The Squid's Ear Magazine


Sakata, Akira / Ken Ikeda: GAUCHE (Ftarri)

Legendary Japanese free jazz reedist Akira Sakata's first release on the Ftarri label, in a concert with sound artist and synthesist Ken Ikeda, recording live at Fatrri's own Tokyo space in two improvised performances of approximately 30 minutes each of subtle, expressive interactions through even-tempered discourse and spacious patience, punctuated by Sakata's bell.
 

Price: $11.86


Quantity:

Out of Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units

Sample The Album:





Product Information:

Personnel:



Akira Sakata-alto saxophone, clarinet, bells

Ken Ikeda-synthesizer

Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.



Label: Ftarri
Catalog ID: ftarri-960
Squidco Product Code: 33927

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2022
Country: Japan
Packaging: Cardstock Sleeve, Sealed
Recorded live at Ftarri, in Tokyo, Japan, on May 21st, 2022.
Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

Artist Biographies

"Akira Sakata (坂田明; born 21 February 1945 in Kure, Hiroshima) is a Japanese free jazz saxophonist.

Sakata began studying music seriously at high school, where he played clarinet.[1] He played alto sax in a jazz band when at Hiroshima University.[1] He trained as a marine biologist.

Sakata joined the Yamashita Yosuke Trio from 1972 till 1979 and toured internationally with them. In 1986, he performed with Last Exit with Bill Laswell. This performance was released as 1987's Noise of Trouble: Last Exit Live in Tokyo. Laswell went on to play bass on and produce Sakata albums such as Mooko, Silent Plankton and Fisherman's.com, the last of which also featured the reclusive Pete Cosey (who had worked with Miles Davis) on guitar.[2]

In 1994, Sakata organized a one-month tour of Uzbekistan, Mongolia and China with the Flying Mijinko Band, consisting of 14 members from Japan, Africa and America. Some of those included were Laswell, Anton Fier and Foday Musa Suso.

He has more recently worked with DJ Krush[3] and Chikamorachi (Darin Gray and Chris Corsano)."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Sakata)
1/5/2026

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Ken Ikeda is a video artist and composer born in Tokyo (1964) , currently a resident in New York. He has exhibited sound art and visual installations around the world and has collaborated with painter Tadanoori Yokoo and artist Mariko Mori. Mist On The Window is his third album, following Tzuki (2000) and Merge (2003) both from Touch label and Mist on the Window (2007) from SPEKK."

-Spekk (http://www.spekk.net/artists/ikeda.html)
1/5/2026

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:
Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Jazz
Asian Improvisation & Jazz
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Piano & Keyboards
Duo Recordings

Search for other titles on the label:
Ftarri.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Sakata, Akira / Rie Nakajima
Roughly Random
(Ftarri)
Legendary Japanese free jazz saxophonist Akira Sakata joins with frequent collaborator, younger generation sound and installation artist Rie Nakajima, for a live concert at Ftarri's Tokyo venue in 2023, Sakata performing on alto sax, clarinet, bells, singing bowl and vocals, Nakajima on objects and motor, capturing two sets of unique detail and expressive restraint.
Sakata, Akira / Toshimaru Nakamura / Raiga Hayashi
Kinjo no Tabibito
(Meenna)
A wild live improvisation at Apollo, in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo from legendary Japanese reedist Akira Sakata on alto sax and clarinet, Raiga Hayashi on drums, and Toshimaru Nakamura on no-input mixing board, the latter adding unusual electronic elements to otherwise characteristically energetic free jazz from the Tokyo scene, making this a wonderfully unique album.
Nakamura, Toshimaru / Tetuzi Akiyama
Idiomatic Expressionism
(Ftarri)
A singularly beautiful and quirky album of electroacoustic improvisation from long-time collaborators and organizers of Japan's "Meeting at Off Site", Tetuzi Akiyama on acoustic guitar and Toshimaru Nakamura on no-input mixing board, their second duo album since 2009's Semi-Impressionism on the Spekk label, here recording in the studio for five dialogs of lovely eccentricity.
Olsen, Lance Austin / Bruno Duplant
Coincidence
(Ftarri)
A single extended duo performance from improviser, composer and leader of the Infrequency Editions label, Lance Austin Olsen, performing on guitar, field recordings, wax cylinder recordings, MIDI organ & amplified objects, along with French pianist, composer and improviser Bruno Duplant, also credited with "sounds", a moody and tense work that meticulously uses innuendo and space.
Hirose, Junji / Otomo Yoshihide
DUO-1
(Ftarri)
Three decades after their 1989 album on the Tanga-Tanga label, Silanganan Ingay, turntablist Otomo Yoshihide reunites with improviser Junji Hirose, who more typically performs on saxophone, but in this duo uses his self-made sound instruments created by combining a variety of devices and everyday objects, recording these three "Scenes" live at Pool, in Tokyo.
Great Sakata Quintet (Sakata / Schwedt / Eckhardt / Borghini / Lillinger)
Tornado
(Euphorium)
After three Luten and two Brotzmann quintets, pianist Oliver Schwerdt, drummer Christian Lillinger and two double bassists--John Eckhardt and Antonio Borghini--invite Japanese multi-reedist and vocal improviser Akira Sakata to join them in concert at naTo, in Leipzig for a wild concert, releasing a monumental improvisation in a full length CD and a 2nd set on 3" CD.
Ikeda, Ken / Massimo Magee / Eddie Prevost / Joshua Weitzel
Easter Monday Music
(577 Records)
Two extended free electroacoustic improvisations in the AMM/London Improvisation Workshop vein, recorded live at London's Cafe OTO: first a prelude in the duo of Massimo Magee on electronics & saxophone and Joshua Weitzel on the 3-string Japanese shamisen; then expanded to a quartet with percussionist Eddie Prevost and Ken Ikeda on synthesizer.
Sinclair, Iain / London Experimental Ensemble
Dark Before Dark
(577 Records)
Writer Iain Sinclair joins The London Experimental Ensemble to perform his narrative work, a sequel to Living With Buildings: And Walking With Ghosts, telling a surreal story of the imaginary 25-year journey of a whalebone box, told in detailed images and incredible sonic support through keys, strings, brass, winds, guitar, electronics and voice; profoundly powerful.
London Experimental Ensemble
Child Ballads
(Split Rock Records)
Drawn from 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland alongside their American variants, anthologised by Francis James Child during the second half of the nineteenth century, are here sung by Ed Pettersen in the fascinating intersection of traditional lyrics and experimental interpretations of melodies, performed by the 11-piece London Experimental Ensemble.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Emmeluth, Signe / Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten / Axel Filip
Hyperboreal Trio
(Relative Pitch)
Drawing on deep collaborative history and shared risk-taking instincts, the trio of alto saxophonist Signe Emmeluth, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and drummer Axel Filip deliver a debut of fierce, textural improvisation, recorded in Trondheim and shaped by dynamic interplay, shifting atmospheres, and a fearless drive to chart new sonic terrain.
Roth, Chuck
Document 1
(Relative Pitch)
Displaying remarkable technique on a 6-string electric guitar, New York improviser and composer Chuck Roth, also known as watergh0st, explores a vast palette of sounds and textures, bending and twisting the guitar's raw tones without effects or pedals, across 11 succinct improvisations, Roth delivers an engaging spectrum of styles and moods, showcasing his emotional depth and inventive approach.
Dunmall / Noble / Edwards / Sanders
Disappearing Worlds
(FMR)
Recorded live at Bristol Music Rooms in March 2024, this hard-hitting modern jazz session brings together Paul Dunmall (tenor & sopranino saxophones), Liam Noble (piano), John Edwards (bass), and Mark Sanders (drums & percussion) two fiery and exploratory conversations that blend free improvisation with structural cohesiveness, a thrilling and boundary-pushing session.
Parker / Costa / Ernstring
Pulsar
(NoBusiness)
Rotterdam-based collaborators, alto saxophonist Hugo Costa and drummer Philipp Ernsting, invite legendary bassist William Parker to join them in a Netherlands studio for threeimprovisations that emphasize emotional spontaneity and raw intensity, creating music that finds beauty in exploration and a transformative journey through expressive conversation.
Murayama, Seijiro / Jean-Luc Guionnet
Balcony Inside
(Ftarri)
Paris-based musician Seijiro Murayama (percussion, voice) and French alto sax and organ player Jean-Luc Guionnet continue their collaboration with this 2023 recording of a 50-minute performance at the Taborkirche church in Berlin, using the resonance of the space to expand Murayama's snare drum, cymbal and voice in tandem with Guionnet's improvisation on the pipe organ.
Silbert, Stella / Nat Baldwin
01.30.22 [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD]
(Notice Recordings)
Cantankerously informed and paced like a perfect tumble, the duo improvisations of Massachusetts collaborator Stella Silber on turntables and Nat Baldwin on upright bass augment their work through turntable preparations and static, Baldwin performing all over his instrument, as the duo surprise and maintain interest through accessible abrasiveness.
Brotzmann, Peter / Paal Nilssen-Love
Chicken Shit Bingo
(Trost Records)
Often performing together as a duo after their initial 2004 Chicago Tentet encounter, drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen and multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann typically released albums of live performances, this 2015 studio date in Antwerp unique in their catalog, an exemplary set of recordings, particularly with Brötzmann on a new contra-alto clarinet and Paal adding gongs to their improvisations.
Frith, Fred / Sudhu Tewari / Cenk Ergn
Lock Me Up, Lock Me Down
(Carrier Records)
Recorded thirteen years before this release and rediscovered during pandemic lockdowns, the improvising and extremely open-minded trio of Fred Frith on electric guitar, Sudhu Tewari on percussion (or as credited, "recuperated junk") and Cenk Ergun on electronics recorded these seven superb improvisations in the studio at Expression College for Digital Arts, in Emeryville, CA.
Roebke, Jason
Four Spheres
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Brilliantly unusual approaches to jazz scores from Chicago bassist Jason Roebke in a quartet with legendary saxophonist and clarinetist Edward Wilkerson Jr., pianist Mabel Kwan and drummer Marcus Evans, all four also performing on metronome, and Roebke providing low-fi cassette interruptions, a fascinating merging of jazz forms and methods of making the music stop.
ZYFT (Felixbrodt / Taubenfeld / Zwerver)
Triangle Moments
(Creative Sources)
The sophomore release for the acoustic free improvising Amsterdam trio of Ziv Taubenfeld on bass clarinet, Henk Zwerver on guitar, and Maya Felixbrodt on viola, upping the intensity in a set of abstract improvisations of an active nature using unorthodox and extended techniques; upbeat and often exciting collective discourse that leads to great moments of individual expression.
Rodrigues, Ernesto / Nuno Torres / Guilherme Rodrigues / Eric Bauer / Stephen Flinn
Letters to Milena
(Creative Sources)
Referencing the book Letters to Milena (Briefe an Milena) by Franz Kafka of his intense love affair with Czech journalist & writer Milena Jesenská, through four lettered parts of a subtly sophisticated set of improvisations by Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Nuno Torres (alto sax), Guilherme Rodrigues (cello), Eric Bauer (electronics) and Stephen Flinn (percussion).
Suspensao
Teufelmuzik
(Creative Sources)
Portugal's suspenseful reductionist improvising ensemble, blending acoustic and electronic instruments in delicately detailed motion, heard in this live recording at SMUP in Parede from Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Nuno Torres (sax), Bruno Parrinha (bass clarinet), Luisa Goncalves (piano), Flak (electric gutiar), Joao Madeira (bass), Carlos Santos (analog synth) and Jose Oliveira (percussion).
Lamb, Catherine / Kristofer Svensson
Translucent Harmonies - two duos for violin and viola, performed by andPlay
(Another Timbre)
The New York-based andPlay duo of violinist Maya Bennardo and violist Hannah Levinson perform two extended works commissioned for their performance series, Translucent Harmonies: first an acoustic rendering of Catherine Lamb's "Prisma Interius VIII (Melodic Duo)"; then Kristofer Svensson's work of contrasts, surprises, modulations, and transformations.
Lamb, Catherine
Parallaxis Forma
(Another Timbre)
Two works for voice and chamber orchestra performed by the UK Explore Ensemble under the direction of Nicholas Moroz, and a multi-tracked vocal work by Lotte Betts-Dean, rich and understated works of rich harmonics and atmospheric overtones composed by Catherine Lamb, placing phonetic vocals in space and ambiance, eschewing words for tone, texture and motion; mesmerizing.
Pavone, Jessica
Clamor
(Out Of Your Head Records)
With a septet of women improvisers and contemporary performers, composer and violinist Jessica Pavone's long-form collective improv compositions are titled after innovations made by women throughout history to circumvent obstructions to their freedoms, revealed through string and bassoon orchestration that balances harmony, dissonance, drone and disruptive experimentation.
Stoffner, Florian / John Butcher / Chris Corsano
Braids
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
With incredible skill and nuance, using extended and stunning technique, and through intent listening of nearly telepathic communication, the trio of Florian Stoffner on guitar, John Butcher on tenor & soprano saxophones and Chris Corsano on drums & half clarinet, perform seven subtle and detailed improvisations live at Le Singe, in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland in 2022.
Ruhl, Joris
Feuilles
(Umlaut Records)
Clarinetist Xavier Charles, accordionist Jonas Kocher and percussionist Toma Gouband join French improviser Joris Ruhl for this extended improvisation of multiphonics, textures and timbres, evolving from subtle harmonics into vast waves of sound, pausing to punctuate with pointillist interaction, then expanding into dramatic waves of sound before carefully fading away; sublime.




The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC