Koichi Matsukaze Trio + Toshiyuki Daitoku Earth Mother

As part of the widely respected BBE J Jazz
Masterclass Series, Koichi Matsukaze's incredibly
rare and much sought after album Earth Mother
sees a deluxe repress on BBE Music. This is the third
highly anticipated release in the series.
Regarded as one of the most sought-after yet
elusive albums from a pivotal era in Japanese jazz,
Earth Mother was originally issued in 1978 on ALM,
a private label home to some of the most innovative
jazz, contemporary classical and free
improvisational music released in Japan during the
late 70s and early 80s. It was here that Earth
Mother found a natural home among the
experimental and transgressive, destined to remain
in obscurity for decades until the album’s muscular,
bass-driven title track was included as the opening
cut on BBE’s acclaimed compilation J Jazz: Deep
Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984. It was a fitting
way to start such a landmark collection and the
track quickly became a favourite among DJs and
jazz fans.
Earth Mother sees saxophonist Matsukaze team up
once again with legendary drummer and band
leader Furusawa Ryojiro; joined by Tamio Kawabata
on bass to form the core trio which is augmented by
Daitoku Toshiyuki on acoustic piano and Fender
Rhodes.
This is a mythic album, seen and heard by very few;
often among the top wants for even the most hardcore
jazz collectors. The album ranges from
heavyweight spiritual jazz and post-bop burners, to
Dolphy-esque experimentation (Don't Worry About
Tenor Saxophone) and a singular take on the classic,
Round Midnight.
To optimise the sound of the music Earth Mother will
be issued as a 180g vinyl double album, with exact
reproduction artwork, obi strip, insert and labels
plus translated notes. It will also be available on CD
and across digital formats.
The BBE J Jazz Masterclass Series is curated by Tony
Higgins and Mike Peden and is dedicated to
presenting the very finest in Japanese jazz. The
series will feature fully licensed and authorised
deluxe reissues of rare, long-lost and unreleased
material from the golden era of Japanese jazz.