Credits:

Mikio Masuda

Description:

Sincere yet unrestrained. Substantial yet vivid. A masterpiece of a debut album capturing the moment of breakthrough for the brilliant pianist Mikio Masuda.This is the debut album by pianist Mikio Masuda, who first made a name for himself in the Terumasa Hino Group. Although the recording lineup consists of the exact same members from the Hino Group at that time (1974), Masudatrue to his role as leaderdelivers a performance as lively and spirited as a fish in water. Four of the six tracks are Masudas originals. One moment he races through a piece with a light touch; the next, he poignantly weaves a beautiful theme. The diversity of styles and the freshness of the performance are truly breathtaking. In particular, the rich and Afro-centric Prayer is a masterpieceboth in composition and performancethat embodies a post-Coltrane approach. It serves as both the starting point and one of the defining