''East Meets West'' is the debut album by American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
guitarist John Scofield. It was recorded in 1977 at the
Onkio Haus (aka Onkyo House) is a company operating sound recording, mixing and mastering studios in Ginza, Tokyo, owned by Magazine House, Ltd and others. It also provides video editing and postproduction services for TV program and commercial film projects. ...
Motohiko Hino
Motohiko "Toko" Hino (January 3, 1946 in Tokyo – May 13, 1999) was a Japanese jazz drummer.
Hino's father, who was a dancer and musician, taught Hino and his brother, Terumasa Hino, tap dancing as children.Terumasa Hino
is a Japanese jazz trumpeter. He is considered one of Japan's finest jazz musicians. His instruments include the trumpet, cornet, and flügelhorn.
Early life
He was born in Tokyo, Japan, and his father was a trumpeter and tap dancer. Hino start ...
, the drummer's brother.
The album was released under the title ''John Scofield'' in 1978 by Trio Records in Japan. After Trio closed, BlackHawk Records released the album in 1987 under the title ''East Meets West''. Storyville Records reissued the album with part of the original design restored, using a cropped photograph of Scofield standing by the Hudson River.
Scofield had his major breakthrough playing with Miles Davis by the time of the Black Hawk re-release. According to
Herb Wong
Herbert H. Wong (March 18, 1926 – April 20, 2014) was an American jazz enthusiast, educator, writer, producer, disc jockey and zoologist.
Wong became interested in jazz music as a child and had his first experience broadcasting while serving in ...
in the liner notes, Scofield was the first guitarist to transfer "post-Coltrane harmonic language, integrating much of the idiom saxophonists have been working on."
Terumasa Hino and John Scofield
Terumasa Hino and John Scofield played several times together, especially in 1977. On August 10 and 11, on the eve of this recording session, all four musicians had already recorded the tracks for Hino's ''Hip Seagull'' at Victor Studios in Tokyo as part of a greater ensemble. The more fusion-oriented album was finished later that year in New York, where Terumasa Hino and John Scofield had a recording date in May 1977, together with
Ron Carter
Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...
and Tony Williams for Hino's album ''May Dance''. Both albums were released on Flying Disk. Scofield and Hino were also part of the Dave Liebman Quintet around 1980 and recorded together again in the 1990s for Hino's album ''Bluestruck'' for Blue Note (1990) and his
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
tribute album ''It's There'' (
Enja
Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971.
The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...
, 1995).
Track listing
Personnel
*John Scofield – guitar
*
Terumasa Hino
is a Japanese jazz trumpeter. He is considered one of Japan's finest jazz musicians. His instruments include the trumpet, cornet, and flügelhorn.
Early life
He was born in Tokyo, Japan, and his father was a trumpeter and tap dancer. Hino start ...