George Kawaguchi's The Big 4 - The Big 4

George Kawaguchi (1927-2003) took after his father who was also a jazz musician and began playing drums after the war at clubs catering to American Gis. He formed The Big 4 in 1953 with Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto and became a national celebrity. A true representative of hard bop, Kawaguchi reunites with "Sleepy" Matsumoto in this album (recorded in 1976) and, supported by a younger rhythm section, swings hard and plays brilliantly. This is definitely Kawaguchi's best record and one of the best modern jazz albums by Japanese musicians. The crew of Three Blind Mice did a superb job of capturing the hot date with vivid sound, as they always did.