Originally banding together and recording this stunning album in 1978, Mabumi Yamaguchi’s Quartet comprises the man himself on sax, Ichiro Doi on keys, Hideo Sekine on drums and Ikuo Sakurai on bass. Hailing from the late 70s scene in Japan that also gave us the likes of Furusawa Ryojiro, this four-strong set of players take the measured approach on Leeward, opening up with the slow and spacious climes of ‘Dawn’ before Doi takes centre stage on the melancholic, reflective ‘Dewdrop’. There’s a more urgent energy to the B side, with ‘Distant Thuder’ in particular rolling at a mean clip and Sakurai’s bass becoming an insistent force in the proceedings. Once again the good folk at Teichiku are doing a great job of preserving and reviving Japanese jazz history for newer generations to discover.
