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 Shinobu Ito is one to watch. For many years he has based himself in New York, throwing body and soul into the very core of the mainstream jazz scene. Having followed him closely for the past decade, I believe Musica para Enamorados reveals a new direction in his work that has much to offer the world of jazz guitar. Ito left Japan for the U.S. back in 1977. In 1991, some fourteen years later, he returned to Tokyo and played at Roppongifs Pit Inn. Ito had made his debut as a fusion player, and the lively session included old friends Ken Shima on piano, Hidefumi Toki on alto sax and Kenji Takamizu on electric bass. For Ito, it was much more than an opportunity to reminisce. Apart from "S.O.S." by Wes Montgomery, all songs later released from that session on Itofs One Life to Live album are his own beautifully melodic originals. Itofs capabilities as a composer are well recognized and have earned him kudos in the musical composition awards sponsored by Billboard magazine. But back in New York again, he grappled with the question of how to further his music as a guitarist in the changing jazz scene. Seeking a new outlet for his creativity, he arrived at the music of Spain and Latin America a veritable treasure box for any guitarist. Ito was in immersion mode again, steeping himself and listening deeply for sources of inspiration. These styles of music involve, for the most part, original compositions for the guitar or orchestral works and piano pieces arranged for classical guitar that later became core repertory for the instrument. Ito began to explore ways in which this great legacy of work might be organically linked with the improvisational patterns of jazz, to create a new kind of music. Being in New York, Ito happily had many opportunities to meet and play with Latin guitarists, and through those exchanges further his study of Latin phrasing, playing methods and modes of expression. He began to integrate those beautiful melodies and lively rhythms within the context of jazz. The work of Baden Powell (1937 2000), the Brazilian-born genius who skillfully blended jazz improvisations into his own percussive style of guitar known as Afro Samba, became an iconic source of inspiration. Two years after Powellfs death, Ito released the album, A Tribute to Baden Powell and Antonio Lauro. The album marked the birth of a new Ito: pick set aside, plucking with his fingers the nylon strings of a classical guitar. Put Ito in a Harlem jazz club, and hefll play blues on a full-size archtop guitar with the same groove as any first-rate American blues musician. With hard bop, too, he figures among the best in Japan. Whatfs striking about Ito is that despite these talents, he has always sought to broaden his sense of expression on the guitar, refusing to delimit himself by jazz alone. When I first heard of Itofs plans for Musica para Enamorados, I was reminded of Larry Coryellfs recording of a solo guitar transcription of Ravelfs "Bolero." Considered a young revolutionary for his fusion of rock and jazz in the sixties, Coryell was inspired to do that recording after discovering classical guitarist Kazuhito Yamashitafs work. In the same way that Coryell moved his music to uncharted waters, Ito embraces a spirit of adventure fully evident in his resolve to improvise classical guitar pieces. An instructor in the Jazz Division of the Senzoku College of Music in Tokyo, Ito leads a busy life split between Japanfs capital and his adopted home of Manhattan. When tenor sax player Seiichi Nakamura visited New York in 2005, the two recorded an intimate duo album, Serenata. At age 54, Ito is a mature musician still willing to take on fresh challenges and explore new directions. From planning and arrangements through to rehearsals and recording, Musica para Enamorados was two years in the making. During that time, Ito enjoyed the steadfast support of Toru Yamauchi as accompanist. The album leads off with the light, jauntily played "Carnival" composed by Liona Boyd, who made her debut in the seventies the first of many female classical guitarists to follow. "La Fiesta" is a Spanish-style composition by pianist Chick Corea, first released in his best-selling album, Return to Forever. Itofs rendition captivates with its beautiful strumming. "Oblivion" is a characteristically passionate piece by composer Astor Piazzolla, the Argentine-born genius of the bandoneon. Itofs haunting delivery is achingly beautiful, played delicately, note for note. A truly poetic rendition. Of the albumfs three representative compositions by Antonio Lauro "Vals Criolo," "Andreina" and "Carora" Ito recorded the latter two solo on his previous album. Presented here with new arrangements, they reveal yet a clearer view of his distinctive world. Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos, known for his "Cinq Preludes" and "Douze Etudes," is represented on this recording with "Andante," based on the second movement from his "Guitar Concerto." In Itofs hands, the piece takes flight imaginatively, as much fantasy as it is rhapsody. Granadosf "Danse Espagnole No. 5" has become part of the standard repertory for classical guitarists ever since its celebrated performance by Andres Segovia, although recordings by Laurindo Almeida and Charlie Byrd have left much to be desired. Ito sets things right again with a tour de force that exhibits both freshness and a sly sense of humor. Manuel de Falla, true to his Spanish heritage, produced a body of works exceptionally well suited to arrangement for guitar. "Danse Espagnole" is an energetic performance that brings Itofs underlying jazz approach to the fore. "Spain," another piece by Chick Corea, has become an obligatory technique showpiece for guitar duos. Ito however takes a more sensitive approach, slowing the tempo to reveal qualities of the song that are rather more simpatico with traditional compositions by the likes of Granados and Albeniz. Here too, he treats the listener to a fresh new perspective. MUSICA PARA ENAMORADOS (JAPANESE TITLE: RAMONADA / i[_) SHINOBU ITO: guitar 01. Carnival (2:55) (Liona Boyd) All songs arranged for two guitars by Shinobu Ito except Carnival arranged by Liona Boyd with partial arrangement by Shinobu Ito Executive Producer: Yoichi Nakao for Jazzbank Shinobu Ito plays Kohno Model Special (1993)
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