Isao Suzuki & Tsuyoshi Yamamoto - Samba Club

CD Made in Japan

A wicked wicked set of tracks from Japan -- one that blends together jazzy riffing and Brazilian rhythms, all played with a surprisingly soulful bent! Suzuki's on bass and piccolo bass, and Yamamoto plays not only electric piano but also a bit of electric harpsichord -- which adds a cool feel to the album, and one that's almost like some lost European soundtrack. Rhythms are mostly in a breezy sort of style that mixes samba with bossa jazz -- and Donald Bailey is in the group on drums, providing some very nice bottom to the set. The whole thing's great, with a really unique style -- one that's so great it even transforms older numbers like "Night & Day", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Greensleeves", and "La Vie En Rose". Also features an especially great take on Michel Colombier's "Overture"