Shoji Yokouchi Trio – Greensleeves (180g LP)

Label: Impex – IMP6026
Numbered Limited Edition 180g Vinyl LP! Limited To Only 3000 Numbered Copies! Rare Three Blind Mice Jazz Gem!

“This is the best audiophile system demonstration LP I have heard in ages, and a must-own.” – positive-feedback.com
“This is the best audiophile system demonstration LP I have heard in ages, and a must-own.” ” …Packaged by Impex in slick classy gloss and full color, Greensleeves is a high-quality production for a top jazz collection. Prediction: this release will triple in price! For those smart enough to buy multiple copies and put extras away, a bonus awaits them! Thank you Impex! Greensleeves receives my highest BUY recommendation!” – Robert H. Levi, positive-feedback.com,
Impex’s vinyl reissue preserves the original’s clear, pristine sound (check out the bass on Yuri’s organ!) while improving surface noise and definition. This rare gem of Tee Fujii’s repertoire is another entertaining listen for TBM fans from Impex Records!
“I cannot understand how [Chris] Bellman got 100% of the dynamics, power, subterranean deep powerful bass, delicate guitar, bass riffs, and drums all on a 33 RPM release without the instruments colliding into one another. I am shocked by the RTI pressing of such utter quiet and explosive punch… harmonics and layered realistic textures lived in the room as the needle found its groove. Imaging is pin-point stable and precise, and dynamics never overload.”
“If this is not the ultimate audiophile demonstration LP released this year, then none will be released. I dare you to stop listening to this LP once the first cut has commenced! With mostly standards jazzed up for the brilliant musicians to love to play, I was constantly tapping my toes and reminiscing on when I first heard a certain melody. What great fun!”
The Shoji Yokouchi Trio features its leader and namesake on various electric and acoustic guitars, Kunimitsu Inaba on string bass, and Hajime Ishimatsu on drums. For this session, recorded in early September of 1978 at Tokyo’s Epicurus Studio, Yuri Tashiro sits in on Hammond organ. The result of the two days in the studio is a recording of jazz standards and original tunes. That the performances are engaging and enthusiastic, demonstrating exceptional musicianship, makes the event all the more compelling.
From the first notes of the album’s opener, “Willow Weep For Me,” I knew I was in for a special listening experience, replete with uncompressed dynamics, frequency extension at both ends of the spectrum, great transparency and transient speed, freedom from overhang, precise pacing — you name it. The tap of the stick on the cymbal was as realistic as I’ve ever heard. Ditto the “snap” on the strings of the acoustic guitar. What really got me, though, was the visceral “feel” of the Hammond organ. The deep throb of its bass pedals sent the notes in waves across the floor and up though the soles of my feet, causing much swaying. Kudos to Ms. Tashiro, for on “Moaning,” I thought I was listening to the inimitable Jimmy Smith. On that same tune, the plucked notes of the string bass rang true, with the initial attack and subsequent decay of the real thing. And, as if one needed a better example of the audiophile sound, listen to the drum solo of this cut. It has it all: dynamics, speed, clarity and presence. Overall, I found the leader more convincing on acoustic guitar than on the electric, where he seemed tentative at best. I also feel, after repeated listens to the album, that his talent rests with his mastery of the guitar, not in his composing.
The record itself is up to the usual standards established by Impex: dead-quiet, 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI, cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, and enclosed in a heavyweight sleeve. Faithful facsimiles of the original’s front and back graphics adorn the exceptionally sturdy cover stock. A heavy-duty, re-sealable dust jacket finishes the presentation.

Grab this audiophile bonbon while you can. With a pressing of only 3000 copies, it won’t be around long.

Recorded September 6 & 8 1978