Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band

*2026 stock* This is the Big Band version by Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band (OSBB) of the 48-minute suite "Sora to Mirai to," written entirely for this performance. "Sora to Mirai to" was originally composed at the request of conductor Yutaka Sado and premiered by the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra on January 17, 2025, the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Although it is an orchestral work, it includes elements of improvisation; soon after its premiere, Otomo immediately began work on a big band version.

Built around the theme "Requiem, Improvisation, and Festival"—a concept that underlies much of Otomo’s post-2011 activity—this work is supported by many of his recent signature pieces, including "Sora ga Haeta (Wednesday, November 18, 2022)," "Idaten," and melodies and rhythms created for the "Fukushima Waraji Matsuri." In the improvisational sections, guest conductor Yutaka Sado—whose request originally sparked the piece—participates, adding the work’s greatest brilliance and depth. The album jacket and liner notes use analog panoramic photographs by Otomo’s longtime collaborator and photographer Ai Iwane, who has been documenting Bon Odori and disaster-affected areas; notably, a nearly 77 cm-wide panoramic foldout featuring nearly 200 people taken at the 2019 Festival Fukushima! is stunning (OSBB members appear in the photo). Otomo’s own liner notes detailing the work’s background accompany the images.

Also noteworthy is the recording by engineer Koji Suzuki, who has worked on many classic jazz and classical albums; enjoy the vivid recording that carries you from the opening tranquil scenes through to the final festival frenzy. "Sora to Mirai to" is also the culmination that OSBB—who have shared Otomo’s distinctive post-disaster activities in Fukushima and other sites—reached after their 2024 European tour.