Ryo Fukui Trio At The Slowboat 2004 (2LP/180g Pure Vinyl)

★ 福居良 (Ryo Fukui) 全7款「無著色原生純膠 (Uncolored Pure Vinyl)」復刻發行
★ 享譽全球的 Made in Japan 高品質。

採用不含任何會影響音質的碳素等著色材料的「無著色原生黑膠」，以高純淨度的氯化聚乙烯為唯一原料，並將唱片重量提升至 180g，確保轉速穩定並呈現更豐富的音場。以極致純淨的聲像為目標的 「180g重量盤／Pure Vinyl」 規格，讓聽者盡情沉浸於精緻而銳利的音質表現。

• 「福居良の演奏をもっと聴きたい」。世界中のリスナーの夢が、ここに現実のものとなった。＜スローボート＞とともに歩んだ福居の、円熟の魅力に満ちた圧巻のライヴ。

望外の喜びとはまさにこのことだろう。福居良の“新作”の登場である。録音は2004年6月26日。福居が主宰し、活動の拠点としたジャズ・ライヴ・ハウス＜スローボート＞の9周年を記念したライヴの実況録音である。メンバーは、福居、坂井紅介（ベース）、江藤良人（ドラム）のトリオ。このとき福居は56歳。演奏は力強くスケールが大きく、それでいて繊細さと鋭利さもある。気力、体力、技術などのバランスでいえば、まさに円熟期に差し掛かっていた頃である。敬愛するフィニアス・ニューボーン・ジュニアやトミー・フラナガンを重厚かつ艶やかに紡ぎ、若き日に傾倒したウェイン・ショーターをスリリングに弾(はじ)く。この時期の福居の充実を映した圧巻の演奏である。
text by 尾川雄介 (UNIVERSOUNDS / DEEP JAZZ REALITY)

★★★★★ ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★

• Newly unearthed live recording from June 26, 2004 — a landmark night in Sapporo jazz history
• Pressed on 180g heavyweight pure vinyl — audiophile-grade double LP for maximum sonic fidelity
• Features repertoire by Tommy Flanagan, Wayne Shorter, Phineas Newborn Jr., Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington

Few figures in post-war Japanese jazz carry the weight and mystique of Ryo Fukui. A self-taught pianist from Sapporo who came to the instrument relatively late, Fukui rose to international prominence with his 1976 debut Scenery — a record that has since become one of the most celebrated Japanese jazz albums ever pressed. Rooted in the hard bop tradition and deeply shaped by the playing of Barry Harris, his approach combined rigorous harmonic intelligence with an unmistakable lyrical warmth. In 1995, he founded Slowboat, a jazz club in Sapporo that became the spiritual home of his later career, a place where he could play, teach, and nurture the local jazz community on his own terms.

Ryo Fukui Trio at the Slowboat 2004 captures a concert recorded on June 26, 2004, marking the ninth anniversary of the club. At 56, Fukui was at the height of his artistic maturity — his playing powerful and expansive, yet still marked by extraordinary delicacy and precision. Alongside bassist Benisuke Sakai and drummer Yoshihito Eto, he moves through a programme of beloved standards with the authority of a musician who has spent decades internalising this music. He brings deep elegance to the work of Tommy Flanagan and Phineas Newborn Jr., and a thrilling intensity to Wayne Shorter's Juju, a composer who had been a formative influence since his youth. This 2LP edition, pressed on 180g heavyweight pure vinyl, delivers this extraordinary performance with the warmth and presence it deserves.

【収録内容】
[LP 1 - SIDE A]
1. Eclypso
2. Relaxin' at Camarillo

[LP 1 - SIDE B]
1. Come Sunday
2. He's a Real Gone Guy

[LP 2 - SIDE A]
1. Stella by Starlight

[LP 2 - SIDE B]
1. Juju
2. Harlem Blues