Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 185 - Memorable Sax Solos Feature - J-Pop Edition Part 4

These are some memorable horn player solos. Last time we took a look at a wind synthesizer solo by Tom Scott for a change of pace.
This time I will focus on memorable saxophone solos in the field of J-pop.
I have to admit that there are surprisingly few great horn solos in the J-pop music I have listened to. I am not a saxophone player, so maybe I am not that conscious about it. However, I like bands with saxophone players, so I often listen to them.
For example, Tatsuro Yamashita's past band. Hidefumi Toki was my favorite saxophone player, so I was conscious of his playing. There were other bands that I liked, such as Steps Ahead with Michael Brecker, but it was a little different from when I played in a recording as a guest musician.
After about two nights of thinking, I came up with some songs that seemed to string together. I would like to share with you some of these wonderful solos.

Recommended album: CAUTION! By Shigeru Suzuki (1978)

This is a masterpiece by Shigeru Suzuki that was recorded with a truly devilish lineup. It is a little different from the rock approach of his first album with Little Feat, and now this is an album with strong J-pop elements. Shigeru Suzuki's compositional abilities are also astonishing. The lyricist Takashi Matsumoto's name is listed in the songwriting credits with his unique worldview and songwriting collaboration created a pop album that highlights the emotional point of view that Japan had at the time.
The recording team was amazing.
The ensemble of four Caramel Mama colleagues, Tateo Hayashi (D), Haruomi Hosono (B), and Masataka Matsutoya (Key), is superb. The album is also enlivened by other domestic talents such as Nobu Saito (Per), Shigeo Fuchino (Sax), Jun Sato (Key), Yuichi Tokashiki (D), Kenji Takamizu (B), Mogaiya Hamaguchi (Per), Ryuichi Sakamoto (Key), Tsugitoshi Goto (B), and Jake H. Conception (Sax).

Recommended Song: “Rainy Station” / Soloist: Shigeo Fuchino

I kept saying with confidence, “I want Seiko Matsuda to sing this song.” This is not important. ...... It's a great pop song, but it's also a great song. If you combine Takashi Matsumoto's world view with the melody line that has a great pop sense, there is nothing to be afraid of. Shigeo Fuchino's alto saxophone solo accentuates the sweet and sour youth of the song. The saxophone solo, with its laconic verses and unique sound, plays a role in making the scenes depicted by Takashi Matsumoto vivid in every detail.
The groove of Haruomi Hosono's bass and Tatsuo Hayashi's drums is nothing short of astonishing.

Recommended album: ALL OF ME by Hiroshi Sato (1995)

A great album released in 1995 by Hiroshi Sato. Sato is “the best pianist in Japan,” according to Tatsuro Yamashita's comment.
His 1982 album “awakening” is a masterpiece produced using a LINN drum machine, and Sato himself programmed the drums, percussion on this album as well. The album is a model of J-pop music, and the melodies spun by Hiroshi Sato are brilliant.
I interviewed Mr. Sato shortly after he released this album. Amidst a mountain of equipment, I still remember the calm expression on his face as he said, “If I have time, I would like to replace the sound of the electric piano with an acoustic piano” for the album's final ballad, “ALL OF ME”.

Recommended song: “Love Me” / Solo player: Masato Honda

As I wrote in my comment on the recommended disc, this song has a little bit of the mechanical smell of the famous awakening album. In fact, Hiroshi Sato programmed the drums, percussion, and other inputs. The fact that it sounds natural in spite of this is due to the bassist Kenji Takamizu, along with guitarist Masaki Matsubara, and Gonzalez Mikami on gut guitar. They add the groove to the mechanical rhythms of the music. In addition, over the drums and percussion, Willy Nagasaki's timbales and Shigetoya Hamaguchi's tambourine add a unique groove to the music. This creates one unique groove. The groove of the samba band that surged toward the audience was the highlight of the performance. Gonzalez's gut guitar solo and Masato Honda's speedy sax solo are the highlights of this work. Listen to the world that only Hiroshi Sato, a master who has long been combining the art of mixing and matching the performance of musicians, could create.

Recommended album: Diamond Dust Ga Kienuma ni (Before the Diamond Dust Disappears) by Yumi Matsutoya (1987)

This is a famous album released by Yumi Matsutoya in 1987. Her comment at the time of release was, “I want to display this album on my altar”. This million copy selling album won the 2nd Japan Gold Disc Award. In fact, many songs from this album, such as “Monday Robot,” “Diamond Dust ga Kienuma ni,” and “Late Summer Lake,” are performed at Yumi Matsutoya's live concerts. They must be her favorites. For this album, Synclavier, the ghost of the sampling machine, was used extensively for recording. The expensive equipment, which was said to be capable of building a house, swept the industry with its unique, hard sound. However, in later years when listening to Hail Yumi! (best album), many of the Synclavier sounds, such as drum sounds, were replaced. This may be the reason why Masataka Matsutoya commented, “Synclavier sounds were popular at the time, but I don't like them now. Recording members include Masataka Matsutoya (key), John Robinson, Nobuo Eguchi (dr), Abe Laboriel (b), Masaki Matsubara, Tsuyoshi Kon (gt), Nobu Saito (per), and other skilled musicians from Japan and abroad.

Recommended song: “SATURDAY NIGHT ZONBIES” / Solo player: Jake H. Conception

This song was used as the ending theme for the CX series Ore-tachi Hyokinzoku.
The flanged guitar cutting is covered by a synclavier brass ensemble, and the sophisticated 13th chord in the A melody makes this song a masterpiece.
The saxophone solo heard over the sound of a sampled door closing is a steady phrase by Jake H. Conception. The sudden appearance of the saxophone amidst the sampling parade of sounds is refreshing. Perhaps, this is because this solo is imbued with a human touch.

Musicians, albums, and recommendations featured in this issue

• Artists: Shigeru Suzuki, Shigeo Fuchino, Hiroshi Sato, Masato Honda, Yumi Matsutoya, Jake H. Conception
• Albums: Albums: CAUTION!, ALL OF ME, Diamond Dust ga Kienuma ni
• Recommended songs: “Rainy Station”, “Love me”, “SATURDAY NIGHT ZONBIES

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