George Otsuka Quintet

George Otsuka Quintet was the group led by the Japanese jazz drummer Keiji "George" Otsuka. Otsuka started out in the late 1950s with Sadao Watanabe, then played for years with Hidehiko Matsumoto before leading his own trio with pianist Hideo Ichikawa. In the 1970s he formed the quintet, whose records leaned toward jazz-funk, with electric piano at the centre of the sound. The quintet debuted with Sea Breeze (Union, 1971), with Shunzo Ohno on trumpet, Takao Uematsu on saxophones, Takashi Mizuhashi on bass and Hideo Ichikawa on electric piano.