{"product_id":"shudan-sokai-その前夜-live-at-八王子-alone-lp","title":"Shūdan Sokai – その前夜 - Live At 八王子 Alone LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst time reissue of JP free jazz rarity, pre-Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai group. Old-style Gatefold LP with rare photographs \u0026amp; liner notes by Alan Cummings. Limited edition of 500.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe single album self-released by the quartet Shūdan Sokai in 1977 is one of the most vital documents of mid-seventies Japanese free jazz, documenting\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTokyo’s free scene at the precise moment when it began to shift to a handful of tiny venues on the western fringes of the city. In \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFree Jazz in Japan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Teruto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoejima identifies the extant venue \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAketa no Mise\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in Nishi-Ogikubo as the pioneer of this decamping from the centre: a cramped basement beneath a rice\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eshop, seating just 20 people. Musician-run, operated on a shoestring, these spaces offered a vital site for community, creativity, and a small measure of\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003efinancial independence — “even though it was in a basement, in spirit it was a loft.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmong the most active of the new venues was Alone in Hachiōji, nearly an hour from Shinjuku, in a district shaped by universities, lower rents, and a thriving\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecounterculture. Originally opened in 1973 as a jazu kissa, Alone was unusually spacious and equipped with a stage, grand piano, and drum kit. Around 1974,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJunji Mori and Yasuhiro Sakakibara began working there, booking free jazz players on weekends and establishing the venue as a crucial hub. Mori recalls\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eearly appearances by figures including Kazutoki Umezu, Toshinori Kondo, and others who would define the scene.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn early 1976, Umezu and pianist Yoriyuki Harada — recently returned from New York’s loft jazz environment, where they had played with musicians such as\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Murray\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWilliam Parker\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — formed Shūdan Sokai with Mori and drummer Takashi Kikuchi. The name, meaning “mass evacuation,” pointed to their\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eself-chosen exile in Hachiōji. With Alone as their home base, the quartet developed a music characterized by an infectious sense of enjoyment and a\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewillingness to integrate free jazz with elements of song structure. Harada switched between piano and bass; the group experimented with rap-like vocal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003epieces, jabbering nursery rhymes over bass rhythms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThey returned to Alone on December 24 to record \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSono zen’ya (Eve)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, releasing it on their own Des Chonboo Records, partially funded by advertisements\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003efrom local businesses printed on the rear cover. The closing “Ballad for Seshiru,” dedicated to Harada’s newborn son, unfolds over a delicate piano melody\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethat moves into emphatic chords as intertwining alto lines rise and spiral.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlone closed in September 1977, and Shūdan Sokai soon dissolved, later morphing into the expanded Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai Orchestra. What remains is a\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e recording rooted in a specific place and moment: a fiercely independent scene sustained by small rooms, close listening, and collective commitment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAguirre Records, 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aguirre Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57882007208281,"sku":null,"price":29.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0297\/7523\/3163\/files\/aguirre_shudan.jpg?v=1776764488","url":"https:\/\/discreetmusic.myshopify.com\/products\/shudan-sokai-%e3%81%9d%e3%81%ae%e5%89%8d%e5%a4%9c-live-at-%e5%85%ab%e7%8e%8b%e5%ad%90-alone-lp","provider":"Discreet Music","version":"1.0","type":"link"}