TRACKLIST
A1. A thoughtful touch
A2. Could it be real?
A3. 34 west 10th street
A4. You would smile so
B1. I knew I was
B2. Scorpio
B3. Riverside cafe
B4. Be with us
DESCRIPTION
★ With Japanese obi-strip
★ First time ever
Japan has a proud tradition of hiring prominent Western talent to promote relatively mundane products in absurd TV commercials. Whether it’s Tommy Lee Jones starring as an alien in canned coffee commercials, or Arnold Schwartzenegger promoting instant ramen while wearing a kimono, the Japanese commercial featuring Western actors has become well-known through video sharing services and films such as Lost In Translation (2003).
One of the first, and lesser known commercials featured Andy Warhol advertising video tapes. “Aka, midori, ao, gunjoiro, kudei” he says, while holding a TV. Yet it stands out from other bizarre commercials for its soundtrack - a jazz fusion number with some of the finest trumpet playing to ever grace the silver screen. The 15-second version of the commercial reveals who’s behind it - the one and only Jun Miyake.
Released in 1982 (only one year after Casiopea’s legendary Mint Jams), June Night Love by Jun Miyake (tp.) is one of the most underrated fusion albums to come out of Japan. With some of the most talented musicians in Japan’s jazz scene featured prominently, the album is filled with some of the tightest, most energetic grooves this side of the Pacific. Freshly back from New York City, Miyake and saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu’s playing on songs such as “I Knew I Was” (featured in the Warhol commercial) is firmly in the style of the Brecker Brothers, with elaborate lines played at finger-blurring speed.
Yet fans of old school jazz need not worry. “You Would Smile So” is an acoustic ballad dedicated to Terumasa Hino, one of the leading trumpeters in Japan’s jazz scene at the time, and one of Miyake’s first teachers. Miyake’s tone, practically explosive on other tracks, is smoky, taking on a Chet Baker-like quality over piano fills, a subdued upright bass, and gentle brushes on the drums.
Jun Miyake is a musician whose many aspects have made him something of a legend in his native Japan. His collaborators range from Dave Liebman to Ichiko Aoba, and as his unique brand of third wave jazz continues to find fans across the world, his debut album, June Night Love, is an absolutely essential part of the Jun Miyake legend.
P-VINE is proud to be reissuing June Night Love for the first time ever, faithfully recreating it to be as close to the original as possible!"