Sunday, December 20, 2009

Steve Lacy- Yuji Takahashi-Takehisa Kosugi- Distant Voices- 1976, (Nippon Columbia,YX-7085-N lp)











Here as promised to Unshaped among others is a rip of Distant voices.. courtesy of Wightdj.. who sent it to me months ago, sorry its taken so long to post.
the rip is from a fairly scuffed copy , but after spending hours cleaning it spectrally over the last few weeks , i think it now sounds fine... if not completely unblemished , its still crackly though the larger "objects" have been removed.

apparently a cd version was released in Japan some 10 years ago ( long since gone) containing extra tracks from the same sessions but without lacy , i'd love to hear those if anyone cares to share the cd..., there are also rumours of a concert by these three , with Masahiko Togashi added on percussion from the same year... another one for the wish list anyone have it?

This will no doubt not be high priority for those who prefer Lacy's more overtly jazz orientated records.... all three tracks are Free improvisations.
i am a fan of Lacy in free mode , and this is a very fine example!

Both.. Kosugi , and Takahashi are composers in their own right and still alive as far as i know.
Kosugi having been a member of the pioneering free improv cum space rock band Taj mahal travellers.
Takahashi is known to me mainly as an interpreter of Claude debussy's piano music as well as the key piano repertoire of Messiaen Xenakis, Barraque, and Boulez.


DISTANT VOICES:
1/ Distant Voices (TK, SL, YT) 20:39
2/ Flying Off (TK, SL, YT) 10:15
3/ Midsummer Blues (TK, SL, YT) 7:18

Recorded at Nippon Columbia Studio No. 1, Tokyo, June 24, 1975

Steve Lacy: soprano, percussion; Yuji Takahashi: piano, celesta, vibraphone,
percussion; Takehisa Kosugi: violin, flute, voice, percussion.

1976 - Columbia (Japan), YX-7085-N (LP)

appreciation and respect to Wightdj for sharing this!!

enjoy !

BTW
All the Taj mahal travellers stuff is i think back in print ....
august 1974, is amazing .. if a little dated perhaps by the pervasive use of echoplex and other effects, very much worth hearing though ... and not dissimilar to what some of the more exploratory Krautrock bands were doing.. without all the Riffing !

i'd also very much recommend Yuji takahashis xenakis disc on denon.. for those with open ears, it too is apparently still in print..
heres the info
http://www.discogs.com/Yuji-Takahashi-Plays-Xenakis-Evryali-Herma-Messiaen-Quatre-%C3%89tudes-De-Rythme/release/1699763

41 comments:

SOTISE said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gd said...

i have the CD version of this. just picked it up on a recent trip to japan. ill try to rip it and send it over in the new year.

john said...

thank you for this, there's a lot of Lacy that shows no sign of re-appearing, so this is very welcome.

1009 said...

Thanks so much, sotise! As you know, this is my favorite period of Lacy. Haven't listened yet, but only because my band just recorded a little EP and I've had our rough mixes on non-stop since then. When it's done I'll send some files for you -- as long as you don't share them on the internet!!! Just kidding.

SOTISE said...

Thanks gd, i'd love to hear the cd, ewnjoyed browsing your blog crystal vibrations too.

1009, wow sounds major.. is that a debut slab.... would love to hear it.. have a good end of year eh/ start to the new one.

Unknown said...

So no more Sotise!!

But happy to see you return…
… in a new suit!!

Many thanks Wightdj for "bringing" another Lacy, and as says 1009, perhaps the most interesting period. Of course many thanks to you Sotise…
Oh sorry, Spazz numbNuts (it will take some time…) thanks for the Kuhn rarity too!!

See you!

Remiller4 said...

Thank you very much for this forgotten (?) Lacy. He was a genius for finding all the right combinations of musicians all over the world.
If you have this, maybe, just maybe, you may have the long OOP Mal Waldron at the DUG from around the same time period. I've looked everywhere for that one. Thanks. Rob

SOTISE said...

Rob , which long out of print Waldron record are you talking about? .... there are so many , one that im looking out for so far to no avail, is 'Spanish Bitch' do you ,know/ have it ... slightly earlier 71 i think.

÷—__—__—, nice to be back if only temporarily!...

Remiller4 said...

Spazz: The one I've been looking for is MAL WALDRON LIVE AT DUG MEDITATIONS JAPAN LP
VICTOR SMJX-10147. I have been wanted to hear that one for years. Can anyone post it?

kinabalu said...

I'll have to look into this one, particularly for the presence of Takehisa Kosugi. I'm planning to post some of his solo violin improvisations in the near future.

ushaped said...

hello,

thank you! thank you!

this is a real rarity, japan-only columbia. all of lacy's recorded adventures in japan are interesting but this is the rarest and one of the earliest. the cd you are mentioning is a Masahiko Togashi & Yuji Takahashi session called Twilight that included this album as bonus tracks! it's not the same session though.

all the best!

serviceton said...

sotise, (i mean spazz) - a ripper ! Thanks my friend

SOTISE said...

unshaped ,would you care to share the cd, its not widely available , perhaps not even in print!

ushaped said...

Although Pharoah's Dance is no more, their link for the album still works (which is where I got it):

http://www.mediafire.com/?nw1yewmgml1

MASAHIKO TOGASHI & YUJI TAKAHASHI - TWILIGHT (1976)

dawn
li-hun
twilight

yuji takahashi (p, synths)
ryuichi sakamoto (p, synths)
yuji takahashi Jr (synths)
masahiko togashi (perc)
yoshizaburo toyozumi (perc)

kinabalu said...

Since there was a reference to the Taj Mahal Travellers in the main post, I thought I should mention that the "OZ days live" is now out in a limited cd package. It's a special document of the early days of the Japanese underground, originally out on lp. It also has the Les Rallizes Denudes. Worthwhile getting for those interested in the Japanese underground. I did. Nowt to do with Australia. This was a Japanese club that was eventually shut down due to too many drug busts. Touch of the magic mushroom in there, I'm sure ...

SOTISE said...

@Unshaped, i grabbed that from pharoes dance ages ago i think , but it didnt contain 'distant voices'as bonus tracks... at least not as far as i remember.

K... yeah read about that package ... i have heard rumours though particularly in connection with rallizes & mituzani more specifically .. that the drug of choice was more likely heroin.

ushaped said...

hi spazz,

no it didn't contain the bonus tracks, I was only trying to help clarify your comments, I unfortunately don't have the bonus tracks

perhaps the earlier poster "gd" will be kind enough to upload his CD version

this is really a great share, thanks so much again. the music doesn't disappoint

best wishes for a happy holiday!

SOTISE said...

it looks like the FLAC links ( link 2) have been removed by Rs... or a complaint....cant think why
ill re up... as soon as i can!

SOTISE said...

NEW ..FLAC LINKS


http://rapidshare.com/files/325243648/distantvoices.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/325243562/distantvoices.part2.rar

lame 256
http://rapidshare.com/files/323723855/Distantvoices_mp3.zip

1009 said...

Debut slab from my garage-punk trio. The prog stuff I mentioned earlier in the year has taken quite a bit longer -- go figure! Happy holidays to those who do that kind of thing!

serviceton said...

Garage punk for Christmas? You beauty 1009 ! Where's it at ?
To you and everybody else on this thread, and who's dropped by and left a comment anywhere here over the course of the year - Happy Christmas. (sniffs emotionally)..
:o)
Best to all!

Newk said...

Thanks for this! I'm glad Taj Mahal Travellers came up. Their music fell right into my world when I was searching for something AMM- or MEV-like with a little less harshness. They do and don't fit that category, with a little Riley here, a little Don Cherry in Europe there. Please forgive the wonking and name-dropping...

Nuage fiché qui rêve said...

Very nice !
Merci Wightdj, et merci Spazz NumbNuts !

ushaped said...

hi spazz/sotise,

any word on "infinite sound"?

all the best!

1009 said...

Oops, just now realizing I've failed to come through on my band's album. We've been working on getting some gigs and finishing our album packaging, but here you'll find all of the tracks @320:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/xxpr2o

The Heavy Bombers, s/t. Chicago, IL 2010.

Anonymous said...

I recently discuvered your blog, looking for music by Yuji Takahashi. Great stuff! Thank you very much.
Does anybody know if it is true that Yuji once did a version of "Kunst der Fuge" by J.S. Bach?
I would die to hear that!

maready said...

Sotise and 9 grey chairs ---

Thank you very much for this LP.

Anonymous --- yes, Yuki Takahashi did record Bach's 'Art of Fugue' and I think it is still available on CD but in Japan only, alas. It has been posted online and a careful search should (and might have already!) turn it up for you.

Ayala said...

thank you for this, there's a lot of Lacy that shows no sign of re-appearing, so this is very welcome.

Paulslji said...

Thanks so much, sotise! As you know, this is my favorite period of Lacy. Haven't listened yet, but only because my band just recorded a little EP and I've had our rough mixes on non-stop since then. When it's done I'll send some files for you -- as long as you don't share them on the internet!!! Just kidding.

jim said...

Serviceton, Is a repost of Distant Voices possible Please and thank you!

serviceton said...

James - that was one of Sotise's. He may still have the files - mine sadly lost in a computer crash

jim said...

Mr. Sotise is there any chance of a
repost of Distant Voices if so
Thank you! Serviceton sorry to
hear about your crash.

SOTISE said...

James Manion, this rip was sent to me by an internet acquaintance , i dont have the lp, at the moment my optical drive is only functioning very intermittently, i'm unable to read a data disc let alone rip a cd.
a total collapse is imminent, and im struggling to find a compatible laptop drive.
i plan to reup , a lot of my shares here when time permits.

jim said...

SOTISE, thank you for responding I noticed mp3 is still showing at RS says can only be enabled by uploader didn't know if there is a way for you to enable? By the way on the subject of J.Mclaughlin I would have to agree with you. After Shakti it got real boring. He came to town with Mr. Corea several years ago the show was terrible they even looked bored.

SOTISE said...

I cant enable it, my RS account is dormant at best i'm no longer a subscriber and havent been for at least two years...
i pulled out the optical drive and put it back in , somehow it seems to now at least temporarily reading discs...
i'll upload it soon, ok

SOTISE said...

Zippy share is so frustrating i keep getting a message that the log in function is not available, mega is easy to upload to , so i'm using it
hope thats ok.

jim said...

Sotise, Mega would be great, I have not had any success with mixturecloud so that would not be an option for me just so I'm not wasting your time if for some reason mega doesn't work for you. What a nice surprise Thanks! I was getting ready to call it a day or should I wait or I can check back tomorrow. Really looking forward to hearing this what a treat Thank you so much.

SOTISE said...

Flac
https://mega.co.nz/#!tUtCVCKZ!MmNxmjftGRS24zL0URS3Qkiaqf99EAoc1rXgd1SPPWc

jim said...

SOTISE, No disapointment here Beautifull as expected thank you for going the extra mile.

DW said...

Thank you!!

Unknown said...

SOTISE, Thank you for repost this