Takeo Moriyama Quartet, Shigeharu Mukai, Takeo Moriyama Quartet, Shigeharu Mukai – Hush-A-Bye = ハッシャバイ

Takeo Moriyama's Hush-A-Bye captures the next chapter in the drummer-bandleader's late-1970s run for Teichiku, arriving about a year after the live set Flash Up, which documented the Takeo Moriyama Group at Shinjuku Pit Inn in March 1977. This album was composed by Moriyama himself and first released in 1978, giving it a clear place in the development of Japanese jazz as the group moved from the energy of the bandstand into a studio-centered statement.

What makes Hush-A-Bye especially appealing is that contrast between drive and atmosphere suggested by the material itself. Titles such as “Sunrise,” “North Wind,” and “Snow Tiger” point toward a set shaped as much by mood and movement as by straight-ahead swing, while “Lover Man” adds a familiar standard to the mix. With Moriyama leading from the drums, the record sits comfortably in the overlap between jazz and fusion without losing the organic feel highlighted in its original presentation.

This reissue is also notable historically: it marks the second Takeo Moriyama Group release left on Teichiku and, according to the supplied source, makes its debut in the label's seventh Spin This Now! installment. For listeners exploring Japanese jazz beyond the best-known names, Hush-A-Bye is a useful snapshot of Moriyama as both composer and bandleader at a productive moment in his catalogue.

Genre: Jazz