Customer Reviews

Spirit of the Sun

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I actually have the Japanese version of this CD but with the exception of the last track which includes Bebel Gilberto it is the same. You can get the Bebel track on a separate EP if you purchase the non-Japanese release. Perhaps the Victor Davies track is a bit 80's moonlighting sounding but that is my only criticism.

What a great bit of future Jazz dance music. From the introduction all the way through to the finale (Japanese version)with Bebel's sultry vocals I can't find much fault with this.

It would be just as easy to lie back and enjoy this masterpiece. Not quite on a chillout tip but just enough to evoke memories of nice warm and faraway places. The Jazzy fender rhodes certainly helps with the overall jazzy feeling. Also featured on the CD are Victor Davies, Chris Franck & Guida De Palma, Vanessa Freeman, Maiya James and the aforementioned Bebel Gilberto.

I can't recommend this highly enough as it is really making me toe tap and nod my head at my desk. What a great year it has been for music and this is definitely up there with the best of them.

Kyoto Jazz Massive are one of my favorite artists. Hailing from Japan, these DJ's and musicians are some of the finest and have worked with a wide array of artists, from break-beat to bossa to soul to new jazz. They are Shuya Okino & Yoshihiro Okino and this particular release featured some terrific guest performers, one of which being Hajime Yoshizawa who had a heavy, heavy, heavy influence on keyboards and production. Picked this up in 2002 before the new Glucklich had come out and LOVED it.

Check the introductory track "The Dawn Introduction", which has the soulful Vanessa Freeman on vocals. Great track, smooth and then that's Hajime Yoshizawa's magic on the keyboards (remember "I Am With You" feat. Nina Miranda?)! "Brightness of These Days" is an up-beat cut with great programming and vocals. Mind Expansions was one of the cool cuts that was released as a pre-release EP and it features Maiya James, while "Deep in Your Mind" has the popular Victor Davies on vocals, and I really dig that track. It has that classic KJM percussion. Then there's "Shine", which features Christian Franck (Smoke City, Da Lata, Batu, etc.) & Guida De Palma - both with a release titled "Jazzinho" from this year. But this isn't totally new stuff... "Eclipse" is here as is "Substream". But oddly... Calmaria doesn't feature.

I really dig this release and highly recommend it. Kyoto Jazz Massive are on the Compost label (Jazzanova, Rainer Truby, Future Sound of Jazz, Beanfield, Faze Action, etc.) and they fit in PERFECTLY to their multi-national sound and nu-music experience. If you were a fan of "A Calmaria" and "Crossbreed" among others, you'll want to get your hands on this. Likewise just know that Kyoto Jazz massive have loads of other tracks out there but some are VERY pricey imports... like their "Crossbreed" series. But both the ones that I own I enjoy. And... KJM did an ep with Bebel Gilberto titled "The View From Her Room" that has a great jazzy feel with KJM's classic beats. Also check some of their remixes - they've done eveyrone from Ananda Project to Ingocnito to Fauna Flash to Jazzanova to Nicola Conte etc. etc. Also be sure to check out the Bossa Tres... Jazz series; specifically, "Step Into the Gallery"/Bossa Mundo from 2002 and "Bossa Tres... Jazz" from 1999.

It didn't take long for me to tire of this album. The tracks are OK, and the lead female vocalist of Kyoto Jazz Massive has a sexy singing voice, but when Spirit of the Sun is played multiple times from beginning to end, it quickly loses its appeal. The tracks are all so like-sounding and dulled my senses after 3 or 4 tracks listened in succession. The album has no dud tracks but no great ones either. This would have been a nice set to listen to live, but it does not cut it for me in terms of a good commercial album.

3/5 stars.

My love of jazz...
My love tight beats...
My love of picking up a CD without hearing much from them and LIKING IT. Money not waisted here. I had a 45sec preview of "the brightness of these days" from yet, another mixtape. Almost 5months later I come across this name in the record store, remembering the mixtape cut....I purchased it without a second thought. Don't you love it when a whim turns out well?
It's nothing really new here to those who've been around this genre, for me and those who vibe to acid jazz, dance soul ...whatever name you choose, make this CD fit in your collection. Kyoto gives you tight beats over the nicest jazz tunes, riffs and superb production. Uptempo dance gems to get you moving and vocals for the ear to snack on...

other gems to check out:
Loopless
Jazzanova Remixed 2003

oNe

absolute brilliant release from compost records (japan). for years they have been associated with the creative forces and likes of jazzanova, fauna flash, and the likes of other compost recording artists. their remixes for various hard-to-find compilations only give you the hint of their abilities and talents. spirit of the sun + 1 = is worth every penny. absolute perfection in nu jazz and broken beat - with the addition of vocalists vanessa freeman, victor davies, and bebel gilberto on the japanese release only. this album will be spoken about years from now as a testament to the evolution of nu jazz and dance floor culture.

buy this album. impossible to classify = but undoubtedly a stellar release from the production duo of the far east.

similar in nature to jazzanova's new release in-between. BUY NOW!

-jpb (deepersoundz)

It's almost impossible not to admire an album as well-produced as Kyoto Jazz Massive's SPIRIT OF THE SUN. It encapsulates perfect the whole "future jazz" ethos: just jazzy enough to work a cocktail party, just rhythmic enough to make itself a presence on the dancefloor. But it's universality is also a drawback--it seems a bit too typical. You've got powerful divas singing uplifting vocals (and Victor Davies on "Deep in Your Mind"; you've got funky breaks to keep your feet tapping. The instrumental "Stargazer" has an appropriate dreaminess, while "Behind the Shadow" is as light as a soufflé. But I want something that really demands my attention, rather than well-done tracks that slide off the consciousness. "Eclipse" starts to fit the bill, with its more aggressive drum sequence, and "Substream" kicks in with a 4/4 house beat, but it's not quite enough.