
ausencia (2:16)
caprichosa (2:53)
medallita de la suerte (2:33)
el tango es azul (2:53)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "dos amigos"

february 2008 release ; masayuki takayanagi’s “lost” tango record ... aside from “the smile i love” (which was actually reissued as jinya b-10b/p :: “flower girl” - no need to track it down...) this was the last missing piece of jinya / saito-san’s remarkably thorough overview of takayanagi’s career, out of print for close to 10 years, now re-pressed !!!

officially credited to “loco takayanagi y los pobres,” the group is actually takayanagi, bassist ino faith, and six other guitar players - recorded live in front of a respectful crowd, playing a rarified strain of tango bringing in elements from “hot jazz” (django reinhardt’s jowly mug is in soft-focus throughout), flamenco, & relatable guitar-based island music(s) ...

the set is primarily acoustic, with one absolutely lovely number featuring some electric playing by tak (listen to the sound-sample - almost getting into al dimeola territory there...) & even a sing-along chorus in the final number ... which is to say that, much like the “flower girl” and “jazzy profile of jojo” sets this is one for the takayanagi completists, or those simply wishing to get the full picture of his range ...

jinya disc press release...

el pulso

product code: b-04sproduction origin: jinya disc

takayanagi attitude is opposite to music always in the true at the time of each category. this is record of one piece which leaves the rhythm of the tango which long time was continued to pursue on the chord. (from cd cap)

it is not the group which aimed for boom and the rarity which were made simply. when it related to jazz in takayanagi music history, learned the rhythm of the tango which almost spends the same time. the first step of the investigation is "el pluso". live with shibuya jeanjean and shinjuku pit-in. going out from the market, 8 years. jacket binding anew re-sale.

loco takayanagi and (1995 sound recording)

masayuki guitar takayanagi
toshio guitar sato
siyouzirou 7st.guitar ikeda
guitar matsuoka showa
guitar niwa greatness
guitar sakamoto akira
shinichi guitar miyazaki
contra bass ino faith

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threads:
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jinya disc (japan) #jinya b02 cd

masayuki takayanagi “reason for being” compact disc

hackensack [monk] (8:05)
you don’t know what love is [raye/depaul] (9:09)
900320 [takayanagi] (10:42)
reason for being [takayanagi] (9:31)
901027 [takayanagi] (10:29)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "reason for being"

2nd title in the jinya series; a 1992 duo session by masayuki takayanagi (here on a round, clean-toned hollowbody semi-acoustic) & noboyushi ino (double bass.)

what starts out as a fairly by-the-numbers session with free-leaning take on monk’s “hackensack” and a confounding, almost by-the-(real-)book rendering of the standard “you don’t know what love is” set sail for orbit starting with the first of three takayanagi originals & pretty much stays out there for the rest of the session.

while not the white-hot sheets-of-sound approach as evidenced on “la grima” and the psf-label new direction unit discs, there’s a kind of almost blues-based, yet clearly post-derek-bailey approach (specifically recalls bailey’s duets with bassist motoharu yoshizawa) that reveals layer-after-onion-skin-layer of hidden logic-strands, unfurling what becomes something of a familiar language by discs’ end.

takayanagi’s use of subtle feedback, octave-pedal effects & de-tuning in spots (listen to the sound-clip) coupled with ino’s crisp & equally angular lines make for a good, challenging listen; not the most insanely destroyed takanayagi date but not the “straightest” by a long-shot...

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

reason four

cd (jazz)
live sound recording
label jinya disc

talk of the sound which during the time when it keeps being shaved with the amount mark, it had named the my brother, is filled the crisis atmosphere of ino faith.

"the duo" of ino faith was done "pit-in" (shinjuku)"" (azabu) jazz men club (yokohama)"" (nagoya) with periodically, eye ra, the monk, picked up the tune of and the call man, etc. the chain, used iron-made and the like was also a thing which is performed with completely free form. it selects music this cd, from live with "of " and "".

masayuki takayanagi (g)
ino faith (b)

1990 sound recording
jinya disc b-02

jan cord/code 4539113101909

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jinya disc (japan) #jinya b01 cd

masayuki takayanagi “inanimate nature - action direct / live at jean jean” compact disc

inanimate nature i (20:33)
inanimate nature ii (11:18)
inanimate nature iii (4:57)
inanimate nature iv (20:19)

click the play button to hear an excerpt of "inanimate nature i"

the first title in yasunori saito’s exhaustive survey of the music of masayuki takayanagi via his jinya disc imprint... the arrival of these discs in the mms catalogue has been a long time in the making; extremely glad to have these seminal documents of free-scrape/noise-guitar crossover in stock !!!

this disc features takayanagi on solo “tabletop guitar” as recorded “aug 4, 1990 at ‘new direction for the arts, regular concert vol.69’ jean jean tokyo” - nothing at all like fred frith, keith rowe, or jim o’rourke’s experiments in the field; this is visceral, ominous music, full of disembodied clanks and ring-modulated whispers in a full-on haze-field of phasing/flanging sound.

of his later records, this is widely considered to be the “classic” ...

jinya disc press release...

...

below: direct babelfish translation from the japanese label info...

nature

cd (jazz today music)
live sound recording
label jinya disc

live of the regular concert with jeanjean of masayuki's takayanagi which continues to imagine the new music where compromise is not permitted new direction "action direct".

since 1969 succeeds the style of the free form which new direction forming is consistent "action direct" became last unit for takayanagi. 2 guitars which horizontal ranging are done, to the table which surrounds takayanagi four side speed are sounded with the motor which is controlled, the body guitar and the stereo tape recorder where the neck is removed do are arranged 4, the mixer and the like, cramped and with. it starts from the roar which strikes the guitar with the metal bar, inanimate nature 10 minutes later rushes to the mass projection.

masayuki takayanagi (g)

guitar 3
(automatic operation performance containing)
body guitar
various motor
tape recorder 4
ring modulator -
analog effector -
mega phone speaker
steel ring
other things

toshihiko explanation shimizu

1990 august sound recording
jinya disc b-01

jan cord/code 4539113101893

$32.41

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three blind mice (japan) #tbm 5018 cd

masayuki takayanagi “cool jojo” compact disc

foggy day
these things
hi beck
palo alto
317 east 32nd
subconscious lee
my new flame
lennie's pennies
froggy day (alternate take)
hi beck (alternate take)
317 east 32nd (alternate take)
subconscious lee (alternate take)

odd “standards” disc from takayanagi...

three blind mice press release...

"jojo" went back to the starting point of believing that the soul of jazz is ad lib, and took a new approach based on such theory. avant-garde music or free form does not exist without a respect for classic, and thus, it turned out to be a special album reflecting his sincerity.

$27.37

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tiliqua (japan) #tilar 5008 cd

masayuki takayanagi “independence - tread on sure ground” compact disc

the galactic system
sick ... sick ... sickness ... my aunt
study no.3 up and down
herdsman’s pipe of spain
deepnight ........ swamp
pirahna
bonus track (from “guitar workshop” february 1970)

march 2007 reissue of masayuki takayanagi’s debut studio album, recorded in 1969 with sabu toyozumi and motoharu yoshizawa.

tiliqua press release...

takayanagi masayuki: “independence - tread on sure ground”

(tiliqua records - tilar-5008)new release in tiliqua records' ongoing archival series is this quintessential album by takayanagi masayuki. it was his debut recording as a leader with his newly erected unit the new directions, a trio consisting out of bassist yoshizawa and drummer toyozumi ‘sabu' yoshisaburô.

recorded at the teichiku kaikan studios on 18 september 1969 (released in 1970), independence – tread on sure ground, is largely regarded as the first true classic of japanese free jazz.

the group thrashes out an entirely new japanese methodology for improvisation based on takayanagi's theories about progressive art. as alan cummings explains in his liner notes, the group's sonic outburst is pregnant with an urgent intensity similar to a violent rotating windstorm.

“an electric guitar string is pinged with a sour and markedly unlovely resonance. it is left to fade away naturally, its dying whisper replaced with a wavering feedback tone that grows steadily in volume and thickness. against the slow feedback wave, a sudden loud percussive crash, urgent staccato rolls across the toms, and the dry rasp of a rattle. a choppy, non-sequential series of chords from the guitar, still mouth-puckeringly bitter is set against the warmer resonance of an alternately bowed and plucked double bass. each instrument sounds self-contained, like lunar bodies spinning on their own axes at different tempos, but locked together by unfathomably complex rules of motion. additional percussive rattles and scrapes have been overdubbed to fill in the blank space. tendrils of feedback snake in and out, like cosmic dust from some cataclysmic celestial event. the playing is exploratory and deliberate, technically adept and keenly judged, easily sustaining interest and motion across the track's eleven minutes. its sense of focused concentration is more akin to the european free improvisation of amm or the spontaneous music ensemble than the violent ecstasies of american fire music.” (ac – from the liner notes).

the cd reissue includes also the bonus track “mass projection” which was originally issued on the compilation album guitar workshop (teichiku, 1970).

this cd is housed in a high quality mini-lp styled gatefold sleeve, completed with obi and extensive 4-paged illuminating liner notes by alan cummings. original artwork is faithfully reproduced. one time only limited pressing.

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...and that's everything in stock featuring masayuki takayanagi.
(why not take a look at the previous and next artists?)

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akemichi takeda

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... this page was last updated on wednesday, march 10th, 2010 @ 5:44 pm