Nobuyoshi Ino and Lester Bowie "Duet"

Nobuyoshi Ino and Lester Bowie
Duet
Paddle Wheel (Japan) 1985
K28P 6367 (LP) Original pressing. textured sleeve. w/obi, insert.
sleeve : EX(slightly color-faded on top edge.)
media : EX+/EX+(some slightly noise.)

Japanese bassist Nobuyoshi Ino, who first set out on his path as a jazz musician through his encounter with Masayuki Takayanagi, later forged a series of vital collaborations with Motohiko Hino and, from the 2000s onward, continued his more adventurous work through projects such as Ub-X with Ichiko Hashimoto and Atsuo Fujimoto, teams up here with Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpeter Lester Bowie on this 1985 release. Co-produced by Masahiko Yuh, known for overseeing many uniquely Japanese projects including Why Not, together with Ino himself, the album was recorded in a Tokyo studio the same year. Opening with Ino’s own synthesizer pad textures and moving into A1 where Bowie’s majestic trumpet soars, then into highlights such as A3 where thunderous bass and trumpet resonate against one another, the record unfolds into a richly imaginative sound world that easily stands alongside the finest ECM-related works of its era. Superb sound quality throughout as well—an outstanding and highly recommended album.

A1: Kami-Fusen