Taiko No Uminari Yoshimi Ueno

johnny’s disk record is an independent jazz label run by the owner of jazz cafe kaiunbashi no johnny located in rikuzentakata city in iwate prefecture, japan.

the legendary label released a string of albums of high quality but down-to-earth music, spanning from modern jazz, avant-garde jazz to left-field pop. albums such as “farewell my johnny / left alone” and “aya’s samba” has reached cult status among fans as some of the best works to come out of the japanese jazz scene.

This is the only solo record drummer Yoshimi Ueno released before passing.

The album features “Sea Sound”—a hard bop number with soulful melodies and impressive saxo-phone playing by Yasuaki Shimizu, folky and melancholic “Tsuchi Ningyo” composed by labelmate Eiji Nakayama, the romantic ballad “My Spirit” by pianist Keisaku Takahashi, polyrhythmic jam “Skip” written by Ueno himself, “K.Blues”—a bluesy tune with a bit of a New Orleans jazz vibe—and “Uzushio,” a duet between Nakayama’s bass and Ueno’s drums.