Grooves & Samples #17: Minoru Muraoka – Take Five (1970)
With the recent passing of jazz legend Dave Brubeck, we’d like to take this week’s Grooves & Samples to showcase his influence. Minoru Muraoka was a popular Japanese recording artist who toyed with traditional Japanese music and jazz/funk fusion.
Grooves & Samples is a weekly dive into old dusty crates of jazz, funk, soul and beyond.
With the recent passing of jazz legend Dave Brubeck, we’d like to take this week’s Grooves & Samples to showcase his influence. Minoru Muraoka was a popular Japanese recording artist who toyed with traditional Japanese music and jazz/funk fusion. He recorded two albums of particular note; Osorezan and Bamboo, both released in 1970.
Minoru is generally known as the foremost shakuhachi player in Japan, a traditional bamboo flute instrument. His fusion music has reached the ears of many crate digging enthusiasts including the likes of Cut Chemist and Egon (of Stones Throw and Now Again Records).
The track we feature below is a cover of “Take Five”, Dave Brubeck’s most famous composition. Muraoka’s rendition of the melody on shakuhachi is simply sublime and gives the classic jazz standard a full Japanese makeover. Be sure to look out for a dirty drum break starting around the 3:26 mark. Check it out below and also enjoy a live performance from Dave Brubeck and his band.
