Kazutoki Umezu Kiki Band
Dowser
(Zott) 2005

Umezu Kazutoki -- Saxes and Bass Clarinet
Kido Natsuki -- Electric Guitar
Hayakawa Takeharu -- Electric Bass
Joe Trump -- Drums, Percussion

The Kiki band is its own creature. Drawn from heavy metal guitar, middle-eastern melodies, four-limbed drumming and a rollicking fat bass, the quartet rocks, swings, jams, and explodes. This is cathartic music, with a constant series of unpredictable climaxes and unending curves in musical direction. Fans of past Kiki band recordings will find plenty to love here.

The opening tune "Squirrelly Dragon" moves through a series of musical episodes with energy and brashness. It's a great tune that draws you in and demands your attention with loudness, no matter what volume you have your player set at. The second tune, "Monkey Mash," takes off with a nimble guitar line and wide-open sax playing, which converge and depart and flee into interesting spaces. Drummer Trump gets in some full-on rock-style drumming in here and everyone blasts away at their chosen instruments without restraint. 

"The beginning was failed" slows down for a bit, and everyone relaxes into a meditative piece that builds to anthem-like proportions. Its sparse lyricism and heartfelt minimal approach are like a beautiful break in the middle of the song list. Yet, the hanging on certain notes and care with delivery come out clearly.

"Viva Chuo-line Jazz" picks the pace back up for a full-on blast of the energy that pours out of Chuo line clubs nightly. Everyone's clearly into this tune and the pace hardly slows for a breath. "Dowser" gives moment of reprieve, before "A fort of Zanzibal" takes on a swirling Mediterranean melody by Umezu to close out the CD.

There may be no brand-new directions from the Kiki band here compared to past CDs, but there doesn't need to be. It's more of a very, very good thing.
 
http://www.jazzinjapan.com/cdr_kazutokiumezukikiband_dowser.html