Greetings and salutations Hivers. Today let's go into another Evening Groove / Three Tune Tuesday post.

As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendation.

Today I have more Japanese jazz! I thought today we'd look at one of the legends in the genre. Sadao Watanabe has been around since the mid-60s and has released over 70 albums in the years since. He is one of the best known jazz artists in Japan and one of the most beloved. One of the things that sets Watanabe apart is that he combines a lot of traditional Japanese sounds into his jazz.

Let's look at three great songs from three different albums. It's of course impossible to narrow down a top three list from so many, but I'm going to try to find some good ones anyway! Unfortunately some of my favorites don't seem to be on Youtube. Ah well, it is as it is. Let's see what I can find...

Tsumagoi

Tsumagoi refers to a small village in Gunma, known for its beautiful scenery and agricultural products. Despite my wife coming from the prefecture right next door, I've never been to Gunma. There are some great hot springs there so I really should change that one of these days.

Anyway, this is a nice mellow track to start with, so mellow that it might be included on an "easy listening" CD. There is some great flute playing here, as well as some nice grooves. It goes well with the visions of beautiful countryside scenery.

Rendez-vous

A bit more uptempo here. This one has a more international feel, incorporating some hints of the Brazilian music that he loves. His sax here is pure perfection!

Sailing

This is a little more laid back than the last, again featuring his smooth smooth sax. Keep listening all the way through—there is a lot of interesting things that pop up.

Bonus: Imagine

Let's end with this. His version of the John Lennon classic. He sticks to the official version fairly closely, but that's not a bad thing. See what you think.

So what's your favorite?

❦

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.