August 2026 │When Recoya Goes Record Shop Digging

I bought a reissue of an album by the Italian library music master. Every album by Alessandro Alessandroni has that distinctive Alessandroni style; it’s like a fantastic library, with music and rhythms from various regions unfolding within a fantastical setting. It’s wonderful. So interesting.

This is another album I picked up without much research.

It mainly features recordings from around 1970, a little later than his representative works from the early 1960s.

The flute and wind instruments in the background are impressive.

Rather than flashy energy, it seems like you can enjoy the way the sounds are layered.

I still don’t understand it at all, but it’s jazz that sticks in your mind.

The soulful, noise-infused, and electronic grooves are right up my alley. Following on from his previous work, Morgan Buckley, this updated, futuristic soundscape for the 2020s is fantastic.

I pre-ordered and bought his new album for the first time in a while!

It started at a slow tempo. It wasn’t the kind of jazz I had imagined, but gradually I became engrossed in the uptempo tunes.

As I listened more and more instruments joined in, and once the piano was added, it was a completely different world.

A deep, resonant bass and a slightly dry beat.

With various sounds layered on top, depending on the listener, it might evoke a feeling of strolling slowly through a city at night, or the pleasant feeling of a lazy weekend afternoon.

Although there are no flashy climaxes, I strangely found myself listening to it all the way through.

Just playing it in your room makes your usual space feel a little more cinematic; it’s an album that transforms an otherwise sterile time into a scene.

Lately, I’ve been listening to nothing but jazz. This time, it’s the work of the legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius. He transcended the boundaries of bass playing, contributing to composition and arrangement.

The participating musicians are also top-notch (though my knowledge is still lacking).

Apparently, this album won the gold prize at the 1981 Jazz Disc Awards hosted by Swing Journal magazine in Japan. That explains why I remembered seeing this album cover somewhere before.

Furthermore, I managed to get a 1979 album by Afro-funk legend Tony Allen at SOULPOT RECORDS, which recently moved to a location closer to Kakogawa Station. Since it’s a collaboration with Afrika 70, the overall energetic groove is similar to Fela Kuti’s work, with a sound that really gets you pumped up. It’s perfect for a hot summer day!

This is a massive 20-minute piece that occupies the entire A-side, a “suite” composed of seven interconnected parts.

I’d listened to it casually before, but was surprised to learn more about it later.

From the very first track, the sound is aggressive and futuristic, something you wouldn’t expect from a 1971 album.

It’s an intense opening, almost like entering a final boss stage.

Then, a beautiful vocal voice joins in. Lyrical melodies are interspersed between the intense instrumentation, creating a powerful interplay of energy and tension.

Furthermore, the intricate drumming powerfully drives the entire piece forward. The individual personalities of the keyboard, vocals, and drums clash, creating one magnificent musical work.

This was my first experience with progressive rock, and ‘Tarkus’ is easy to understand with its clear transitions between sections. It’s a great album.

Highly recommended for those new to progressive rock!

This album caught my eye with its jacket art, and it’s a heartwarming collection of lo-fi sampling music inspired by Shigenari Onishi’s work “House,” which captivated me when I visited his private art museum, “Shige-chan Land,” located in Hokkaido. I picked it up at Tsujitani Shoten in Teshikaga because of the Hokkaido connection!