First Flight

Debut album by Mitsuaki Katayama, a jazz drummer from Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, who later worked as Bison Katayama. 1974 he moved to Tokyo to study under Motohiko Hino, and played in the groups of Kichirou Sugino and Hidehiko Matsumoto. This album was released on Johnn's Disk before Katayama moved to the U.S. in 1985. This album is reevaluated as a masterpiece of powerful Japanese black jazz, including "Hatsufuki (First Flight)," which has long been popular among DJs as a dance jazz classic with its aggressive drum play, "Unknown Point," which was included on a BBE compilation, and "Arizona Highway," in which Yoshiro Sugino's piano playing shines. SACD hybrid in paper jacket. Year of recording: 1979