Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 267 - MoMA Collection-Style Timeless Live Albums - Part 3: Japanese Edition

Legendary Live Performances are a Treasure Trove for Japanese Guitarists

This Part 3 of the “Timeless Live Albums” series will introduce the live recordings of Kazumi Watanabe. When it comes to Watanabe’s live albums, it’s impossible to skip the iconic 1979 release KYLYN LIVE. This particular live album has been mentioned before in “Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal”, so we’ll only touch on it briefly this time.

The live album featured here has a sibling-like relationship on KYLYN LIVE.

In the late 1970s, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Kazumi Watanabe were exploring new musical directions at Roppongi Pit Inn (the live house where Tatsuro Yamashita’s It’s a Poppin’ Time was recorded). The members who gathered there included Akiko Yano, Yukihiro Takahashi, Ponta Murakami, Toshiyuki Honda, Shigeharu Mukai, and Rei Ohhara—musicians who would later become pillars of the Japanese music scene. Everyone participating in these sessions was full of a desire to pursue new musical expressions.

That collective passion gave birth to a truly remarkable album.

■ Recommended Album: Kazumi Watanabe KYLYN LIVE (1979)

One year after the recording of It’s a Poppin’ Time, another masterpiece emerged from the same live house.
Prior to this live album, there was a studio recording, and KYLYN released only two albums in total. Alongside songs from their first album and new compositions, the album features renditions of Miles Davis’ “Milestones”, Akiko Yano’s “Zai Canton Shonen”, and tracks by Gino Vannelli, offering a richly varied selection.
What makes this album truly remarkable is the intense drive of these talented musicians, all in their twenties, to create new music. This energy converges into a single powerful vector aimed directly at the listener. The track “Inner Wind” is full of highlights, including Ryuichi Sakamoto’s synthesizer solo on the ARP Odyssey (featuring a hard-sync-like tone with strong VCF modulation) and Rei Ohara’s responsive bass solo. This is a live recording packed with the musicians’ passion, making it a pinnacle in the history of Japanese fusion.

■ Recommended Album: Toshiyuki Honda BW4 meets Kazumi Watanabe Best Answer Live at Shinjuku PIT INN (2017)

The spotlight this time is on Best Answer Live at Shinjuku PIT INN, a live album that could be considered a sister to KYLYN LIVE.
Unlike the Roppongi Pit Inn, this masterpiece was recorded live at the Shinjuku Pit Inn. The sessions took place from August 9 to 12, 2017, celebrating Toshiyuki Honda’s 60th birthday. The lineup included one of the finest contemporary guitarists, Kazumi Watanabe. Any music fan familiar with a session involving Toshiyuki Honda would inevitably recall the legendary KYLYN BAND. Naturally, expectations for “that sound” ran high—and those expectations were fully met.
The common members with KYLYN BAND are Toshiyuki Honda and Kazumi Watanabe. They were joined by a powerful lineup: Soichi Noriki on keyboards, Shingo Okudaira on drums, and Ryu Kawamura on bass. It’s hard to go wrong with such a lineup. Ryu Kawamura’s bass provides a solid, grounded foundation, while Shingo Okudaira, renowned as a genius drummer, swings lightly with crisp cymbal work. Their rhythm section brings a different flavor compared to KYLYN. With Noriki’s keyboards added to the mix, the album’s nearly perfect. At the center are Toshiyuki Honda’s saxophone and Kazumi Watanabe’s guitar, two otherworldly sounds merged in a sublime fusion.

Recommended Track: “Unicorn”

An original composition by Kazumi Watanabe (g), inspired by Weather Report after the addition of bassist Jaco Pastorius. The “Unicorn” refers to the legendary creature—a horse with a single horn that flies through the sky. The track begins with a floating, ethereal mood as the hi-hat starts marking the rhythm. The transition from the unison section into the main theme is brilliantly executed. The groove created by the guitar and bass unison is entirely Watanabe’s domain, producing a track that is smooth, fluid, and remarkably catchy—truly one of a kind. Keyboardist Soichi Noriki, also a skilled synthesizer player, focuses on electric piano sounds in this session, enhancing the band’s groove. This piece was also performed when Kazumi Watanabe reunited for the “TOCHIKA 2010” project, 30 years after the original, which was later broadcasted by a national TV network.
It’s also interesting to compare this performance with versions featuring Marcus Miller (b), Warren Bernhardt (p), Omar Hakim (ds), and Mike Mainieri (vib).

Recommended Track: “Black Stone”

A familiar piece also featured on Kazumi Watanabe’s albums Lonesome Cat and KYLYN LIVE.
The highlight of this track is the high-speed back-and-forth improvisation between Kazumi Watanabe and Toshiyuki Honda. Their musical conversation unfolds endlessly. Watanabe’s ever-changing phrases are met by Honda’s soprano sax, evoking the ghost of the KYLYN BAND.
The finale features a drum solo by Shingo Okudaira that is reminiscent of Elvin Jones—it’s truly breathtaking. (The little “hohe” mistake by Honda during the theme only adds a charming touch ^^♪)

Recommended Track: “Captain Señor Mouse”

A cover of the well-known Chick Corea (p) composition. Originally famous as the opening piece on Chick Corea and Gary Burton’s (vib) duo album Crystal Silence. The performance on the 1979 live album in Zurich is particularly remarkable. The duo’s improvisation, refined even further from the studio recording, ranks among the top tier of duo albums.

The live session at Pit Inn posed the challenge of how to interpret such a masterpiece. In the end, those concerns proved unnecessary. The presence of Honda’s saxophone and Watanabe’s guitar stands out and is supported perfectly by the rest of the band. The electric piano solo by Soichi Noryoku mid-track is solid, cool, and very jazzy. Despite many complex ensemble hits and tricky passages, the unit delivers a flawless performance, demonstrating their extraordinary technical skill.

Musicians, Albums, and Recommended Tracks Featured This Time

• Artists: Kazumi Watanabe, Toshiyuki Honda, Soichi Noryoku, Shingo Okudaira, Ryu Kawamura, and others
• Albums: KYLYN LIVE, Best Answer Live at Shinjuku PIT INN
• Recommended Tracks: “Unicorn”, “Blackwater”, “Captain Señor Mouse”

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