To all Kazumi fans around the world, Kazumi recently fell ill and is currently in critical condition. He is fighting for his life and his situation is very serious. We believe in his recovery. Please send your prayers for him to be able to play the guitar with his magical technique again.
People complaining about Kazumi seem to have no idea how different approach japanese jazz fusion is a genre. His playing style is really distinctive and captivating. Listen "To Chi Ka"-album. Full of great songs.
There are not enough superlatives to describe the sheer mastery these musicians display. They are from an era that I believe cannot be bettered in this genre.
the song around 10 min with the classic jeff berlin 16th note bassline. it's just sick. watanabe is on fire. berlin's solo is didactic, pedantic perfection...
I finally stumbled onto this video Jan. 20, 2023. Obviously a lot of time has elapsed since this performance. This music is amazing as well as timeless!
Tremendo trio de tres, Watanabe es fantástico, Berlin hace un trabajo impecable y decir cualquier cosa acerca de Bruford sería redundar, él es un monstruo.
l blame that dude for my collection of Steinberger guitars. My ex wife knew he was to blame and hated mobo. My Steiny's are still with me and appreciating like gold.
a lot of repetitive riffs that honestly got boring pretty quick .. however I listened because I used to have MOBO 1 on vinyl .... some of the best guitar work I've ever heard
Riffing itself bores me to tears. It’s a no effort path to making music. Why trouble oneself with melody, lyrics, songwriting. You know, the hard stuff.
Watanabe has also worked with many major Western musicians, including Jeff Berlin, Michael Brecker, Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, Marcus Miller, Mike Mainieri, Jaco Pastorius, Lee Ritenour, Asaf Sirkis, Wayne Shorter, Mike Stern, and Sly and Robbie-just to name a few. All have acknowledged Watanabe’s precision, focus and devotion to exploring myriad contexts and collaborations. “Kazumi is a master, for whom the art is to conceal the art,” said Bruford, who partnered with Watanabe on Spice of Life and Spice of Life 2, two late ‘80s jazz-rock albums that also featured Jeff Berlin. “His breadth of skills and depth of creativity remain under-played and under-recognized in the West, although not so in Japan.” Berlin is similarly enthusiastic. In addition to the Spice of Life albums, he worked with Watanabe on 2013’s Spinning Globe, a fusion trio release that also included drummer Virgil Donati. “Kazumi is Japan's greatest guitarist,” said Berlin. “He’s someone who can play anything and seemingly has no limits. Recording with Bill and Kazumi was great. We liked to rehearse a lot before we went into the studio to make the Spice of Life albums. We wrote songs and parts together and shared a fun time recording Kazumi's pieces. I was also very happy to play with him again on Spinning Globe. The compositions were excellent and once again reminded me how great Kazumi’s talents are. He also has one of the best sets of ears of any musician I know.”
Considering this recent interview quote from Bruford - “I feel enormously privileged. I’ve never really played anything I didn’t want to play... I feel like at the end of an era really - being able to play exactly what I liked, wherever and with whom I wanted.” - and the fact that he took part in multiple studio and live projects with Watanabe, I would infer the answer to your question to be, "not in the slightest".
@@kevgamble Perhaps so. Nevertheless, this is pretty lame stuff. Even legendary players are not immune to fallow periods. If I were him, on reflection years later, this would not be a good memory, musically speaking. He may have had a really great time on the road. Touring can be addictive.
@@kevgamble “Lame stuff” was not pointed at Bill in any way whatsoever! I’m referring to the project which I understand to be Kazumi Watanabe’s. It’s very difficult for me to see Bill’s towering talent wasting away backing Kazumi’s bizarrely amateurish thing. My comments express real sadness for Bill, and should mean nothing to him if he’s happy. He has my greatest respect for past work, and my complete indulgence for what I termed ‘fallow period.’ All the greats experience that to differing degrees and it always makes me genuinely sad. I’ve been very fortunate to spend my entire life on the road with amazingly gifted artists, and I’m accustomed to treating them as colleagues. That would’ve ended long ago in complete failure if I decided to hurt the feelings of those I respect. You inferred things I definitely did not intend.
Как возбуждается публика в зале! Словно на сцене, по меньшей мере, пол-ягодицы самого Allan Holdsworth! Боже, какое убожество с участием Bill Bruford...(((
Terrible guitar tone. Very flat, compressed high distortion for a super sustained sound. It’s just not a musical sound. Bill is playing almost completely straight 4/4 with snare on 2 and 4. I feel like Jeff is the most creative in this music. They all can play at the top of the game but most of this stuff is just repetitive chords that open it up to play about anything and have it work.
A little harsh. May not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the ensemble definitely displays a stellar level of musicianship. I will say that Watanabe’s guitar would’ve sounded better in the mix if it had been been recorded in stereo with a bit of separation.
I'm not feeling this at all. To me, Watanabe was a merely competent player, who accidentally somehow stumbled into the high society of music and got to play with the best of the best. Way out of his league. His tone and choice of notes does nothing to me at all.
@@kennykaufman8263 No clue. Maybe because he's a name in Japan and playing with him gives access to bigger Japanese venues. Appreciative audience, good pay. Musicians gotta eat too. Listen, I'm not saying he sucks. He's good. But that rhythm section could be jamming with Holdsworth, Gambale, Metheney, MacLaughlin and that kind of caliber player. And to my ears. and that's a subjective opinion, I know, he's just not that interesting. This show got old, fast, to my ears.
To all Kazumi fans around the world,
Kazumi recently fell ill and is currently in critical condition. He is fighting for his life and his situation is very serious.
We believe in his recovery. Please send your prayers for him to be able to play the guitar with his magical technique again.
ICH. Very hopeful Kazumi recovers.
gws kazumi watanabe
Oh no - prayers for is life and soul!
People complaining about Kazumi seem to have no idea how different approach japanese jazz fusion is a genre. His playing style is really distinctive and captivating.
Listen "To Chi Ka"-album. Full of great songs.
頑張れ!香津美。
Bill Brufordは何気に香津美さんにはベストマッチだと思う。ご病気の回復を祈っております。
Astonishing.
Three musical mavericks making it look so easy - and so much fun - like they're been playing together since they were kids.
there played only 3 people but look like more than 3
There are not enough superlatives to describe the sheer mastery these musicians display. They are from an era that I believe cannot be bettered in this genre.
Bruford & Berlin - rhythm section fantastic!!!!!🎆
Did this group record anything with Kazumi?
@@diddledooSpice of Life 1 & 2! Great recordings
3 of the best musicians on earth
YOU'RE! (LEARNING)! ONLY! (JAZZ!MUSIC)! CLASS! MUSICIANS! LIKE! THESE! ARE! THE! (WORLDS)! GREATEST! MUSICIANS! NOW! YOU! KNOW! FROM! (ME)! THE! ORIGINAL! (JAZZ!MAN)! BLACK!MAN! 🙂*MIKE! SPENCE! HA! HA! HA!
@@mikespenceTHEGOATB you take your meds mike?
Sir, I concur
There's a few of them we've been given..These 3 definitely among the best at thier craft on earth..These Boi's ROCK!!! ♥️👍
Jeff Berlin had a Roddy Piper sticker on his bass back then
the song around 10 min with the classic jeff berlin 16th note bassline. it's just sick. watanabe is on fire. berlin's solo is didactic, pedantic perfection...
Dude. I have loved bill bruford, his work with crimson was great. He posted a clip of his time with kazumi . Since last night I have been hooked
Wow, I've never heard of this guy until now, words are not enough!!
Only one word for this...AWESOME. And the audio quality is fantastic.
this is so good! i don't even listen to fusion much anymore
Had this on VHS a long time ago. Sounds really great through Home theater system. ❤
Berlin's in a class by himself.
Thanks for the video. That just reminds me that I was a fan of that album and listened to it every day in my twenties
ok, ok...
Finally, thank you !!
super loved. still loving. thanks.
Los verdaderos maestros...
11:25 . jeff berlins a beast!
good call, yeah that single note 16th stuff reminds of Joe Frazier, but more uptempo.
This is so badass!
I finally stumbled onto this video Jan. 20, 2023. Obviously a lot of time has elapsed since this performance. This music is amazing as well as timeless!
I've got this transfered onto DVD back when there was a Blockbuster
Tremendo trio de tres, Watanabe es fantástico, Berlin hace un trabajo impecable y decir cualquier cosa acerca de Bruford sería redundar, él es un monstruo.
A friend sent me this concert to me back in the day. I played it to death. I bought the Megawatt cd in Japan too. Love these guys
I had a Laser Disc copy when it released.
🎉 Wow! In Awe! Terrific Trio!
このトリオ最高‼️
This is an amazing performance. Very early Paul Reed Smith guitar also.
What year is this? Dosen't look early 80's but late 80's. Santana has played PRS since 1982.
@@micowikstrom7182
May 22, 1987 at Nakano Sunplaza
最強トリオ
period、jfk大好き
I have the cassette in my hand. That's what brought me here!
Awesome!
Glad you think so!
Maravilloso
Nice
Love Kazumi’s tone live better than on the Spice CD I played to death back in ‘87.
increibbleeeeeeee woooo
l blame that dude for my collection of Steinberger guitars. My ex wife knew he was to blame and hated mobo. My Steiny's are still with me and appreciating like gold.
One of his has the old Roland GR connection. Pretty sweet.
This fusion head from Maple Grove approves 🔥
Hope there is a CD of this around. Terrif
rather good when they get warmed up....
nice, straightforward time signatures from
bill....
a big garage jam!
Jeff berlin has a roddy piper sticker on his bass
Nice 80s coke editing. All it needs is some Miami beach B-roll inserts.
✨🕊️
メンバーと言い、スタインバーガーと言いホールズワースも意識しているのだろうな。
日本の誇る素晴らしいギタリストだから是非共復活して欲しい。
Truly amazing when East and West fuse along ,this world will be better place if we all come together as one
Billy B !!!
That first song was very Thela Hun Ginjeet
Wow, this is killer! What year is this from?
THIS! (JAZZ!MUSIC)! IS! (FROM)! THE! (JAZZ!MUSIC)! YEAR! (ONLY)! I! KNOW! NOW! YOU! KNOW! THE! ORIGINAL! (JAZZ!MAN)! BLACK!MAN! 🙂*MIKE! SPENCE! HA! HA! HA!
This performance is from 1987.
David Sylvian meets Crimson -
Good stuff. What's the deal with these guys, did they cut a record or just go out on tour?
Kazumi Watanabe The Spice of Life and The Spice of Life Too. Bruford and Berlin play on them.
What year was this condert? 1988?
22 maggio 1987
After Mobo One
To see Bill with Jeff again is beyond great.
Anyone know what year is was ?
They look young ~~~~~
Live at Nakano Sun Plaza Tokyo, Japan, 22 May 1987 (those horrible electric drums...)
윤석형님 덕분에 이 음악을 듣습니다
Dixie!? Really!? (30:52)
天才を超える鬼才、奇才とは香津美さんを賞賛する為の形容詞、言葉ではないでしょうか！復活する事を信じてます。アップありがとうございます。
a lot of repetitive riffs that honestly got boring pretty quick .. however I listened because I used to have MOBO 1 on vinyl .... some of the best guitar work I've ever heard
Riffing itself bores me to tears. It’s a no effort path to making music. Why trouble oneself with melody, lyrics, songwriting. You know, the hard stuff.
I don't get it is this like a rich guy guitar player that hired Jeff and Bill to play with him for a vanity project?
Watanabe has also worked with many major Western musicians, including Jeff Berlin, Michael Brecker, Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, Marcus Miller, Mike Mainieri, Jaco Pastorius, Lee Ritenour, Asaf Sirkis, Wayne Shorter, Mike Stern, and Sly and Robbie-just to name a few. All have acknowledged Watanabe’s precision, focus and devotion to exploring myriad contexts and collaborations.
“Kazumi is a master, for whom the art is to conceal the art,” said Bruford, who partnered with Watanabe on Spice of Life and Spice of Life 2, two late ‘80s jazz-rock albums that also featured Jeff Berlin. “His breadth of skills and depth of creativity remain under-played and under-recognized in the West, although not so in Japan.”
Berlin is similarly enthusiastic. In addition to the Spice of Life albums, he worked with Watanabe on 2013’s Spinning Globe, a fusion trio release that also included drummer Virgil Donati.
“Kazumi is Japan's greatest guitarist,” said Berlin. “He’s someone who can play anything and seemingly has no limits. Recording with Bill and Kazumi was great. We liked to rehearse a lot before we went into the studio to make the Spice of Life albums. We wrote songs and parts together and shared a fun time recording Kazumi's pieces. I was also very happy to play with him again on Spinning Globe. The compositions were excellent and once again reminded me how great Kazumi’s talents are. He also has one of the best sets of ears of any musician I know.”
Watanabe is a highly respected guitarist with a 50-year career that continues today, including more than 40 albums as a leader.
I don't know who's buying those albums I just don't hear it from this guy To each his own@@kevgamble
@@AlmostEthicalThank u for the summary.
@@kurttoogs1378 I'd not heard of him and had wondered the same thing as Joan. But it didn't ring true for musicians like BB and JB, so I Googled.
Watanabe is *NOT* Robert Fripp! 👎
Could this partly explain why Bill Bruford hung up his sticks? Imagine finding yourself doing this after the transcendence of King Crimson.
Considering this recent interview quote from Bruford - “I feel enormously privileged. I’ve never really played anything I didn’t want to play... I feel like at the end of an era really - being able to play exactly what I liked, wherever and with whom I wanted.” - and the fact that he took part in multiple studio and live projects with Watanabe, I would infer the answer to your question to be, "not in the slightest".
@@kevgamble Perhaps so. Nevertheless, this is pretty lame stuff. Even legendary players are not immune to fallow periods. If I were him, on reflection years later, this would not be a good memory, musically speaking. He may have had a really great time on the road. Touring can be addictive.
@@artysanmobile I hear you say you don't enjoy it. The rest I can't really fathom the purpose of, considering it's someone else's life and music.
@@kevgamble “Lame stuff” was not pointed at Bill in any way whatsoever! I’m referring to the project which I understand to be Kazumi Watanabe’s. It’s very difficult for me to see Bill’s towering talent wasting away backing Kazumi’s bizarrely amateurish thing.
My comments express real sadness for Bill, and should mean nothing to him if he’s happy. He has my greatest respect for past work, and my complete indulgence for what I termed ‘fallow period.’ All the greats experience that to differing degrees and it always makes me genuinely sad.
I’ve been very fortunate to spend my entire life on the road with amazingly gifted artists, and I’m accustomed to treating them as colleagues. That would’ve ended long ago in complete failure if I decided to hurt the feelings of those I respect. You inferred things I definitely did not intend.
私も奈良の山奥の有名温泉の露天に入った時にアブがいました。裸では防御できないのでとにかく動かず慌てずでさっさと出ました。
Как возбуждается публика в зале! Словно на сцене, по меньшей мере, пол-ягодицы самого Allan Holdsworth!
Боже, какое убожество с участием Bill Bruford...(((
Terrible guitar tone. Very flat, compressed high distortion for a super sustained sound. It’s just not a musical sound. Bill is playing almost completely straight 4/4 with snare on 2 and 4. I feel like Jeff is the most creative in this music. They all can play at the top of the game but most of this stuff is just repetitive chords that open it up to play about anything and have it work.
A little harsh.
May not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the ensemble definitely displays a stellar level of musicianship.
I will say that Watanabe’s guitar would’ve sounded better in the mix if it had been been recorded in stereo with a bit of separation.
That guitar playing is so over the top and dated now boring next
What are you talking about? Watanabe's playing is distinguished in unique fashion ✨
I'm not feeling this at all. To me, Watanabe was a merely competent player, who accidentally somehow stumbled into the high society of music and got to play with the best of the best. Way out of his league. His tone and choice of notes does nothing to me at all.
I hear you. Same impressions about his choice of notes. His sound is his choice. I wouldn’t presume how another’s guitar should sound.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Understood.
But, then why did Bill Bruford and Jeff Berlin choose to form a group/project with him?
No further questions
@@kennykaufman8263 Paycheck.
@@kennykaufman8263 No clue. Maybe because he's a name in Japan and playing with him gives access to bigger Japanese venues. Appreciative audience, good pay. Musicians gotta eat too. Listen, I'm not saying he sucks. He's good. But that rhythm section could be jamming with Holdsworth, Gambale, Metheney, MacLaughlin and that kind of caliber player. And to my ears. and that's a subjective opinion, I know, he's just not that interesting. This show got old, fast, to my ears.
super!!!!!!!!
It’s taken me a while to appreciate Kazumis use of so many unconventional tones… I still really don’t. But sometimes it’s incredible.
I think I feel the same about his guitar tone; would have loved some more warmth. Otherwise incredible!
No music here!