Cassiopea jazz-fusion band

ScioAgapeOmnis

ScioAgapeOmnis

The Living Force
FOTCM Member
I recently discovered a very good Japanese jazz-fusion band called Casiopea (note spelling!), and after getting some albums and listening, they are a REALLY good band. Anybody that likes jazz fusion, jazz rock, or jazz anything just has to check them out if you haven't already. They've been around since 1979 and made a ton of albums. The bass player from that band, Tetsuo Sakurai, recently made an album with drummer Dennis Chambers and guitarist Greg Howe called "Gentle Hearts" - which is just flippin unbelievable (A dvd of this is available, which is a live concert in Japan). Also, Dennis Chambers, back in the 80's, made an album with Victor Wooten and Greg Howe called "Extraction", which is possibly the greatest and most insane jazz fusion album ever recorded - you just have to hear it to believe what those guys did!

Edit: spelling...
 
Didn't know them, but you might mean Casiopea Scio? I really like this music genre, unfortunately they don't offer audio examples online. Anywhere else maybe for trial listening, as far as you know?
 
salleles said:
Didn't know them, but you might mean Casiopea Scio? I really like this music genre, unfortunately they don't offer audio examples online. Anywhere else maybe for trial listening, as far as you know?
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Yup, check out http(colon slash slash)qprock(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2006/07/casiopea-updated(dot)html
 
Thanks for recommendation! Take a look at this album image ;)
Casiopea%20-%204x4%20%5BLIMITED%20EDITION%5D.jpg


or this:

Casiopea%20-%20Work%20in%20%28Best%29.0.jpg


or this

Casiopea%20-%20Main%20Gate.jpg
 
Wow, they GROOVE bigtime! The early albums reminded me of Earth Wind & Fire, but with more diversity. Thanks again Scio, I'll check out 'Gentle Hearts' and 'Extraction' as soon as possible.
 
Of course, I (born and live in Japan) like them and used to listen to them.
I like this song best.
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5isR7N571g
This song was icluded in the top CD image you presented here.
It was released in 1982. Very prophetic. Tsunami hits a big city.
 
Takashi Takahashi said:
Of course, I (born and live in Japan) like them and used to listen to them.
I like this song best.
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5isR7N571g
This song was icluded in the top CD image you presented here.
It was released in 1982. Very prophetic. Tsunami hits a big city.
Click to expand...

Don't know why but... it rings my a bell...
Do you know if this song has been used in some anime movie?
 
I guess you have to have special ears for this kind of music. It's not unpleasant, but it all sounds rather bland and the same to me.
 
Laura said:
I guess you have to have special ears for this kind of music. It's not unpleasant, but it all sounds rather bland and the same to me.
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lol I remember you saying once that jazz in general was never really your cup of tea. But like with any album in any music genre, there are songs that stand out and some are more "experimental" or fillers that aren't very memorable, so that's one factor. However, when I was younger, most jazz (and its spinoffs like fusion) actually was also pretty uninteresting to me, I just didn't "get" it - it didn't pull on my heartstrings, didn't have moments that give me goosebumps, didn't connect with me or make me feel any kind of way, didn't inspire me to hum or sing along (didn't seem to have any catchy parts), etc.

So I thought about why that is and why it changed over time. I think those "special ears" you mention can develop (at least in my case) from listening to stepping stones. Music that is more familiar and has the aforementioned qualities/effects you immediately recognize and relate to, but also have some jazzy elements as a decoration. For me, that put jazz into a context that I already enjoyed, and in those cases it sounded beautiful and made sense to me. At some point something "clicked" and I began to understand what the fuss was about. I dunno if it would work for anyone, but it's worth a shot!

So here are some examples of those stepping stones that bring jazz into a familiar setting, where it is much less abstract or convoluted. Also having said that, there is some jazz I still don't much care for (john coltrane style), but at least I can understand it much more than before.

One of my childhood favorite bands, Shakatak, and their jazzy yet very melodious style. Here's a great song "Night Birds":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrGcdnZ_rWc
The piano solos in their songs actually inspired me to want to play piano in the first place, I wanted to be able to do "that".

Another from Shakatak called "Invitations":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CVc98tKtSk
Their piano solos are famous for being very refined, every note placed with such elegance and precision, that even those who don't enjoy the complexity and messiness of jazz should be able to enjoy it!

Another childhood favorite, band Mezzoforte. This time fusion! Here's a song called "Joyride":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqE_T6yoIms
What I like about both Shakatak and Mezzoforte is that their songs actually seem to tell a story, purely musically, and that was the first time jazz actually "pulled on my heartstrings" if you will.

Here is another where Mezzoforte combine 3 of their songs into 1: Midnight Sun, Spring Fever, and Rockall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvwQCQnElYM

Another Mezzoforte "Rollercoaster" for good measure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pgXvfhjD8
The groove is great!

How about the famous Spyro Gyra - "Ariana". Very melodic, gorgeous solos, just can't say enough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sqI0oDEzeA

Let's shift gears! How about a pop song with jazz elements? Christina Aguilera with world famous jazz pianist "Herbie Hancock":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCzBuyLE134
He intersperses this song with beautiful jazz riffs and a beautiful solo.

Here's one of the most famous Italian singers Adriano Celentano, song "Mi Fa Male" with an amazing piano solo in the extended edition of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNVRSp3P7Rk
Please ignore the weird imagery the uploader put over the video, it takes away from the song, but I couldn't find another version with the extended piano part!

Anyway, that's the groups/styles that eased me into the whole jazz world. Maybe it can do the same for others!
 
Laura said:
I guess you have to have special ears for this kind of music. It's not unpleasant, but it all sounds rather bland and the same to me.
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Surely you don't think this bland. Not suited for BGM. Progressive rock band "Shingetsu" in which Haruhiko Tsuda, who taught me Cassiopaean material, plays the guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILzlqYdGWcE
 
Laura said:
I guess you have to have special ears for this kind of music. It's not unpleasant, but it all sounds rather bland and the same to me.
Click to expand...

A lot of jazz fusion from the 70s and 80s sounds like elevator music to me, and I like jazz! :lol:

A couple of my favorites, with quite different styles:

Django Reinhardt playing 'Brazil', with two fingers (he lost use of 2 fingers on his left hand in a fire, and re-learned how to play guitar, apparently better than he had before). Reinhardt was one of those guys (like Louis Armstrong) who could improvise perfect solos that sound as if they were pre-composed.


https://youtu.be/26UASuev6mI

And one of my favorite jazz pianists, Bill Evans, playing 'Gloria's Step'. Again, this guy could improvise solos with the skill of a composer (permutation, retrograde, inversion, etc.). And that's not even to mention the interplay between all the members of this trio. This song actually has a pretty complex chord progression, but Evans's first solo over the changes fits perfectly.


https://youtu.be/rARGPAkIcw4

And just for fun, here's Joey Alexander, an 11-year-old Indonesian prodigy, playing 'Over the Rainbow'. He's played with some of the biggest names in jazz, and they all praise his skill, not only technically, but improvisationally and in a group. As one of them put it, for him jazz is like a language, and when he learns a new 'word', he knows exactly how and when to use it.


https://youtu.be/_1liUart72g
 
voyageur said:
Heck, I'll throw in, Al Di Meola, while playing in Moscow - a short funky version of the Beatles 'And I Love Her':


https://youtu.be/44Lf9Nryil4?list=RD44Lf9Nryil4
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That was beautiful! As for Casiopea the band, they are very accomplished musicians and were quite well known i my country in the eightites (along with Mezzoforte and several other fusion bands). I didn't quite latch on to it at the time and still haven't, but amazing musicianship! :)
 
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