Friday 50s 😁 an album from a half-century ago.... A more recent release, an album from 1964 (60 years ago!) and a full concert round-out this tribute.
Dec 12th was pianist/big band composer-arranger-bandleader Toshiko Akiyoshi's 95th birthday. Here's her last big band release, from 2007, with the SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing. Album info Discogs ; Wikipedia. She leads the band through charts of her classic big band compositions.
Toshiko Akiyoshi And The SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
The Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin Big Band (TABB) made me a true jazz fan back in the late 1970s. In concert at Disneyland, on the Carnation Plaza Gardens bandstand. Six feet/two meters in front of tenor saxophone/flute great Lew Tabackin, Toshiko's husband.
The band was based in Los Angeles from 1973-82, then New York thru 2003 (with several name variations), and released ~17 studio albums. This Down Beat magazine and Grammy info attests to the band's popularity (Wikipedia info/links):
"Down Beat Critics' Poll winner:
- Jazz Album of the Year: 1978 (Insights)
- Big Band: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
- Arranger: 1979, 1982, 1990, 1995, 1996 (Akiyoshi)
- Composer: 1981, 1982 (Akiyoshi)
- Flute: 1980, 1981 (Tabackin)
Down Beat Magazine Readers' Poll winner:
- Big Band: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
- Arranger: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1995 (Akiyoshi)
- Composer: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986 (Akiyoshi)
- Flute: 1981, 1982 (Tabackin)
Grammy award nominations:
- Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Big Band: 1977 (Long Yellow Road), 1978 (Road Time), 1979 (Insights), 1980 (Kogun), 1981 (Farewell), 1982 (Tanuki's Night Out), 1985 (Ten Gallon Shuffle), 1986 (March of the Tadpoles), 1993 (Carnegie Hall Concert), 1995 (Desert Lady / Fantasy).
- Best Arrangement on an Instrumental: 1981 (for "A Bit Byas'd"), 1983 (for "Remembering Bud"), 1985 (for "March of the Tadpoles"), 1994 (for "Bebop")."
The 1980 Grammy-nominated album Kogun was actually a 1974 release, and is the actual subject of today's post. You know, Friday 50s, an album from 50 years ago... 😁
"Kogun easily displays why Akiyoshi is such a treasure. It's a record
that is simultaneously driving, romantic, and experimental, seductive in
its implications and undeniable in its swing." Daniel Gioffre/AllMusic. Album Discogs ; Wikipedia. TABB Discogs ; Allmusic. Toshiko Allmusic ; Discogs. Lew Tabackin Allmusic ; Discogs.
Digital availability of TABB albums was sketchy until recently. Kogun is available on YouTube as a CD-rip in one large file. Several 1970s TALTBB albums are now on Spotify, so check your service.
Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin Big Band, Kogun, full album: YouTube rip ; Spotify
Friday 50s extended a decade takes us to 1964 and the album Toshiko Mariano And Her Big Band, Jazz In Japan Recorded In Tokyo. Released also as Toshiko And Modern Jazz, this featured a preview of big band excellence-to-come with 4 tunes, along with 3 piano trio tunes. Toshiko was married to jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano (Wikipedia ; Discogs) at the time, and their daughter is vocalist/flutist Monday Michiru (Wikipedia ; Discogs).
Toshiko released her first album in 1952. She plans a 2025 tour of Japan with husband Lew, as a duo! Lew is a young man at only 84. My jazz heroes. 💕
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Toshiko And Modern Jazz, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
Trumpeter Clark Terry guests with the Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin Big Band at the 1975 Monterey Jazz Festival main stage. The bearded tenor sax soloist is Toshiko's husband Lew Tabackin. The video is aged and ends a bit abruptly, but the sound is absolutely fine.
