Search - Kazutoki Umezu Kiki Band :: Live at Moers Festival

Recorded in June of 2003 and featuring Umezu on alto sax, Kido Natsuki (from Bondage Fruit & Korekyojinn) on electric guitar, Hayakawa Takeharu (for Satoko Fujii, solo discs & loads of sessions of Studio Wee) and Niida Koza (Komachka Klezmer) on drums. Umezu was bitten by that downtown bug early and remains a restless musician who never stop moving or evolving and is forever blurring the line between categories, styles or genres. Since 2000, Umezu has organized the amazing Kiki Band, an extraordinary all-star quartet, all veterans of various bands. ""Live at Moers Festival"" consists of six long pieces, each member contributing and Umezu writing three songs. Play this sucker loud so you can feel their primal jazz/rock strength. The epic-length closing piece, ""The Moon on the Ground"" blends the complexity of progressive rock with more post/klez melodies. The repeating riff that holds this together reminds me of Ivo Papasov's Bulgarian Wedding Band while Umezu takes a long, expressive sax solo. They are one of the best bands to emerge from Japan in many moons.