I’m sitting here with Bob James and his 3-piece in my headphones as he’s tickling away the keys on the Fender Rhodes, an instrument I once owned but had to reluctantly bestow on local hero, Brian Haas of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey fame. And as Im basking in Bob James’s supremely cool grooves, sampled the world over for hip-hop records, I’m thanking Takuma san, pictured here for re-introducing me to the American treasure of a pianist, arranger, and record producer, thinking to myself, “How are these young Japanese guy so tapped in?” as I remember how unrefined I was at […]
Tokyo Record Style
Daisuke (and Mao)
I have been dying to visit Coconut Disk in Ekoda for some time, and having a few hours to kill last weekend, I found it on the map, and though it appeared just a short jaunt away in Nerima, Maps was telling it me would take 50 minutes to get there by car on a busy Tokyo Saturday. Knowing that I can split lanes on the bike and work my way to the front of every green light, I can usually shave off about 30-40% of every trip (I’ve insister for years that Tokyo really is best experienced by bike. […]