Billy Higgins
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Masabumi Kikuchi – Susto
Masabumi Kikuchi
Susto
Style: Jazz
Label: Columbia
Catalog Number: FC 37372
Released: 1981, 80's
An underrated gem from one of the Japanese jazz greats, Susto is essentially Masabumi Kikuchi doing his best Miles Davis electric period impression… and it works! Kikuchi brings on former Davis sax players Dave Liebman and Steve Grossman along with his good friend Terumasa Hino and some of the best New York session musicians to craft four long-form electronic fusion tracks that are deeply hypnotic, rhythmic, and funky. All four tracks are great, though, if we had to pick a favorite, it might have to be the perfectly frantic jazz dance opener “Circle/Line” which features an ostinato bass groove and some psychedelic synth sounds from Kikuchi. Also important to note: the album was produced by the great James Mason, who you probably know from his Rhythm Of Life LP. Big thanks to Jeff Parker for playing this one at our summer listening residency!
Recommended – Full Listen
Tags: Fusion / Underrated
Tracklist:
A1 Circle/Line
A2 City Snow
B1 Gumbo
B2 New Native
Credits:
Bass – Hassan Jenkins
Composed By – Masabumi Kikuchi
Congas – Aiyb Dieng (tracks: A1, B1, B2)
Coordinator [Project] – Ihsan Abdul
Cornet – Terumasa Hino (tracks: A2)
Cornet [Solo] – Terumasa Hino (tracks: B2)
Design [Artwork] – Ryoko Ishioka
Drums – Richie Morales, ‘Yahya’ Victor Jones* (tracks: A1, B1, B2)
Electric Piano [Rhodes Solo] – Masabumi Kikuchi (tracks: A2)
Engineer [Assistant] – Akira Fukada, Todd Anderson
Executive-Producer – Toshinari Koinuma
Flute [Alto Solo] – Dave Liebman* (tracks: A2)
Flute [Bolivian] – Terumasa Hino (tracks: A1)
Guitar – Barry Finnerty (tracks: A1), Billy Patterson* (tracks: B1, B2), Butch Campbell (tracks: A2, B2), James Mason, Marlon Graves (tracks: A1, B1), Ronnie Drayton* (tracks: B2)
Keyboards – Masabumi Kikuchi
Management [Personal] – Yukio Morisaki
Mastered By – Stanley Kalina*
Percussion – Airto Moreira (tracks: A1, A2, B2), Aiyb Dieng (tracks: A2, B1, B2), Alyrio Lima (tracks: A1)
Photography By [Inner Sleeve] – Kasumi Kurigami
Producer – James Mason, Kiyoshi Itoh
Recorded By – Jim McCurdy
Recorded By [Additional], Mixed By – Yoshihiro Suzuki
Soprano Saxophone – Dave Liebman* (tracks: A1), Sam Morrison (tracks: B2), Steve Grossman (tracks: A1, A2, B2)
Soprano Saxophone [Solo] – Dave Liebman* (tracks: B2)
Synthesizer [Oberheim], Programmed By [Synthesizer] – Ed Walsh (tracks: A1)
Synthesizer [Solo] – Masabumi Kikuchi (tracks: B1, B2)
Tenor Saxophone – Dave Liebman* (tracks: B2)
Tenor Saxophone [Solo] – Steve Grossman (tracks: B1)
Wind [Driver] – Sam Morrison
