Listen: Takeo Moriyama ‘East Plants’ Album Sampler

Pre-order the BBE reissue on vinyl / CD / digital.

Originally released in 1983 on the Japanese VAP label, ‘East Plants’ is an essential album in the Japanese Jazz canon. It’s an album that distils several key characteristics of Takeo Moriyama’s music: clearly articulated and inventive rhythms, open yet orderly arrangements, and an accessible groove balanced with a graceful control.

‘East Plants’ features no piano, just percussion, bass and reeds. From the luxurious raga-like build of the album’s hypnotic title track and the fierce post-bop workout of ‘Fields’, to the stately modal track ‘Kaze’ ( as featured on the sell-out BBE compilation, ‘J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1968-1984’), the album was, until now, a rarely acknowledged masterpiece. ‘East Plants’ shows Moriyama’s quintet at their most transcendent.