About

It's 1976 in Osaka. Isao Suzuki's name appears in the liner notes on records by Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald. He's returned to Japan from New York City where he played with Kenny Burrell and has started his own ensemble, the Sextet. His instrumentation has expanded to cello and piccolo bass from his origins on the jazz double-bass. The result is Ako's Dream. — (via New Commute)

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Recorded in 1976, Ako’s Dream presents Isao Suzuki at the height of his creative powers, leading a sextet that unites some of Japan’s finest jazz musicians. The album showcases Suzuki’s deep groove and melodic sensitivity across originals that move between driving hard-bop and meditative spiritual moods. This reissue captures the warmth and presence of the original analog tapes, continuing the celebrated Three Blind Mice tradition of audiophile excellence.  — (via Jazz Messengers)

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One of the wonderfully creative 70s sets from Japanese stringman Isao Suzuki – an artist who also plays bass, but who works here on jazz cello – for a very unusual approach. The set has Suzuki's work on the light strings matched in a combo with lead guitar from Kazumi Watanabe – who's nicely restrained here, and falls in with Isao's strings at a level that's quite different than his own material of the time.

Watanabe's lead is augmented by further rhythm guitar work by Kazumasa Akiyama, and the resulting mix of stringed instruments creates a sound that sounds pretty darn groovy in some parts – lightly leaping along with some Fender Rhodes from Tsuyoshi Yamamoto. The best track is the album's long funky remake of "Feel Like Making Love", which begins with a spacey intro, then leaps into an almost-breakbeat reading of the track that features some great electric piano work in a classic MPS mode. — (via Soundohm)
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Japanese jazz bassist, cellist and composer Isao Suzuki's seventh release on TBM is a deeply personal affair, dedicated to his daughter. It opens with the lush and melodic 'Ako No Yume', setting a warm, reflective tone before sliding into the breezy swing of 'Isao Family'. His take on 'Feel Like Makin' Love' is tender yet rhythmically alive, balancing intimacy with a gentle groove. Closer 'Seven Come Eleven' shifts gears into upbeat territory, showcasing Suzuki's fluid bass work and interplay with the band. Rich in emotion but never overly sentimental, it's a snapshot of a master musician channelling both personal affection and technical finesse into four distinctive cuts. — (via Juno)
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2025 Japan reissue
180g Vinyl Premium Limited Edition
Remastering & Cutting: Bernie Grundman
Original reprint liner notes

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Label: Three Blind Mice
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, 180g
Reissued: 2025 / Original release: 1976
Genre: Jazz
Style: Jazz-Funk, Contemporary Jazz

File under: Japanese Jazz // Three Blind Mice
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