About

Official reissue of the final album from the legendary Hokkaido pianist behind Scenery and Mellow Dream. This album was recorded on January 25th and 26th 2015 at Sapporo jazz club Slowboat, a venue founded by Ryo Fukui in 1995 where he played countless times. It is a magnificent and very personal contemporary jazz offering, fluid, skillful, and full of breathtaking solos. With Takumi Awaya (bass) and Ittetsu Takemura (drums). - Label.

"Known for his miraculous albums Scenery (1976) and Mellow Dream (1977), legendary Hokkaido pianist Ryo Fukui, with the help of his wife Yasuko, opened his very own jazz club in Sapporo in 1995, Slowboat. This is where Ryo Fukui spent the latter half of his career, playing again and again, welcoming peers for unforgettable sessions, and perfecting the craft he lived for: jazz.

A Letter from Slowboat is a poetic, soulful, and honest love letter to Hokkaido, to Fukui’s jazz club, and to endless hours of practicing artistry in a place called home. Backed by longtime collaborators Takumi Awaya on bass, and Ittetsu Takemura on drums, Ryo Fukui flows through classics and originals with natural class, fluidity and absolute precision, expressing a smooth balance between skills and heart.

Slowboat, full of breathtaking solos and exquisite moments of clarity, is another crucial piece in the career of one of the most fascinating jazzmen to ever grace the piano. It was released in 2016, sadly the year Ryo Fukui passed away, leaving behind a legacy of works that is sure to captivate jazz lovers for generations to come, and Slowboat, where the magic still happens to this day." - Boomkat

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Label: We Release Jazz 
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 180 Gram
Released: 2020
Genre: Jazz
Style: Contemporary Jazz, Japanese Jazz
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