Japanese author and music critic Mori Shima included an entire chapter on Yarlung Records and our label’s jazz releases featuring Yuko Mabuchi. (Notice Mr. Shima’s references to Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet. We await test pressings from lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman in a few weeks.)
Translating from Japanese to English is an art, not a science, and I am grateful to Mori-san himself and to Yuko for helping guide our English language text below. Thank you both! Many thanks to Cooper Bates photography for our album imagery.
We express our special appreciation for Craig & Diane Martin, Randy Bellous, Arian Jansen, Claude Cellier, Merging Technologies and Toyota North America for generously underwriting our first two releases with Yuko in their various formats.
–Bob Attiyeh, producer
“Yarlung Records and Rising Star Yuko Mabuchi, from Fukui Japan“
Yarlung Records is a Los Angeles-based boutique label run by its founder, producer and engineer Bob Attiyeh. Since launching in 2005, the label has released just less than 50 titles. But these few albums are the best recordings in the world today.
The exotic name Yarlung comes from the valley in Tibet where the ancient Yarlung dynasty buried their kings. Attiyeh studied ancient history at Princeton University and visited Tibet after his graduation. According to Tibetan legend the castle represented in the Yarlung Records logo was built in the Yarlung Valley to mark the place where heaven and earth came together and created the human race. “Music has transformative power and music is an act of creation. Could there be a better metaphor for music than this?” he realized, and decided to use the name Yarlung for his record label.
Yarlung Records began as a predominantly classical label, but Attiyeh and his team love jazz too and always wanted to support jazz musicians as well as classical musicians. As part of this desire, Yarlung has helped to launch a new star, the Japanese pianist Yuko Mabuchi. Her Yarlung albums are helping her gain sensational attention around the world.
When she lived in Japan, Yuko performed mainly in her hometown of Fukui, so she is not well known yet in Japan. Yuko’s website is mostly written in English but includes a small bio written in 2012 in Japanese. Yuko has released four albums so far, all recorded and produced in America. Her promotion in Japan has been limited. When one searches for information about Yuko in Japanese, one can find a few blogs about her Japanese concerts in Fukui but not much else.
Yuko began playing the piano when she was four years old, studying classical piano with her month, who is a piano teacher. As a teenager, Yuko became interested in popular music as well, and listened to a lot of Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock on the radio, and was influenced by Kenny Baron, Junior Mance, and Hiromi Uehara among others. After graduating from high school, studied under Kunihiro Kameda at the An music school in Kyoto. After graduation, Yuko began performing as a soloist and as a member of a local Japanese jazz trio.
Yuko moved to America in 2010 at Kameda’s recommendation. He had performed in the United States as well and felt this would be a good career move for Yuko. She studied with pianist Billy Mitchell and others at the Music Performance Academy in Los Angeles (MPA) and returned to Japan in 2013. Yuko gave concerts in Fukui, of course, but also performed at Tokyo’s famous Jazz Spot J, in Shinjuku. Yuko also played at Keio Plaza Hotel and at the Osaka Jazz Convention, before returning to the United States in 2016.
Bob Attiyeh first heard Yuko play at Catalina Bar & Grill, a Hollywood jazz club, performing with her trio. Attiyeh was so impressed that the next day he telephoned Yuko and offered her a recording, which she readily agreed to. That recording session took place on March 31, 2017 in a concert hall, not in a studio or club.
The recording site, Joyce J. Camilleri Hall, was completed in 2012 and is an attached facility to the Brain and Creativity Institute, a research department of University of Southern California. Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustic designed the interior. Toyota, of course, is best known for designing the sound of Suntory Hall, the Philharmonie de Paris and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and in recent years has worked on the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal.
Attiyeh has recorded several albums in Cammilleri Hall including a South American album with Latin Grammy winning cellist Antonio Lysy and the record label’s first jazz recording with Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet. In each case, Yarlung captured their characteristic warmth and ambience which brought out the lustrous sound of the instruments.
Cammilleri Hall was originally designed for classical chamber music. There is a stage at the bottom of steeply raked seats and the height from the stage floor to ceiling is 13 meters. The hall’s natural decay is designed to be adjustable by opening and closing sound-absorbing curtains that can cover the upper walls of the concert hall. Yarlung adjusted these curtains carefully for Yuko’s concert. A New York Steinway grand piano was placed on the stage in front of the curtain as if the pianist were looking straight at the audience. The removal of the piano lid reminds me of the way RCA recorded in the 1920s.
Del Atkins’ bass was situated on the left side of the stage and Bobby Breton’s drums were on the right so the three musicians could see each other easily. This arrangement is related to the microphone setting described below.
Yarlung Records is known for its extremely minimal microphone technique. Basically, a stereo pair of microphones is all they prefer to use, sometimes with a little help. The main microphone used to record the trio at Camilleri Hall was a vintage AKG vacuum tube microphone, the C 24. The C 24 is a vintage stereo microphone that contains two C 12 microphone capsules renowned for recording Contemporary records. A single Bock Audio 5ZERO7 vacuum tube microphone was added as a secondary microphone to accentuate the piano. The microphone signal was mixed in a custom vacuum tube microphone pre made by Eliot Midwood and fed onto a 2 track analog tape recorder, the ATR12. Tape speed was 38 cm/sec. The tape used was Agfa’s Formula 468. ATR12 is a vacuum tube machine made by SonoruS, and there are only two in the world. Attiyeh and Arian Jansen, the Dutchman who built this recorder and worked as one of the engineers on the recording each own one.
Attiyeh and Jansen set up a desk with recording equipment in a corner on the left side of the stage. Bringing equipment onto the stage is a common practice in Yarlung’s recording sessions, with the added benefit of shorter microphone cables and, Attiyeh says, because it’s fun to record so close to the musicians. They can see each other and communicate easily this way. This writer has been very happy with the results!
Thus, Yuko Mabuchi Trio is direct to 2 track recording with a one-point microphone. Listening to the CD, the three instruments appear as they are on the stage. And before the trio starts playing, when Attiyeh’s announcement introducing the performers is heard from the far side, followed by the sound of each individual audience member clapping across the soundstage, the listener can truly feel the panorama of the stage, the entire volume of space in the hall and the air in it. The sound is palpably 3D.
This extraordinary capture of the sound comes from Attiyeh’s inspiration by the traditions and techniques of Mercury Records and RCA Living Presence Stereo combined with modern Yarlung refinements. This is aided by Yarlung’s uncomplicated signal path dominated by vacuum tubes and by the successful combination of vintage and modern equipment. For this recording, Yarlung captured not only the 2-channel analog recording on tape, but also a 5-channel surround sound 256fs DSD recording and high resolution PCM for stereo downloads using separate equipment not described in this article.
The recorded analog master tape was later A/D converted by a Merging Technologies HAPI to make a CD digital master. Attiyeh and Steve Hoffman mastered the CD. Hoffman’s contribution to the vivid warm touch of a CD is significant. In pursuit of best results, the 24 k gold CD was pressed at a German factory despite its much higher cost.
Analog vinyl records were also made directly from the analog master. Because it was a 45 rpm disc, the contents of the CD, which last an hour, could not be held on one disc, so the music was divided into two volumes (sold separately). The vinyl mastering of the analog discs was done by Bernie Grundman.
The analog version is currently the hottest hit at High End audio shows. Sony Rollins’ “St. Thomas” (the last track on a CD) is a popular demonstration track that complements high-end audio equipment all over the world.
I don’t know the details of the design of the analog disc because I haven’t had it in my hands, but the CD booklet, as usual for the label, contains a lot of color photos, and the layout is spacious with easy-to-read text. The booklet is available in PDF on the Yarlung Records website, so anyone can view it before making a purchase. The booklet also features the names of many people who helped create the album. Executive Producer Randy Bellous, whose name appears on the cover, previously supported the release of seven albums with Yarlung Records. Billy Mitchell (who taught Yuko in California) receives credit as associate producer. The CD booklet also lists the names of many other equipment providers and supporters, including Midwood and Hoffman. It goes without saying that the support from industry authorities is one of Yarlung’s major strengths, and major factor in the label’s excellent sound. Attiyeh uses the lovely expression “Dream Team” when thanking the people who made Yuko Mabuchi Trio possible
The album opens with the standard What Is This Thing Called Love composed by Cole Porter. You first hear the intro played by the piano. Don’t be surprised if you are fooled into thinking this is a real instrument in your home or on an intimate concert stage. This is not mere “piano-like sound” or even “spectacular piano sound.” The piano is the most difficult instrument to record for a number of reasons, including its extremely wide dynamic range and frequency range, and its large structural footprint. This CD, however, “stays cool,” as if nothing will challenge the recording team, nothing difficult is going to scare them. Throughout, you hear the sound of Yuko playing a relaxed, vivid piano without any analytical or artificial elements.
Reproducing the dynamic range of the recording is not easy. All three instruments deliver their full and appropriate dynamics. Loud passages remain exciting and relaxed, and none of the pianissimos lose weight. Pianos, in particular, exhibit incredible volume ranges from rich bass to high-pitched sparkles. Listen to Seriously, as an example, which also happens to be one of the best tracks on the album.
Bear in mind that these seemingly effortless recording characteristics match Yuko’s musicianship. Her control over her instrument is complete including highly dramatic swings in which the climax of her presentation never disintegrates into harshness or brittleness. Indeed Yuko’s performance remains ever refined yet explosive. Dramatic but not self-aggrandizingly serious at any time. Yuko shows her adventurous spirit without undue temptation to succumb to the avant-garde. Yuko achieves this through her outstanding technique and rich musical vocabulary. In the opening of What Is This Thing Called Love a quasi-classical intro reminiscent of Schumann shifts to a Latin rhythm when it enters the main section. Seriously, an original tune [by Sara Bareilles] with a Black contemporary flavor, morphs in Yuko’s arrangement into a deceptively-old-fashioned number imbued with fresh Reggae flavors. Valse Noir starts smooth, but transitions into a bluesy ad lib section that is also a masterpiece. If you didn’t know this were Yuko at the keyboard, it might be difficult to detect that this is an authentic Japanese pianist playing Sakura Sakura [Cherry Blossom in the Japanese Medley] which is punctuated by subtle rock riffs. On Green Dolphin Street pleases your ears with funky jazz idioms.
Yuko Mabuchi Trio was released in October 2017 and received great popularity. Six months later, on April 25, 2018, Yuko and musicians returned to Camilleri Hall.
Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis is aninterpretation of Miles Davis in a 21st century style.
A large painting by Miles Davis hangs in the lobby of Cammilleri Hall. The painting inspired Drs. Antonio Damasio and Hanna Damasio, who direct USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute, to organize a series of Miles-related concerts in Camilleri Hall. Yuko Mabuchi’s performance on April 25 was the final concert in this two-year series.
Tickets sold out early. The four players on the stage included Yuko’s regular trio and trumpeter J.J. Kirkpatrick as guest. Kirkpatrick is a member of Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet, which has already released two albums with Yarlung Records.
Bob Attiyeh recorded the concert live. As of June 2019, when I am writing this article, the vinyl pressings have not yet been released [though they are scheduled for release in 2020]. The CD contains eight songs and about one hour of music. Five of these eight pieces were composed by Miles and three pieces were composed by Yuko.
The five Miles Davis songs were written in the late 1950s, and interestingly, they all relate to Bill Evans. You can hear Bill Evans and his extraordinary piano improvisations on All Blues, Blue In Green and So What from the classic album Kind of Blue. I enjoy Evan’s famous recordings including Sunday at the Village Vanguard and I very much appreciate Milestones and Nardis, which Evans performed throughout his life but Davis never recorded himself.
Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis is not only a “…plays Miles Davis” tribute, but a tribute to Bill Evans as well, especially in Nardis, which opens with a long piano solo intro. Yuko is only joined by bass and drums after the first three minutes. Evans performed this piece with a similarly long solo introduction in his later years.
I should also point out that Ikumi’s Lullaby, by Yuko Mabuchi and named after her niece Ikumi, may remind you of Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby which he named after his niece.
Aside from Yuko’s track choices, however, the atmosphere in Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis does not resemble either the serene atmosphere of Kind of Blue nor is it what we call “Evans cool jazz.” On the contrary, Yuko continues and develops her wonderful funky sense even more than on her previous album Yuko Mabuchi Trio.
This is evident in All Blues, which opens Yuko’s CD. The marvelous Bobby Breton’s striking bass drum work starts this song which was originally written in 6/8, but which Yuko converts into 5/8 beat with some 4/4.
Since the appearance of Hiromi Uehara on the jazz scene, tricky and funky rhythm has become nothing unusual. In All Blues Yuko offers us the duality of intellectual 5/8 time and bluesy 4/4 with a strong contrast. Yuko’s playing is unbearably spectacular. This woman, a freak-of-nature talent, reminds me of how Dave Brubeck Quartet handles Blue Rondo a la Turk with 9/8 and 4/4 beats. Yuko’s talent is also similar to Brubeck’s in that her music’s entertaining character does not suffer even though she is such an intellectual player. In All Blues and Milestones Yuko’s solos and her deeply humorous subtleties makes both pieces great fun and encourage one to listen to them over and over again. Yuko’s gentler personality really shines in her solo section of Nardis where her horn-like melody evolves into a pianistic one.
Missing Miles is another Yuko original. It incorporates snippets from Freddie Freeloader, Time After Time and TUTU. Yuko’s 16-beat sensibility is outstanding. Together with a danceable solo based on the Latin beat of So What, this track shows how much influence Yuko has absorbed from contemporary Black music. There are even some videos of her playing Stevie Wonder songs, which are very appealing. An entire album dedicated to Yuko improvising on Steve Wonder tunes would be great fun someday.
A Magnificent Soundstage
Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis takes place in the same recording venue, and utilizes the same recording team and most of the same recording equipment as in Yuko’s previous release including the the same live concert conditions. But here Yuko adds a trumpet. This changed the musicians’ configuration on the stage radically. Roughly speaking, picture a large circle centered on the piano (not the pianist) and imagine trumpet, bass and drums placed at the points of an equilateral triangle that is adjacent to the circumference of the circle: trumpet on stage right, bass behind the piano, and drums on stage left, facing the center. Yuko placed the piano in a typical concert position, parallel with the front row of the audience, with the right side of Yuko’s face visible to the audience. Once again, Yarlung removed the lid from the piano.
The main microphone was an AKG C 24 stereo microphone placed between the piano and the bass. A C 12 augmented the piano. There were no other microphones for the stereo recording. The analog signal was converted with a SonoruS converter, and Hoffman, Jansen and Attiyeh were in charge of the CD mastering as in the previous album. The production of using gold CDs remains the same.
The soundstage presentation is truly the highlight of this recording. Compared to Yuko Mabuchi Trio album, the piano is even more upfront, and the whole sound stage offers a greater and even deeper sense of perspective. In a vast and deep space, four musical instruments are embossed with full body and weight. The New York Steinway boasts an elegant presence in the center of the stage. Behind the piano, which emits a beautiful shimmer in the mid to high registers and backed with powerful pitches in the lower register, the bass beats with its warm sound, and the drums continue to explode on the stage. No matter how the trumpeter plays, it sounds mellow and smooth like butter. This is a very rare recording of the instruments where the sounds are so vivid and lively with no signs of distortion.
The booklet of Yuko Mabuchi Plays Miles Davis includes the Toyota logo in large letters. This is not Yasuhisa Toyota, but the car company Toyota. Since its inception, Yarlung Records has used two Toyota Land Cruisers, FJ 62 models, to carry their recording equipment, and although they are 30 years old, they are still solid. Producer Bob Attiyeh expressed great appreciation for Toyota’s support, as well as Yarlung’s history with Toyota automobiles in the liner notes.
Japanese pianists who are especially popular with overseas jazz fans include Toshiko Akiyoshi, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Ryo Fukui and of course Hiromi Uehara. I have wondered what qualities these Japanese artists have in common and if they are quantifiable. After thinking about this, I have ultimately concluded that they share two qualities: They have the ability convey a relaxed and unfettered musical feeling and they support that with crisp and solid rhythmic intensity. Yuko Mabuchi owns both of these qualities and her increasing concert and performance schedule supports this conclusion. In January 2019, she was the opening act for Branford Marsalis Quartet at Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts in California, and in April Yuko was the closing finale performance at the Japanese Embassy’s “Jazz Festival under Cherry Trees” in Washington, D.C. As I wrote at the beginning, little is known about Yuko here in Japan, but her future as a rising star is bright.
–Mori Shima
Chapter: “Do You Know the Rising Star from Fukui, Yuko Mabuchi” in his book Jazz Masterpieces: The Mystery of Jazz