About

- A TAV Essential Listening Album -

After 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 Rising Son 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. - The Analog Vault

First Word Records is incredibly proud to bring you an exclusive vinyl-only re-issue of Takuya Kuroda’s highly-sought after album, Rising Son. This was 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.

The 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, Fly Moon Die Soon (2020) and Midnight Crisp (2022). For 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 remained 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 & 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 Mala in Cuba ), and as an integral member of the legendary Ezra Collective, winners of the 2023 Mercury Music Prize in the UK.

Flitting between the genres of jazz fusion, soul, r&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 Bandcamp

↓
Label: First Word Records 
Format: 2x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo
Country: UK
Reissued: 2024 / Original Release: 2014
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul, Jazz-Funk, Fusion, Soul-Jazz

File under: Soul-Jazz / Jazz-Funk
⦿