Horace Silver - The Tokyo Blues - Analogue Productions CBNJ 84110 SA (2010)
SACD rip via PS3 to iso (1.97GB) | 24bit/88.2kHz flac | 1st released 1962 | 2ch only (801MB) DR14 (+6dB gain) | Jazz, Hard Bop

Mastered for SACD by Kevin Gray & Steve Hoffman at AcousTech Mastering

Tokyo Blues, a quintessential mid-'60s Blue Note session, is Horace Silver's tribute to the Japanese people who have long supported his funky, Latin-flavored modern jazz. American jazz has always been wildly popular in Japan, & this album is Silver's homage to the many fans that he has encountered on various triumphant tours of the island nation. While Silver's trademark funky Latin/swing is at the forefront, the inspiration of eastern delights is clearly evident in all aspects of this grooving date.

Review by Steve Leggett:
Following a series of concert dates in Tokyo late in 1961 with his quintet, Horace Silver returned to USA with his head full of the Japanese melodies he had heard during his visit, & using those as a springboard, he wrote 4 new pieces, which he then recorded at sessions held on July 13 & 14, 1962, along with a version of Ronnell Bright's little known ballad "Cherry Blossom." One would naturally assume the resulting album would have a Japanese feel, but that really isn't the case. Using Latin rhythms & the blues as a base, Silver's Tokyo-influenced compositions fit right in with the subtle cross-cultural, but very American, hard bop he'd been doing all along. Using his usual quintet, with drummer Joe Harris filling in for an ailing Roy Brooks, Silver's compositions have a light, airy feel, with plenty of space, & no one used that space better at these sessions than Cook, whose tenor sax lines are simply wonderful, adding a sturdy, reliable brightness. The centerpieces are the 2 straight blues, "Sayonara Blues" & "The Tokyo Blues," both of which have a delightfully natural flow, & the building, patient take on Bright's "Cherry Blossom," which Silver takes pains to make sure sounds like a ballad & not a barely restrained minor-key romp. The bottom line is that The Tokyo Blues emerges as a fairly typical Silver set from the era & not as a grandiose fusion experiment welding hard bop to Japanese melodies. That might have been interesting, certainly, but Silver obviously assimilated things down to a deeper level before he wrote these pieces, & they feel like a natural extension of his work rather than an experimental detour.
~Allmusic.com

Part of a 25 disc Blue Note box set:
http://www.analogueproductions.com/index.cfm?do=detail&Title_ID=67180

     Tracks:

Too Much Sake?
Sayonara Blues
The Tokyo Blues
Cherry Blossom
Ah! So

     Time  40mins..

     Musicians:

Junior Cook, sax (tenor)
Joe Harris, drums
Blue Mitchell, trumpet
Horace Silver, piano
Gene Taylor, bass

http://www.filefactory.com/f/65472d9a167ea2b6
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Checksum for iso:
8c4d484586ad5d40ddf06886ed30443b *Horace Silver - The Tokyo Blues.iso

Checksums for flac tracks:
1cc7e34691d807b30396f5b3a84da99e *01 - Horace Silver - Too Much Sake.flac
a15e5b20dd54f2e4cb74a5b72b8a186c *02 - Horace Silver - Sayonara Blues.flac
6f48741afc3a6afc397155ff12292c90 *03 - Horace Silver - The Tokyo Blues.flac
48a5dacba66e2d6628fae75f16df227c *04 - Horace Silver - Cherry Blossom.flac
1236107124e28aa6788c313d95a16f27 *05 - Horace Silver - Ah! So.flac