Loving You George

SOUGHT-AFTER LIVE LP BY THE GEORGE OTSUKA QUINTET, RECORDED AT THE NEMU JAZZ INN AND ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON THE CULT JAPANESE LABEL BELLWOOD RECORDS IN 1975, REISSUED ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME AND REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES. Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the reissue of cult LP by master Japanese drummer George Otsuka and his quintet, recorded live on 19th July 1975 at the Nemu Jazz Inn. The album was released by cutting-edge Japanese label Bellwood, which had recently made waves with Haruomi Hosono's landmark "Hosono House". The album "Loving You George" is comprised of four superb performances fuelled by Otsuka powerful drumming and Fumio Karashima's fender Rhodes. It also includes a wonderfully funky take on Minnie Riperton's 'Loving You'. It's the first time the album is reissued since the 70s and it comes with original artwork featuring OBI strip and audio remastered from the master tapes by King Records in Japan. George Otsuka is one of the giants of the Nippon jazz scene. The drummer, who sadly passed away in 2020, enjoyed a 50 year career recording with the best musicians and labels in Japan. Born Keiji Otsuka in 1937 in Tokyo, Otsuka joined Sadao Watanabe's Cosy Quartet in the late fifties before switching to Hidehiko Matsumoto's quartet where he gained exposure as one of Japan's premier drummers. In the mid 60s, he formed his own trio with Hideo Ichikawa (p) and Masaoki Terakawa (b) recording several highly-acclaimed albums and also playing with international stars such as Hampton Hawes and Roy Haynes. The 70s were a productive decade and Otsuka embraced the latest development in jazz including fusion and modal jazz enthusiastically. Having recorded for Trio, Three Blind Mice and Nippon Columbia, the musician signed with Koki Miura's groundbreaking Bellwood Records (responsible for producing the emergent wave of folk rock artists led by Happy End and Haruomi Hosono) and recorded a live album at Nemu Jazz Inn in the Nemu resort,...