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Liner Notes
Akira Tana: Over The World
(Sons of Sound/King SSPCD018)
Moon Over The World is the second recording
I produced for Japanese release on King/Paddle Wheel
Records with a group conceived as The Asian American
Jazz Trio.
As noted by Paul Yamasaki in the liner notes for
the first recording ( Sound Circle, Paddle
Wheel KICJ-146), the concept for this group had its
genesis at the Asian American Jazz Festival in 1991
that was until recently held each year in San Francisco.
The festival's presentations demonstrated the diversity
of Asian American Jazz expressions: Jon Jang's politically
influenced musical message "Tiananmen," Deems Tsutakawa's
more commercially flavored grooves, Mark Izu's impressions
of traditional Chinese and Japanese folk musics,
or the late Glenn Horiuchi's musical tribute to the
incarceration of Japanese Americans during World
War II.
The multitalented keyboardist, arranger, and composer
on this recording is Ted Lo. Born in Hong Kong on
November 13, 1952, he came to the United States in
1971 to study at the Berklee College of Music in
Boston. It was there that I met and first performed
with him in a group led by the Brazilian trumpeter,
Claudio Roditi. After graduating from Berklee he
remained in the area and worked and toured with artists
such as Al Kooper, Marlena Shaw, Raul de Souza, Airto
Moreira and Flora Purim, with whom he also recorded.
Since moving to New York in 1979 he has performed
and recorded with a variety of artists from the contemporary
music scene including Herbie Mann, Tania Marian,
Ron Carter, Michael Franks, Astrud Gilberto, and
the late Noel Pointer. He currently keeps residences
in Hong Kong and Eastern Pennsylvania working on
a variety of projects.
A mainstay in the jazz world for many years, the
bassist on this project is Rufus Reid, the ubiquitous
bassist, co-leader of the group TanaReid, and educator
(former Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson
College in New Jersey for twenty years). He has been
associated over the years with, among others, Nancy
Wilson, J.J. Johnson, Dexter Gordon, Jack DeJohnette,
and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.
True to its mission, Moon Over The World draws
some of its material from the world of Chinese and
Japanese folk/pop melodies, following the tradition
of jazz interpretations of American popular music
(i.e. George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers,
etc.) that have come to be regarded as "standards" in
the jazz repertoire.
Ted has written and arranged for various artists
in Hong Kong, and showed some initial skepticism
as to whether the folk/pop material included on this
CD, "Condor Man" and "Reflections of Love," and the
title track of the project, "Moon Over The World," would
adapt itself to an acoustic trio setting. We discovered
that these compositions and arrangements, though
modified for this piano, bass, and drums instrumentation,
began to have a creative life force and energy of
their own. "Moon Over The World," which dates back
as far as the 1940's, sounds in this rendition the
most "pop" of this material but the arrangement has
plenty of room for improvisation. The mood that is
created lends itself to the panoramic quality of
the title. "Reflections of Love," a melody that is
pre-World War II, begins very delicately but then
develops itself into a combustible, driving melody
and improvisation, which in many cases can said to
be found in love's many qualities. "Condor Man" is
a theme from a popular Kung Fu TV show based on an
old Chinese tale. The trio treats Ted's arrangement
with a fast samba feel.
Japanese melodies are also represented in this program.
Composed by the much-respected contemporary composer
of popular music, Hiroshi Miyagawa (born in 1931
in Hokkaido), his "Koi-no Vacance," or in English, "Vacation
of Love," and the recently penned "Chinese Fingers" are
his contributions to this project. "Chinese Fingers" strongly
reminds me of the song stylings of Horace Silver
(who is himself represented on the program for this
reason). "Koi-no Vacance" was a hit song in 1963
for the popular vocal duet group made up of twin
sisters known as The Peanuts. This tune remains a
best seller for King Records to this day. The melodies
for these Japanese songs as well as for the Chinese
songs mentioned above have identifiable "Asian" qualities.
It is in Ted's brilliant re-harmonization of the
chord changes and the conversational improvisation
based on these new chords by the trio that take this
material to another level of universal jazz expression.
The other selections in this collection are a combination
of originals by the members of this trio and other
jazz greats. Ted offers the opener of this disc with
a spiraling, effervescent composition entitled "Jewel's
Eyes." My contribution is called "Skyline," which
Rufus and Ted both remarked on its dark and mysterious
qualities. Rufus' contribution is a delicate and
melodious, subtly romping tune entitled, "No Place
Is The End Of The World." This tune was written with
lyrics by Orlando Murden, ex-staff writer for Motown
Records who also wrote "For Once In My Life," made
famous by Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett.
The remaining selections are Jaco Pastorius' "Three
Views Of A Secret," reminiscent of an optimistic "Rashomon," a
hauntingly beautiful, a not so well known Horace
Silver ballad, "Sweet Stuff," and finally, a line
based on the chord changes to "Softly As In A Morning
Sunrise," written by the highly underrated guitarist/composer
Gene Bertoncini ( Acoustic Romance , Sons
of Sound SSPCD017), called "Sofflee." On this particular
track I enjoy the adventurous exchanges between the
bass and drums, with Ted unleashing his creative
energy in the subsequent group interaction.
Originally released as The Asian American Jazz Trio
in Japan and now as my trio recording in the US, Moon
Over the World is first and foremost acoustic
jazz chamber music at the highest musical level of
improvisation, steeped in past and recent traditions
but with an emphasis on the present and future. The
effort is truly a cooperative one from all of the
participants, to whom I give deep thanks. Each musician,
as this CD demonstrates, has sacrificed his own personal
ego for the sake of the music, which in turn has
allowed all of the individual's expressions to flourish.
Please enjoy the music of this continually evolving
group.
Akira Tana
April 1992, revised November 2003
This recording is dedicated to the late multi-reed
instrumentalist, Gerald Oshita, and the pianist composer,
the late Glenn Horiuchi, both pioneers in the Asian
American Jazz movement.
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