Takahashi Mizuhashi Quartet + 2 - When a man loves a woman

Japanese Import

Bassist Takashi Mizuhashi made a stunning debut from the Three Blind Mice label with this live recording with the first regular group he formed as a leader. His quartet consisted of young and competent players who would later become giants in the Japanese jazz scene.

This incredibly well-recorded live album contains only three tunes, each exceeding 11 minutes in length. The opener is a huge R&B hit, "When A Man Loves A Woman," featuring the soulful alto saxophone of Yoshio Otomo. "So What" begins with more than three minutes of free improvisation before the band attacks the tune at a break-neck speed.
The third tune--covering the entire Side B of the original album at 18:26--is Stanley Turrentine's famous "Sugar," and for this tune the quartet is augmented by two powerful guests, Seiichi Nakamura on tenor sax and Shigeharu Mukai on trombone. This is an exciting live album recorded with stunning fidelity.

01. When a Man Loves a Woman (Lewis-Wright) - 11:55
02. So What (Davis) - 15:16
03. Sugar (Turrentine) - 18:22

Takashi Mizuhashi - bass
Yoshio Otomo - alto saxophone
Fumio Karashima - piano
Hideo Sekine - drums
Seiichi Nakamura - tenor saxophone (#3)
Shigeharu Mukai - trombone (#3)