Masayuki Takayanagi, Hiroshi Yamazaki

Jinya Disc presents Live at freedom by New Directions, recorded live on 25 April 1981 at Takasaki. The album includes 4 tracks performed by Masayuki Takayanagi - Guitar, and Hiroshi Yamazaki on drums.

Masayuki 'Jojo' Takayanagi was a Japanese jazz / free improvisational musician. He was active in the Japanese jazz scene from the late 1950s. Was one of the earliest noise guitar improvisers, and the first (with Keith Rowe) to use the table-top guitar. Was a leading member of every avant-garde movement in Japanese jazz from the fifties onwards. Towards the end of his life Takayanagi moved into complex 'Action Direct' works for tabletop guitar, tapes and electronics that verge on pure noise in their intent. Died June 23, 1991.

Hiroshi Yamazaki is a Tokyo-born drummer who has played under several different names over the course of his career. He started out as a jazz drummer from 1959, performing with Hampton Hawes and the like. From the late 60s until the 80's, he was heavily involved with the work of Masayuki Takayanagi, including as a member of Takayanagi's pioneering New Directions group. Other notable collaborations include the Duo album with influential Japanese saxophonist, Kaoru Abe, alongside numerous perfomances spanning orthodox jazz to free improvisation. In recent years he has regularly performed with Otomo Yoshihide.