{"product_id":"izumi-mimi-kobayashi-choice-cuts-1978-1983","title":"Izumi \"Mimi\" Kobayashi - Choice Cuts 1978-1983","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIrrepressible, off-the-wall and utterly unique - the late ‘70s\/early ‘80s Latin jazz-funk and leftfield electronic boogie of Japanese composer and pianist Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi collected for the first time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA luminous soul with an indefatigable love for music, few artists have had careers as varied and successful as Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi. One of Japan’s leading jazz-funk pianists, she wrote and recorded cult albums with fusion legends at home and abroad. Obsessed with new electronic instruments, she penned some of the country’s most well-known TV themes and pioneered the use of drum machines in anime soundtracks.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA star in Japan, she moved to Europe to record global hits with Depeche Mode and Swing Out Sister, toured the world with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and made beats with Attica Blues’ Tony Nwachukwu. Now based in London, Mimi currently fronts Tokyo Riddim Band - the intergenerational live Japanese Reggae outfit born from Time Capsule’s acclaimed 2023 compilation of the same name - playing live shows and releasing a trio of recordings made at Prince Fatty’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003estudio.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChoice Cuts 1978-1983 collects eight recordings from four of Mimi’s first five albums – Sea Flight (1978) recorded with her group Flying Mimi Band, and Coconuts High (1981), Nuts Nuts Nuts (1982) and Tropicana (1983) under her own name.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe compilation opens with a syncopated electro-funk cover of Sergio Mendes’ iconic ‘Mas Que Nada’ (Tropicana) and the crisp and stripped back techno-pop of ‘Coffee Rumba’ (Nuts Nuts Nuts) with a keyboard bass line that would have made Stevie Wonder weep.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlongside the off-beat synth jam ‘Quiet Explosion’ (Nuts Nuts Nuts) and piano samba of ‘Espresso’ (Tropicana), there’s space for two low slung soul-jazz numbers, ‘Naze’ and ‘Angel Sky’, from Sea Flight (1978) that recall the collaborations between Herbie Hancock and Kimiko Kasai. But it is around the two tracks from Mimi’s 1981 album Coconuts High that this compilation revolves (and from whose cover shoot it borrows).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReleased on legendary guitarist Takanaka’s Kitty Records label, Coconuts High was recorded in LA with a backing band of jazz fusion icons, including Alex Acuña, Abraham Laborial, Harvey Mason and the Tower of Power horns. A riot of playful Latin-tinged jazz, funk and fusion with the off-beat spirit of Kid Creole \u0026amp; and the Coconuts, the album became a cult hit, attracting huge sums on the resale market. Here it’s the sultry, Minnie Riperton-esque ‘Crazy Love’, with its addictive groove and bittersweet melodies that makes the cut, alongside the steel drum-infused carnivalesque bounce of ‘Palm St’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCapturing a highly creative and prolific moment in Mimi’s career, Choice Cuts 1978-1983 will introduce the idiosyncratic energy and playful verve of this under-the-radar pioneer to a wider audience for the first time. Welcome to the world of Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi. Once you enter, you won’t want to leave.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased September 13, 2024\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCurated by Kay Suzuki\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDesigned by Kay Suzuki \u0026amp; Nina Yamada\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLiner notes by Anton Spice, Kay Suzuki and Ayana Honma\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLicensed courtesy of Universal Music Operations Ltd\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Time Capsule","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53771224187217,"sku":"TIME020","price":34.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0433\/9574\/3906\/files\/a2774963690_10.jpg?v=1778691200","url":"https:\/\/very-special.com\/products\/izumi-mimi-kobayashi-choice-cuts-1978-1983","provider":"VERY SPECIAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}