Masayo Koketsu
Fukiya
*In process of stocking* The sublime first solo saxophone release of Masayo Koketsu is deeply steeped in the free jazz tradition of Japan. From Coltrane's visit to Japan in 1966 to the free jazz exploits of Kaoru Abe, Masayo Koketsu's astonishing solo session marks her as a force to be reckoned with. A single 46 minute piece of achingly beautiful wails and declarations punctuate the bedrock of silence then retreat back. A singular effort.
Japan Suite
"Recorded live at Yamaneko-ken, Ogose, Saitama, Japan, in December 2019, Japan Suite includes 6 kind free jazz pieces in Japanese style. The fantastic idea of this album is actually to confront kind free jazz phrasing of François Carrier with the truly free jazz phrasing of Masayo Koketsu. That is actually the second amazing aspect of this album: the battle of two alto saxophones. The opening monumental Uchi-soto - Inside Outside is a great illustration of these aspects. All of this happens with…