Masahide Tokunaga, by Masahide Tokunaga

Masahide Tokunaga

by Masahide Tokunaga

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	1.	Improvisation 1 11:23
	2.	Observer [trio version] 39:13
	3.	Improvisation 2 06:46
	4.	Excerpt of track 2, "Observer" [trio version] 14:23

about

Masahide Tokunaga is a Tokyo-based alto sax player/improviser who carries out extremely distinctive performances comprised mainly of long tones. On the Hitorri label he has released the improvised performance CDs "Alto Saxophone 2" (2015) and "Bwoouunn: Fleeting Excitement" (2017), as well as "while your master is sleeping" (2020), on which he performs a composition by Taku Sugimoto. With the exception of that composition recording, "Masahide Tokunaga" is Tokunaga’s first solo album in five years.

The first and third tracks of this three-track album are improvised alto sax solos by Tokunaga. The long (39-minute) second track, “Observer,” is a trio performance by Tokunaga (alto sax), Tomoki Tai (viola da gamba) and Fumi Endo (upright piano). “Observer” is a text score composition that Tokunaga wrote in 2022 at the request of the Chinese musician Zhu Wenbo. While the original was written as a solo piece for Zhu Wenbo, the work on this CD is a trio version with new revisions added by Tokunaga.

All three tracks are live recordings of performances held at Ftarri, Tokyo, on February 14, 2022 (1 and 2) and December 20, 2021 (3). This monumental album documents Tokunaga’s further evolution as an improviser while showcasing his recent explorations in the field of composition.

東京在住の徳永将豪は、ロング・トーンを主体に構成した極めて個性的な演奏をおこなうアルト・サックス奏者 / 即興演奏家。Hitorri レーベルから、即興演奏を収めた『Alto Saxophone 2』(2015年) と『Bwoouunn: Fleeting Excitement』(2017年) のCD２枚、さらに杉本拓の作曲作品を演奏したCD『while your master is sleeping』(2020年) をリリースしている。本CDは、杉本作曲作品を演奏した異色作を除くと５年ぶりのソロ名義アルバムとなる。

全３曲収録の本アルバムの１曲目と３曲目は、徳永のアルト・サックスによる即興ソロ演奏。「Observer」と題した長尺 (39分) の２曲目は、徳永 (アルト・サックス)、多井智紀 (ヴィオラ・ダ・ガンバ)、遠藤ふみ (アップライト・ピアノ) のトリオ演奏。「Observer」は徳永が中国の音楽家、Zhu Wenbo の依頼に応じて2022年に書いたテキスト・スコアによる作曲作品。オリジナルは Zhu Wenbo がソロ演奏するための曲だったが、ここに収録された作品は徳永が新たに修正を加えたトリオ・ヴァージョン。

１曲目と２曲目は2022年２月14日、３曲目は 2021年12月20日、すべて東京「Ftarri」でのライヴ録音。徳永がさらに進化した即興演奏を聴かせるとともに、作曲という新たな境地を示した記念碑的アルバム。

credits

released December 18, 2022

Masahide Tokunaga: alto saxophone

Tomoki Tai: viola da gamba (2)
Fumi Endo: upright piano (2)

Track 2 composed by Masahide Tokunaga in 2022

Recorded live at Ftarri, Tokyo, February 14, 2022 (1, 2) and December 20, 2021 (3)
Recorded and mastered by Ftarri
Drawing by Koko Ishikawa
Design by Takahiro Kawaguchi

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