The Squid's Ear Magazine


Toyozumi, Sabu / Rick Countryman: I Am Village (FMR)

After 3 consecutive nights performing in trio & quartet formats at Balete at Kamias, in Quezon City, Philippines, the duo of drummer Sabu Toyozum and alto saxophonist Rick Countryman performed the final set as a duo, their many collaborations evident in the freedom and flexibility each provides to the other, delivering an exemplary example of a free jazz sax & drum duo.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Sabu Toyozumi-drums, Erhu

Rick Countryman-alto saxophone


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UPC: 642415162807

Label: FMR
Catalog ID: FMR 605
Squidco Product Code: 29901

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels
Recorded live at Balete at Kamias, in Quezon City, Philippines.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"After 3 consecutive nights performing in high octane trio and quartet formats, Sabu Toyozumi and Rick Countryman closed with the next night, the fourth and final pre-pandemic Manila performance, as a duo. The personal intimacy of duo allowed the direct, interactive dialogs they have developed from growing to know each other, musically and personally.

The title track, "I am Village", a conversation between erhu and alto sax, exemplifies not only the musical bond, but also explores a unique combining of the two instruments. It is a rare paring of instruments, and reveals the adventurous and complex nature of their artistry. Sabu Toyozumi is an original, and the sounds and concept displays his creativity, and his influence on the creativity of Rick Countryman as well. It is simultaneously fresh and familiar, and permeates the 4 tracks. Sabu plays drums on the other 3 tracks: "Flying Raccoons", "Kiyokawa Village in a Quasi-national Park" and "A Child's Play", the last a piece with an extended drum solo introduction.

Recorded at Catch272 in Quezon City, the same location as the previous duo recording from 2018, titled Sol Abstraction (Sol Disk Records.) It's a small, supportive venue which since has been hit with a destructive fire amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The barking dog who joined the first duo recording also was present for this, and his contributions can be found on the track entitled "Flying Raccoons."-FMR


Artist Biographies

"Yoshisaburo "Sabu" Toyozumi (born Tsurumi, Yokohama, 1943) is one of the small group of musical pioneers who comprised the first generation playing free improvisation music in Japan. As an improvising drummer he played and recorded with many of the key figures in Japanese free music including the two principal figures in the first generation, Masayuki Takayanagi and Kaoru Abe from the late 1960s onwards. He is one of a very few of this circle who are still alive and engaged in playing this music today.

Toyozumi features on numerous commercially available recordings with many of the most notable Japanese and international improvising musicians including Derek Bailey, Mototeru Takagi, Misha Mengelberg, Peter Brötzmann, Keiji Haino, Otomo Yoshihide, Tom Cora and Fred Van Hove.

In 1971 he became the only non-American member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians(AACM)). He dedicated his first record as a leader, Sabu - Message to Chicago, to compositions by AACM members, and in 1992 toured and recorded with AACM trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith.

Toyozumi has been instrumental in bringing many European and American improvisers to Japan including Derek Bailey, Misha Mengelberg and Sunny Murray.

In 2005 British improvising guitarist and promoter John Russell arranged a two-day event dedicated to Toyozumi in which the drummer performed in different groupings with 14 musicians from the London improvised music scene including, most notably, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, Phil Minton, John Edwards and Steve Beresford. The Wire described his playing at this time as follows: "He's busy, but there's always space between his notes, and he avoids the flashy technical solution to musical problems. His playing is crisp and dramatic, with a very occasional use of repetition to spark a climax. If it's possible for a drum kit to ask awkward questions, Toyozumi seems to be doing it".

In an interview with Cadence Magazine in 1988 Toyozumi makes clear the importance of his relationship with nature as an influence on his playing and Clive Bell writing in The Wire in 2005 notes "his devotion to the way of Watazumido, the late shakuhachi player and Zen master, whose performances mixed martial arts and music in a bizarre cocktail of discipline and craziness".

In 2009 he returned to London to feature as one of the players in Russell's improvisation festival Fete Quaqua which was recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3. He continues to tour widely and in the past year or so has performed in Belgium and France, Chile, Taiwan, England, Philippines and Greece. He also performs from time to time with the legendary Japanese noise group Hijokaidan. Currently he can be found performing on the erhu - a two-stringed Chinese violin - as often as playing the drums."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabu_Toyozumi)
3/27/2024

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

"Rick Countryman (January 31, 1957) is an American jazz saxophonist and flautist.

After years attracting little attention as a baritone saxophone player, including an extended sabbatical, Rick made a late-life change to alto sax, at the urging of bassist, Simon Tan. His first recorded session with Simon and Christian Bucher, avant garde drummer from Switzerland, attracted the attention of French label "Improvising Beings" and was released as "Acceptance - Resistance". The recordings received many positive reviews, both in the United States and Europe.

Rick currently now has 9 releases on 4 labels across Europe, Asia, and the United States, including multiple CDs with Japanese improvisational drummer, Sabu Toyozumi, who has made several trips to Manila to perform and record. The music continues to receive positive reviews and airplay. Two recordings were listed in "Gold Dolphy 2018".

Since 2011, Rick has been an active member of the Manila jazz scene. He leads and performs in ensembles on baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, alto flute and bass flute; performing original compositions, as well as free jazz/improvisation, in his own jazz quartets and trios. His style is heavily influenced by Eric Dolphy, Sonny Simmons and the 60s Free Jazz movement. He was a student of Bert Wilson, and considers Michael Bisio and Rick Mandyck early mentors."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Countryman)
3/27/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Flying Raccoons 11:09

2. Kiyokawa Village In A Quasi-national Park 12:47

3. I am Village 11:08

4. A Child's Play 9:34

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos
Asian Improvisation & Jazz
Duo Recordings

Search for other titles on the label:
FMR.


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