Improvised Music from Japan / Discography

Ground Zero

Plays Standards

(Nani Records/Disk Union, NCD-201) (Japan) (CD)
(Diw, DIW-420) (Japan) (CD)

  1. El Derecho de Vivir en Paz + Shinoshin 3/4 (6:13)
  2. Ultra Q (5:00)
  3. Those Were the Days (6:13)
  4. Folhas Secas (3:46)
  5. Washington Post March + Japan Dissolution (3:05)
  6. Akashia no Ame ga Yamu Toki (4:16)
  7. Bones (2:29)
  8. Where Is the Police? + The Bath of Surprise (6:16)
  9. Miagetegoran, Yoru no Hoshi wo (8:10)
  10. Yume no Hansyu (4:50)
  11. Die Pappel vom Karlsplatz (4:49)
  12. A Better Tomorrow + I Say a Little Prayer <Roland Kirk version> (10:52)

Ground Zero
Yoshihide Otomo: turntables (1-5, 7-12), self-made guitar (2, 6, 12), electric guitar (9), voice (3, 5), whistling (8, 10), surdo (4), agogo bell (4), bath water (8), toothbrush (8), body (8), tubes (8), euphonium (8), reeds (8), toys (8)
Sachiko Matsubara: sampler (1-3, 5, 7-12), omnichord (4), voice (5)
Yumiko Tanaka: futozao-shamisen (1, 7, 8, 11), hosozao-shamisen (5, 10, 12), kokyu (2), koto (9), taisho-koto (3), voice (1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12), toys (5)
Masahiro Uemura: kit drums (1-3, 5, 7, 9-12), shaker (4), tambourine (4), gong (12), voice (5)
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: kit drums (1-3, 5, 7, 9-12), djembe (1), bass drums (2, 11), cymbals (2, 11), congas (2), pandeiro (4), quica (4, 5), caixa (4), gong (5, 9, 12), goat-hoof jingle (5), tambourines (12), klaxon (12), whistle (12), acme siren (12), vocie (3, 5)
Naruyoshi Kikuchi: tenor sax (1-3, 5, 10, 12), soprano sax (4, 7-10), baritone sax (4, 7, 11), voice (5)
Mitsuru Nasuno: electric bass (1-5, 7, 9-12), voice (5, 10)
Kazuhisa Uchihashi: electric guitar and effects (1-6, 8-12), acoustic guitar (7), voice (5)

sampled guests:
Sergey Kuryokhin: piano (3)
Keshavan Maslak: sax, altered miniature guitar (3)
Phew: voice (10)

Arranged by Yoshihide Otomo and Ground Zero
Recorded January 6-9, 1997 at GOK SOUND, Tokyo by Yoshiaki Kondo, exept "The Bath of Surprise" recorded January 4, 1997 at Fuji Height #103, Hoya, Tokyo by Sachiko Matsubara
Mixed on January 10-13 & 31, 1997 at GOK SOUND, Tokyo by Yoshiaki Kondo
Mastered February 17, 1997 at Kojima Recording, Tokyo by Yoshiaki Kondo

Produced by Shigenori Noda and Yoshihide Otomo
Co-producer: Sachiko M
Executive producers: Shigenori Noda and disk UNION
Art direction and design by Shuichi Kataoka and Kagari Sekiguchi
Photographer: Junsuke Takimoto

Includes liner notes on each piece by Yoshihide Otomo (in Japanese and English; translation by haruna ito)

Released April 1997 (Nani Records)
Re-released 2000 (Diw Records)