Masaru Imada Quartet

Masaru Imada Quartet – Standards (1977) [Japan 2006]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:00 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 1,66 GB
or FLAC (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 905 MB

Masaru Imada is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer. For his seventh record for the Three Blind Mice label, Imada decided to do an all standards album with his regular trio. Imada’s piano style is straight forward and honest: He doesn’t emply any gimmicks or pyrotechnics. Yet, his performance is very swinging and has a singing character. While firmly rooted in the American jazz piano tradition, his voicings and time-feel are uniquely his own.

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Masaru Imada Quartet – Now (1970) [Japan 2007]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 38:46 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 1,56 GB
or FLAC (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 927 MB

Masaru Imada is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer. “Now!!” was the second album released by the fledgling Three Blind Mice, and the pianist’s first leader album for the label. All four tunes are Imada’s original compositions. The two slow numbers – “Nostalgia” and “The Shadow of the Castle” show his lyrical, “quiet but emotional”, qualities. “Alter” is an adventurous tune whose focus is on free improvisation while “Gehi Dorian” is a modal composition as the title suggests.

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