Search - Kazutoki Umezu Kiki Band :: Alchemic Life

Kazutoki Umezu (Alt sax ,Soprano sax ,Clarinet ,Bass Clarinet) is one of the most important reed players in the world. One of his recent project s - Kazutoki Umezu "Kiki" Band" blends elements of middle Eastern music, rock and jazz. In addition to pursuing his own projects, Umezu continues to participate in those of others both in Japan and overseas with jazz or improvisation artists such as Yosuke Yamashita,Koichi Makigami, Yoshihide Otomo, Eastasia orchestra, Mal Waldoron, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Barre Phillips, Peter Brotzman,Carlo Actis Dato. He also enjoys musical relationships with leaders of the New York improvisational music scene such as John Zorn, Ned Rothenberg, Anthony Coleman, George Lewis, Fred Frith ,Marc Ribot ,Frank London,Don Byron,David Krakauer, Kevin Norton, Mark Stewart and Wayne Horvitz, often making appearances with them at the Knitting Factory in New York. Outside of jazz and improvisation,recently he played with Fanfare Ciocarlia ; and he has played blues with B.B. King, Bernard Purdie; rock with Ian Dury &Blockheads, RC Succession, Hikasu; Rumba with Roby Ameen, El Negro Horacio Hernandez; traditional Japanese music with Michihiro Sato; Okinawan Island fork with Tetsuhiro Daiku; Taiko with KODO, Leonard Eto, Eitetsu Hayashi; Korean shamanist music with Kim Suk Chul, Kim Yong Taek; music for dance with Saburo Teshigawara; Butoh with Touru Iwashita ( Sankai-juku ),Koji Motoki; and indication of the musical scope that he covers, as well as his energetic pursuit of unrestricted collaborations with other music and musicians. This CD features: Kazutoki Umezu (alto sax & clarinet); Natsuki Kido (guitar); Takeharu Hayakawa (electric bass); and Joe Trump (drums). Recorded at Alchemia, Kraków, Poland on October 15, 2007 by Michal Rosicki (MAQ Studio). Mixed and Mastered by Akinobu Mukaidani (D-Sound).