Shinobu Ito is a very warm-hearted person as well as his music. He who is experiencing his almost 15th year in New York City in his neat apartment on West21st Street where he has been, and pursuing his own voice. In America, where the world of toughest dead ?heat competitions going on, Shinobu Ito has been pursuing his own music he aimed, with his own relaxed pace. This is the first of his result. Probably, for the most of the people who listening his music right now havenft heard his name till now, I guess.

Surprisingly, His music sounds rather west coast like sound, or like kind of relaxed sound to me, even though he is a guitarist living in New York City. It could be related to a place where he was born called Shonan (Popular resort beach just outside of Tokyo).
Well, I donft know. I never consciously thought about that way, but my music might have some kind of the factors for some people. Once I felt in my soul when I was around 30 years old.
That is, I donft mind playing any kind of music, but whenever I compose my own music, I might try to see sky, ocean like behind the music unconsciously.

In his case, it might be strange to say, He hasnft been influenced in a good way by the vibrations from this city, even though he is living in New York City for a long time. Itfs OK to say that, it should come from not only his personality but also his music, or more to say, from his philosophy on life.

My music might have rather California-like taste now. But it is true that I also have been playing high-energy fusion with T.M. Stevens, Kyle Hicks, Gene Williams until 10 years ago.
But he has been struggling musically and financially to find some places to play that kind of heavily equipped fusion music. The experiences made him change his musical coarse a little by little as time goes by.
The main reason was, He decided to be more natural to his heart.

At first, I have been just overjoyed being in New York City, and I might have been artificial to my own music in a way a little bit. The first song called, <Sailing Rolling>, which truly has real comfortable resort beach-kind sound covers through the rest of all the songs in this CD. Yoshio Suzuki, a composer of this song took care of this recording as a producer at this time. As known to everyone, Suzuki has been also living in New York City once, and performed on many World Class stages. He was the one offered to produce Shinobuf s CD this time.
<Well, Yoshio has told me an idea, which he said, gabout time to make my own CDh while listening my compositions. So I sent a tape to him in Japan.
That was the start of this recording project.
Though Shinobu says, I have never ever tried to shop around record companies or push to promote myself. But the timing was just perfect. Itfs been so tough since then. You know? He is a kind of perfectionist so-called, thatfs why when we exchanged ideas on the international calls, like gWe should take out that 2 bars!h then on our next conversation were like gItfs ok on that part, letfs leave it as is!h like.

But Shinobu recalls those days as, more than enough preparation we did, was the main factor to made this recording run so smooth.
I have never met Yoshio before until I came to this city. One of mutual friends introduced him to me. We didnft have many chances to play together on gigs, but I appreciated that he always took care of me in any situations.

Shinobu Ito who was born in 1951, as were most of kids those days in Japan, The Ventures influenced him so deeply. At first, His farther gave him lessons to play guitar.
He was interested in jazz when he heard Wes Montgomery during high school days,
He joined Tokai University Jazz Circle and he resumed activities as a professional guitarist. Spending his musical career as a member of Yoshiko Kimura group, and his steady nightly gigs brought him priceless experiences ever.
I think that was back in 1977, the yearAJazz-spot< Roppongi Pit-Inn> was going to open so soon. Near there, there was another jazz club called gMistyh. Since we were playing until midnight, many musicians tried to sit in.
Thatfs why he could play with many musicians like Mukai Shigeharu, Kosuke Mine, Hidefumi Toki, Seiichi Nakamura, Takao Uematsu, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto etc.

Though story lacks sequence, He visited to the America back in 1975 for the first time. I was just planning to buy a nice jazz guitar back then. Coincidently, I could meet with Toshiko Akiyoshi, And I started work as a helper like for her big band, providing all the music scores to each players, bringing Sherry Mannfs drum set down to the basement. But Toshiko Akiyoshi also suggested him to go to New York If he wants to learn and play jazz. The suggestion led him staying in New York City until now.
After he experienced Los Angeles area jazz scene for 6 months, he decided to go back to Japan once. And he started to prepare to go back to the states, Destination New York this time.

When he arrived to New York 2 years later, He didnft have certain blue prints in his mind, he says. Well, I didnft know anybody here at all at the time. I only had an address of Ryo Kawasaki, which I took it down from swing journal magazine, so I found his apartment somehow, then the doorman says, ghe has just moved out!h.EHis very first musical experience has started as a member of Brooklyn based big band directed by Reggie Workman,
And he started to meet many other musicians at sessions. He finally gets a chance to join to Teruo Nakamura & his rising son Band.

I received a sudden phone call from Teruo one afternoon, and he asked me if I could read music well. Well, I had no reasons to say no even though I wasnft so sure especially, on his type of music. Then I was in there bus a few days later, and he passed me all the scores he has in the bus which heading to the place we suppose to play the night, without any rehearsals. But that was an unforgettable experience I ever had in my life. Funk music was so popular at the time, and I could feel that the rhythm goes around all around my body from my head to toe whatever that is.
Somehow, Shinobu seems involved mainly with the music, which was so-called fusion at the time.
Songs I recorded to this CD were composed during last 5 years. One of a standard called My one and only love was considered to become a list of songs for this CD
When I was fooling around on guitar by using harmonics. I like the song somehow. Then, a song called <Some Where>, from West Side Story, <I love this song! >. His playing style with full of relaxed freshness is a major peculiarity of this CD.
We must play much harder at live situations. People in this city, wants more excitement. Thatfs why the sound in this CD could be like just for CD in a way.

He says, he chosen musicians with Yoshio for this reason. I knew Gary Kingfs style from the music of Bob James, and I loved it. But he is a kind of studio guy, and I guessed Yoshio donft know his name probably. I named Garyfs name to Yoshio in case, and I found out that he also knew him, and liked his bass sound.
Then, we decided to call him if he is available on that day or not. He was available to make it.

It took a little while to decide a drummer. I think of Buddy Williams at first, but he wasnft available, so I called Danny finally who actually did a good job with Gary as a result. I needed his sensitive cymbal work for my music anyway.
It might have been true that if he used some other heavy style drummer, this music would have been unbalanced in a way.

We have many lists on keyboard players, like Mike Cohen, Jim Beard and others. A few friends recommended Jimfs name to Yoshio though, but we decided to use Mark Soskin finally. He plays both electric and acoustic so good.

On trumpet, we thought about Claudio Roditti at first, but we finally hired Tom Harrell who has long time relationship with Yoshio, who would be so easier for us to communicate. Actually, he did an excellent job on this recording. He is the only player who can play that adlib lines! Having Tom Harrell who has been releasing great CDfs from contemporary label would become a major factor on this recording to make this CD more tasteful.

Dick Oates was Yoshiofs favorite, and he said to me gcheck his sound onceh. Well, I liked his sound too. he has beautiful timbre. A combination with Tom and Dick worked so well, I believe. Dick Oates resume activities as a soloist with a pianist Gary Dial in the group called Vanguards, (former Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra) at Village Vanguard on every Monday. The owner of patfs, where I often played, introduced me percussionist, Mayra Casales. I guess she is playing for Angela Bofil group right now. Her way of playing show-up so great in live situations, but not at recording studio, that what I feel sorry for her. Well, I donft need to describe on this CD more than this.

A guitarist, named Shinobu Ito is about to jump on into music scene now. As I said, his music on this CD which he has been pursuing in this cruel city might not have taste of New York strangely, But If itfs so, that was only our self-deceiving to feel that way to make ourselves believe that, the music in New York must be like this or that.
Even though how much we feel like blue sky in California in his music, it is nothing but his own music he has been chasing in this busy and beehive like city. I can see his purity, or in other words, faith to his own heart to complete his own music style.
I just canft stop loving his music now.

Takao Ogawa May 1991
Jazz Critic

A new New York based Japanese guitarist has made his debut. Since he was born in 1951, we can call him as one of leading figure musician. He immigrated in 1977, and resumed activities with Reggie Workman, Teruo Nakamura, and some others. I hear he is the one, not so influenced with dark side of big city, even though he has been living in the states for more than 10 years, I can tell as soon as I listen to his L.A. flavored sound of music, and the sound has surely very pop taste. Actually he answered to his interviewer, says< I might pursue sky or ocean images behind my music> in the liner notes.
He resumed activities mainly at jazz clubs while he was in Japan. A guitarist who left Japan and immigrated to the America with his shoulders squared, has sent back such a highly sophsticated debut CD makes me so delightful, and I honestly want to share the joy with his music. I wonder, when our Japanese fusion scene has grown with the depth and relaxed feeling like his music here in the world? Yoshio Suzuki backed up everything as a producer, and they placed each player to the right spot, thatfs why it came out as a very refreshed and exciting fusion sound.
I especially like Shinobufs relaxed flexibility of guitar style first of all.

Tadasi Narita
Jazz Critic

I am softened listening this music now. I started to listen this music without checking any press sheet.
The first song starts by very sensitive cymbal works with bossa-nova rythem, and the acoustic guitar sound reminds me Earl Kluge a little. Needless to see the title <Sailing Rolling>, the sound remind us blue sky, ocean, and scent of the tide naturally. I was just too bad imaging a female guitarist, because of the personfs first name. And I was guessing like <A good-lookinf female guitaristfs debut>. The press sheet shows a male guitarist, now I know this is a Shinobu Ito, who he has been living in New York City for last 15 years now, and this is his debut CD.
Yoshio Suzuki, who Shinobu knew him long time, produced and presented two of his compositions here. It could be a surprise that they produced such a light& mellow sound in New York to me.
It has a taste like more west coast sound. It might be related with a fact, that he was born in Shonan resort beach. The mood makes us feel calm and easy by the scent of the ocean a little by little unknowingly. Such a person who can produce this kind of music must be so warm hearted. His music made me think so. The top players got together to comp his music. Danny Gottlieb shows his sensitive cymbal works as usual. Gary King takes care of the sound with his fat bass sound and rhythm. Tom Harrell sings great with his flugelhorn on truck 2.

Thatfs why I believe this CD would be on aired soon at summer time by many FM radio stations.

Nitta Takashi
Jazz critic