[Japan] BURNING MEN - 1978a - Super Session I [Jazz Fusion] (Isao Suzuki ect.)

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00:00 - 01 Burning Men
11:40 - 02 Blues for Ron
18:44 - 03 Cheek to Cheek
23:09 - 04 The Way We Were
33:34 - 05 My One and Only Love

Released in 1978 on Yupiteru Records, Burning Super Session captures a one-off Japanese jazz-fusion meeting led by bassist-composer Isao Suzuki and pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto. Recorded over two days (June 5–6, 1978) at Teichiku Suginami Studio in Tokyo, the album spans five tracks — two Suzuki originals and three jazz-standard interpretations — featuring a top-tier lineup of Japanese session greats. Though it garnered little mainstream press at the time, its limited pressing (with original Obi strip) and high‐caliber performances have made it a cult collector’s item in Japanese fusion circles.

Release & Recording

Label & Catalog: Yupiteru Records YJ25-7008; Japanese original pressing with Obi, retail price ¥2,500 .

Recording Dates & Studio:
June 5–6, 1978, at Teichiku Suginami Studio, Tokyo

Tracklist

Side A

“Burning Men” (Isao Suzuki)
“Blues for Ron” (Isao Suzuki)
Side B

“Cheek to Cheek” (Irving Berlin)
“The Way We Were” (Marvin Hamlisch)
“My One and Only Love” (Guy Wood)
Personnel:

Isao Suzuki – piccolo bass & wood bass
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto – piano, electric piano, Solina
Mikio Masuda – synthesizer & electric piano
Kazumasa Akiyama – electric guitar
Tsutomu Okada – wood bass & electric bass
Keiji Kishida – drums
Tatsuji Yokoyama – percussion
Eri Ohno – scat vocals

Musical Style

The album melds jazz fusion, funk rhythms, and Moog-style electronic textures. Suzuki’s originals (“Burning Men,” “Blues for Ron”) showcase driving bass lines and tight horn-less arrangements, while the standard-leaning Side B tracks feature lush harmonic reharmonizations and improvisational dialogues between Yamamoto’s keyboards and Akiyama’s guitar.

Reception & Legacy

Contemporary Coverage: No documented reviews in major jazz magazines like DownBeat have surfaced, indicating the project flew under the mainstream radar upon release.

Collector Appeal: Original Japanese LPs—especially sealed copies with Obi—regularly command premium prices among vinyl aficionados due to the session’s star billing and rarity.

Cult Status: Today it’s celebrated as a quintessential late-’70s Japanese fusion artifact, often cited in Discogs and popsike discussions as a “must-have” for genre completists.

Fun Facts

The two Suzuki originals bookending the LP were penned specifically for this session, emphasizing his dual role as bassist and composer .

Scat vocalist Eri Ohno’s contributions on Side B add an unexpected vocal texture, setting this fusion date apart from strictly instrumental counterparts.