{"product_id":"takuya-kuroda-rising-son-2024-reissue","title":"Takuya Kuroda – Rising Son (2024 Reissue)","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e— The Analog Vault \/\/ Essential Listening —\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\"\u003eAfter first turning heads as the rousing anchor of José James’ horn section, Takuya Kuroda soon garnered acclaim as a bandleader himself with his highly praised Blue Note debut in 2014. Produced by James, the Japanese trumpeter wows on \u003ci style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003eRising Son\u003c\/i\u003e with an invitingly warm blend of future jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop and Afrobeat. Backed by keyboardist Kris Bowers, electric bassist Solomon Dorsey, drummer Nate Smith, and trombonist Corey King - Kuroda composes eight simmering and sublime fusion tracks that feel both modern (sometimes evoking D’Angelo) and vintage at (sometimes evoking Roy Hargrove) simultaneously. Standouts include a terrific cover of Roy Ayers' \"Everybody Loves the Sunshine\" (featuring James on vocals), the entrancing \"Afro Blues\" (featuring Beninois guitarist Lionel Loueke), and the uplifting “Piri Piri”, among many others. —  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThe Analog Vault\u003c\/a\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\"\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst Word Records is incredibly proud to bring you an exclusive vinyl-only re-issue of Takuya Kuroda’s highly-sought after album, \u003cem\u003eRising Son\u003c\/em\u003e. This \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewas first released on the seminal Blue Note Records imprint 10 years ago in 2014, with Takuya being the first Japanese artist to sign to the label. The record received widespread critical acclaim, hitting No.1 on Japan’s jazz charts at the time, with original copies now fetching hundreds of pounds on Discogs and the like. There has long been high demand for a re-press of this album, and we’re very pleased to say it’s finally here, a decade on.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe re-issue is to be released via London-based Worldwide Award-winning label First Word Records, who coincidentally celebrate their 20th year running in 2024. First Word released Takuya’s highly-revered previous two albums, \u003cem\u003eFly Moon Die Soon\u003c\/em\u003e (2020) and \u003cem\u003eMidnight Crisp\u003c\/em\u003e (2022). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor those that don’t know, Takuya Kuroda is a Kobe-born, Brooklyn-based trumpeter and musician, who was also a longtime player for Akoya Afrobeat as well as DJ Premier’s BADDER band. Initially playing on the Japanese circuit with his trombonist brother, Takuya went on to relocate to New York City, where he has largely\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eremained to this day, becoming a prominent player in the jazz scene there. The original album featured several Roy Ayers covers, including the all-time classic \"Everybody Loves The Sunshine\", and this 2024 pressing also includes a brand new remix of the track from keys player \u0026amp; producer, Joe Armon-Jones. Joe is hugely-acclaimed in his own right as a solo artist, as well as his recent collaborations with Mala (who has a track named after him on this very project, as Takuya was influenced heavily by his 2012 Brownswood album \u003cem\u003eMala in Cuba \u003c\/em\u003e), and as an integral member of the legendary Ezra Collective, winners of the 2023 Mercury Music Prize in the UK.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlitting between the genres of jazz fusion, soul, r\u0026amp;b, hip hop and afrobeat, the album was predominantly produced by a previous Takuya collaborator, vocalist José James, while also featuring phenomenal accompaniment from Nate Smith (drums), Solomon Dorsey (bass), Corey King (trombone) and Kris Bowers (keys). — (via Label)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJapan-born\/N.Y.C.-based trumpeter Takuya Kuroda's Blue Note Records debut, 2014's \u003cem\u003eRising Son\u003c\/em\u003e, is a funky, soul and hip-hop-infused affair featuring production from acclaimed jazz vocalist José James. Longtime collaborators, Kuroda and James met while students at Manhattan's New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and Kuroda later toured with James and wrote the horn arrangements for his 2012 album, \u003cem\u003eNo Beginning No End. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTechnically, \u003cem\u003eRising Son\u003c\/em\u003e is Kuroda's fourth album after three previous independent releases that found him working through a more swinging, post-bop jazz sound, with the occasional funk-inflected diversion. On \u003cem\u003eRising Son\u003c\/em\u003e, Kuroda delves deep into a '70s fusion, funk, and Afro-beat-influenced sound that is at once contemporary and vintage in approach. In many ways, the sound of Rising Son has a lot in common with James' own soul-jazz style, and his guest spot on Roy Ayers' \"Everybody Loves the Sunshine\" is certainly a highlight of the album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, while there is palpable synergistic energy at play between James and Kuroda, it's Kuroda's assured, dynamic trumpet playing that grabs the spotlight on \u003cem\u003eRising Son\u003c\/em\u003e. Backing Kuroda here is his working ensemble featuring trombonist Corey King, Rhodes keyboardist Kris Bowers, bassist Solomon Dorsey, and drummer Nate Smith.  Together, Kuroda and his band play a clipped, muscular funk-jazz that shows the influence of artists like African-legend Hugh Masekela and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Tracks like the Latin-tinged \"Mala\" and the frenetic \"Afro Blues\" (which showcases a guest appearance by famed West African guitarist Lionel Loueke) are hypnotic, pulsing, and joyous. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany of the songs on \u003cem\u003eRising Son \u003c\/em\u003ehave a modern, dance-ready sheen to them, with James pushing the drums to the front of the mix and cradling Kuroda and King's horns in a rounded, almost phaser-like mike sound. While some hip-hop-influenced jazz can seem rhythmically static, sacrificing improvisation for beats, the tracks on \u003cem\u003eRising Son\u003c\/em\u003e never get too smooth. James leaves just enough organic grit in the mix to remind you that that this is live, improvisational music, not that you'd forget with Kuroda bursting through many of these cuts with a puckered intensity. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd while this is unquestionably a jazz album, nothing on \u003cem\u003eRising Son \u003c\/em\u003efeels like an intellectual harmonic exercise, as so many recordings by post-collegiate jazz artists sometimes do. Whether further illuminating the soul of Roy Ayers, or slipping ever deeper into the romantic slow jam of his own \"Sometime Somewhere Somehow,\" Kuroda reveals himself to be a gifted melodicist with an abiding trust in groove, not to mention trumpet chops and charisma to spare. Ultimately, \u003cem\u003eRising Son\u003c\/em\u003e isn't just Kuroda's major-label debut, it's a major artistic statement. — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/album\/rising-son-mw0002591650\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAllMusic\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/7GDnn7XSLCIjZkBkw0SMZd?utm_source=generator\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e↓\u003cbr\u003eLabel: First Word Records \u003cbr\u003eFormat: 2x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo\u003cbr\u003eReissued: 2024 \/ Original Release: 2014\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Jazz, Funk \/ Soul\u003cbr\u003eStyle: Jazz-Funk, Fusion, Soul-Jazz\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFile under: TAV Essential Listening\u003cbr\u003eFile under: Jazz \/\/ Soul-Jazz \/ Jazz-Funk\u003cbr\u003e⦿\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Word Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43304001470622,"sku":"5050580815933","price":70.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/products\/a3317405489_10.jpg?v=1709999800","url":"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/products\/takuya-kuroda-rising-son-2024-reissue","provider":"The Analog Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}