Casiopea- by Casiopea 1979

Most likely when you bring up Japanese Jazz fusion, the first name out of someone's mouth is Cassiopeia, and for damn good reason. Formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro, Casiopea has been a cornerstone in Japanese Jazz for 47 years. One only has to look at their debut album, the eponymous Casiopea, to see why. Casiopea's lineup prior to the recording of their album was Issei Noro on Guitar, Tetsuo Sakurai on bass, drummer Tohru ``Rika" Suzuki, and keyboardist Hidehiko Koike. In 1977, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya and drummer Takashi Sasaki joined, replacing Koike and Suzuki respectively. It would be this lineup that would record their debut album between December 1978 and March 1979. They also had the help of American smooth jazz legends, The Becker Brothers, Michael (Sax) and Randy (Flugelhorn), and alto saxophonist David Sanborn. All tracks were written by Issei Noro with horn arrangements from fellow jazz fusion artist, Jun Fukamachi, and strings arrangements by singer-songwriter, Hiroki Inui. Casiopea would release on May 25, 1979, under Alfa Records. 

THE MUSIC

Time Limit ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tears of the Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Space Road ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Midnight Rendezvous ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Far Away ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Swallow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dream Hill ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Black Joke ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT

Casiopea remains one of the cornerstones of Japanese fusion for a good reason. They just excel and provide fun, groovy, and engaging music. Their debut album remains one of the best Jazz albums I've ever heard. You can tell that they've been honing their signature style during the 3 year gap between their formation and the albums final release, and it paid off tremendously. Each song tells its own unique story and never ceases to amaze me with its unique personality. Whether it's Time Limit pumping your adrenaline as you feel like a contestant on a game show with only a few seconds left, or Tears of a Star making you feel like you're sorrowfully floating through space, right before Space Road puts you into warp speed. The most engaging of the songs I feel are Midnight Rendezvous, a funky jazzy tune that makes you feel like you just walked into a smokey, seedy casino, about to gamble your life away. What really elevates the songs is that you feel like each individual instrument gets its time to shine. At some point, every instrument get's its own epic solo. Anyone beginning their Japanese Jazz-Fusion Journey should start with 1979's Casiopea. It's the ideal jazz-fusion album that combines the fast paced funkiness of The Becker Brother's with the smooth guitar mastery of David T Walker to create the ultimate music experience.

If you want to learn more about the history of the band, check out this great video by T2norway