Matrix

MASABUMI KIKUCHI SEXTET (菊地雅章セクステット)

ALTO SAXOPHONE
Hideyuki Kikuchi (菊地 秀行)

BASS
Hironori Takiya (滝谷 裕典)

DRUMS
Takahiro Suzuki (鈴木 孝廣)

SYNOPSIS

A cornerstone of Japan’s post-bop movement, Matrix captures pianist Masabumi Kikuchi leading a fiery sextet through a set of bold, forward-looking compositions. With Sadao Watanabe on alto saxophone, Terumasa Hino on trumpet, and a rhythm section pushing hard underneath, the album balances modal exploration with avant-garde intensity. Kikuchi’s piano work drives the session with both lyricism and edge, reflecting his deep engagement with the American jazz vanguard while carving a distinctly Japanese voice. Long regarded as a landmark recording, Matrix stands as one of Kikuchi’s defining works and an essential document of late-’60s/early-’70s Japanese jazz.

GENRE & STYLE

Jazz
Soul-Jazz, Post Bop, Modal

PERSONNEL

PRESSING INFORMATION

LABEL:
FORMAT:
COUNTRY:
NOTE:

PIANO
Masabumi Kikuchi (菊地 雅章)

TENOR SAXOPHONE
Akio Nishimura (西村 昭夫)

TRUMPET
Tetsuo Fushimi (伏見 哲夫)

Victor World Group – SMJX-10078
LP | 12”, 33⅓ RPM
Japan / 1969
Original Pressing

TRACKLIST

  • WRITTEN BY
    Chick Corea

  • WRITTEN BY
    Masabumi Kikuchi (菊地 雅章)

  • WRITTEN BY
    Bronislau Kaper
    Ned Washington

  • WRITTEN BY
    Sadao Watanabe (渡辺 貞夫)

  • WRITTEN BY
    Masabumi Kikuchi (菊地 雅章)

  • WRITTEN BY
    George Weiss
    Hugo Peretti
    Luigi Creatore
    Louis Bonfa

IDENTIFIERS