INNOCENT CANON

A borderless creation by borderless musicians.

One of the matchlessly eccentric sound kaleidoscopes - even in Japan every reviewer called him as a musician with a warped soundscape. Yes, he might be a confuser (in a good sense). Amazingly, Takeshi promoted Noriaki KANOH, a young and promising photographer, to a narrator (free talker?) in this album. Such a strategy we could not find in another one in 1971. Anyway, 1971 was a golden year for Japanese progressive rock scene, as I've mentioned again and again ... and the credit of Kimio MIZUTANI can be found on lots of album sleeves in that year. Even in 'Innocent Canon', Kimio's aggressive guitar solo can lead all instruments and all listeners. And yeah, Takeshi's strict drumming absolutely can support this 'air' and 'ground'. The narration by Noriaki (currently he's called 'Tenmei' though) is sometimes lazy, sometimes unique, and sometimes ardent. Mysteriously, for me his talk was boring previously, but to listen to this stuffs again and again has interested me in his fuzzy fascination for music.

This album cannot be discussed only under the category of jazz-rock, though Takeshi was (and is) a renowned Japanese jazz drummer indeed. Kimio's heavy guitar and ethnic sitar, Toshiaki YOKOTA's mind-altering flute, and especially Noriaki's flat narration - all elements can make these songs more psychedelic and more avantgarde. Listen to the first track "Introduction" directly ... heavy, headaching, hypnotic riffs and enthusiastic but level narrations are very typical upon Japanese psychedelic progressive rock scene in the early 70s. In the next "The Death Of Janis" (dedicated to Janis Joplin) Toshiaki's flute solo is very mind-blowing, in spite of Noriaki's sensitive talk. The third "Go For Nothing" has violent 'NO!' voices and at the same time a delightful, pleasant jazz ensemble ... this contrast is wonderful. "Alone", the sixth, is very impressive with Oriental fragile mood by Kimio's sitar. We feel impulsive tension even in the last song "Epilog", where Atsushi SUZUKI's whistle be very comfortable indeed.

Highly recommended as a very strange footprint on Japanese music scene.

Takeshi Inomata is almost legendary Japanese jazz drummer. This, second album of his Sound L.T.D. band isn't jazz of jazz fusion though. Released in 1971 it contains weird music - very eclectic mix of psychedelia, jazz, heavy rock and avant-garde.

First unusual thing is waiting listener at the very beginning - there is no vocalist on this album, but there is narrator ( speaking voice). But the music is far not a down tempo saga for such vocals! Album's opener "Introduction" is heavy rock guitar filled organ passages based energetic composition with speaking vocals on English and Japanese! Heavy psychedelic version of early Deep Purple or Uriah Heep.

"The Death Of Janis", dedicated to Janis Joplin, is spacey down tempo aerial composition, mostly based on synth sounds (with some speaking vocals in Japanese as well)."Go For Nothing" is jazz composition with sax soloing. Still spacey and slightly psychedelic. At the end of it there most strangest screaming voices are added. Absolutely weird atmosphere!

"Child And I " is brass-rock composition flavoured with sax and guitar soloing, electric keyboards and speaking vocals. "Blue " is blues rock with soloing flute. "Alone" sounds as Miles Davis influenced complex free jazz with post-bop elements and soloing sax.

"Epilog", the last album's composition opens with sea waves noise and contains very optimistic melodic pop tune. So - now you can imagine all these different genres with freaky vocals (voices?), placed on one album? But most important - all this eclectic mix is very professionally played, and sound very attractive!

Great and unusual album, somewhere between psyche, avantgarde and jazz. Recommended!