Masabumi Kikuchi
Today we’re listening to Masabumi Kikuchi, a Japanese pianist from Tokyo. He was born in Tokyo in 1939, and his family moved out of the city following its firebombing in 1945.1 He returned to study music at Tokyo Art College High School, and shortly after graduation began performing with artists like Lionel Hampton and Sonny Rollins.2 He moved to New York City in 1974 and fanned out stylistically, from bossa nova and cool jazz to fusion and free jazz.3 We’re first playing his 1970 album, POO-SUN, a collection of six sessions recorded in Tokyo – the title a reference to Kikuchi’s nickname. We’re also playing his 1981 record, Susto, which is thoroughly funked up.
POO-SUN - Masabumi Kikuchi (52m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
Susto - Masabumi Kikuchi (55m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
Have a stellar Thursday.
The New York Times, which also has a great profile of Kikuchi from 2012: “‘I never felt virtuosic at all, in my life, even for a moment,’ Mr. Kikuchi told me, over lunch. ‘Because I don’t have any technique. So I have had to develop my own language.’”