Ryo Kawasaki – Selected Works 1979 to 1983

Compiled by NuNorthern Soul’s Phat Phil Cooper, Selected Works 1979 to 1983 brings together five sublime tracks from the long and highly varied catalog of legendary Japanese guitarist Ryo Kawasaki. All five of the tracks here are selected from Kawasaki’s time living in New York where he played with jazz greats Elvin Jones and Gil Evans. “The most interesting part of New York is that it’s a such a mix of people with many different ethnic backgrounds. If you go to Tokyo all you see is Japanese. It’s kinda uninteresting.” A2 “You Are The Sunlight” is a gorgeous meditative ambient jazz track based around a minor arpeggio and the angelic vocals of Ilana Morrillo. AA2 “Hawaiian Caravan” is a tripped out 4-to-the-floor fusion track that expresses Kawasaki’s electronic side (he has a degree in quantum physics) with drum machine and pulsing synthesizers.

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