Tsuyoshi Yamamoto With The Strings – Star Dust (山本剛ウィズストリングス – スターダスト)

One of Japan’s leading jazz pianists, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, released Stardust as his seventh original album under his own name (including trio releases). This is the second pressing from February 1982.

Recorded in 1977, the year Erroll Garner passed away, the album naturally includes “Misty,” Garner’s signature tune and a piece long synonymous with Yamamoto himself (though Misty had already been released in 1974 under the trio name). Also featured are A4 “There Is No Greater Love,” written by Isham Jones and famously sung by Billie Holiday; B1 “With a Song in My Heart,” one of the countless masterpieces created by the golden duo of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, surely ranking among their very finest; B3 “Blues For Erroll,” the only original composition by Yamamoto on the album, written as a dedication to Erroll Garner; and the closing track “Time After Time,” with lyrics by Sammy Cahn, which ends with the line “I’m so happy to have loved you” (there is no vocal version here, of course). Even listeners who aren’t especially fond of Erroll Garner may find themselves moved to tears. Few albums convey such profound love for Erroll Garner. Even setting aside the fact that this work serves as a musical tribute to his passing, it stands as a truly magnificent album. Yamamoto is often strongly associated with a blues-infused feeling, but this record is also important for its use of featured strings, arranged and conducted by Shoji Yokouchi.

Incidentally, the beautiful cover artwork is by Tsutomu Nishizawa—the name when it comes to Three Blind Mice (TBM) jacket design.

我が国を代表するJAZZピアニストのひとり、山本剛の自身がリーダーの名義(トリオを含め)では7枚目となるオリジナル・アルバム「スターダスト」の82年2ndプレス盤。

エロル・ガーナーが亡くなった77年に録音された作品で、エロルの代名詞ナンバーであり山本剛と言えばの「ミスティー」(74年にトリオ名義で「Misty」はリリース済)はもちろん、タイトル曲と同じくアイシャム・ジョーンズの作曲で、歌入りではビリー・ホリデーのバージョンでも知られたA4「There Is No Greater Love」や、リチャード・ロジャースとロレンツ・ハートの黄金コンビが作った数え切れないほどの名曲の中でも五指に数えられるであろうB1「時さえ忘れて」、山本剛のペンによる唯一のオリジナル曲でエロルに捧げたB3「Blues For Erroll」、サミー・カーンの作詞で最後に｢君を愛せてとっても幸せだ｣というフレーズで終わる(本作では歌はありませんが)ラストの「Time After Time」で、エロルをそれ程好きでない人でも号泣してしまうでしょう。本作以上にエロル愛を感じれる作品はないであろう、エロルを弔っていることを考慮せずとも素晴らしいアルバムで、BLUESフィーリングのイメージが強い山本剛氏ですが、ストリングスをフィーチャーしている点でも(アレンジと指揮は横内章次)重要な作品だと思います。

ちなみに素敵なジャケットはTBMのジャケット・ワークと言えばこの人、西沢勉の仕事でス。

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto With The Strings – Star Dust 　'82 TBM
A1. Star Dust
A2. La Vie En Rose
A3. Misty
A4. There Is No Greater Love
B1. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
B2. She's Funny That Way
B3. Blues For Erroll
B4. Time After Time

Credit;
Arranged By [The Strings], Conductor – Shoji Yokouchi

Art Direction – Ben Nishizawa

Bass – Toshifumi Kawabata

Drums – Toshio Osumi

Engineer [Recording] – Yoshihiko Kannari

Piano – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto

Producer – Takeshi "Tee" Fujii

- その他の山本剛作品 -

・Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio (山本剛トリオ)「Summertime」(’76 TBM)

・Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio「Red Gardenia」('78 Philipps)

・鈴木勲ウィズ山本剛「サンバ・クラブ」('81 Paddle Wheel)

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