BBE Music present the latest in their J Jazz Masterclass Series: Kohsuke Mine's First, the debut album by one of the leading artists in the new wave of modern jazz that swept Japan in the late '60s and early '70s. The LP captures the shifting sound of the Japanese modern jazz scene of the time, characterised by rich textures and tones, kinetic rhythms, punctuated by urgent, angular melody lines...

Reissued for the first time since its original 1970 release, Kohsuke Mine's First is available on CD, digital and vinyl. The vinyl edition is presented as a double album, cut at 45rpm by the Grammy-nominated Carvery, with full original reproduction artwork, including obi strip. Both CD and vinyl comes with a 4500 word sleeve note and interview with Kohsuke Mine by Tony Higgins, plus artist portraits by Shigeru Uchiyama. J Jazz Masterclass Series is curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden for BBE Music.

If jazz is your genre of choice there's a lot to sink your teeth into here. Mine's compositions are timeless and universal. It was originally released in the '70s in Japan, but you could be forgiven for believing this was a new album released in the USA or Europe.

There's a good mix of experimental and conventional jazz here, making it an album that is not only worth owning for its historical and cultural significance, but also because it's such a pleasure to experience.

8

Nick Smithson