Brass And Bamboo - Tak Shindo

Brass And Bamboo
Tak Shindo
Capitol Records T1345
1960

Available in some downloadable form from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample.

Shindo "east/west" sound makes this Capitol set as fresh sounding today as when it was pressed back in the "space age".

From the back cover: In his sparkling debut as a Capitol recording artist, young Tak Shindo offers a brand-new concept in music, combining the exotic sounds of ancient Japanese instruments with modern, big-band orchestrations, in tempo and moods that range from ballads to swing.

This, indeed, was a mammoth undertaking, as brass, flutes, clarinets, drums, bass, guitar, and vocal chorus were blended with the koto (the thirteen-string zither whose strange, harp-like tones are heard throughout the album), Kabuki drums, the samisen (three-string guitar), bamboo flutes, Buddha temple gongs and an assortment of bell and chimes. To add to the difficulty, Miss Kazue Kudp, featured here on koto and samisen, speaks limited English and reads only Japanese music, having only recently arrived her from her native Japan.

From Billboard - March 28, 1960: To prove there's still opportunity for originality, young Tak Shindo has found a way for East to meet West musically. He had added a few exotic Japanese instruments to a big swinging which includes some top Coast jazz musicians (including Bud Shank and Shelly Manne).

Caravan
Poinciana
The Moon Was Yellow
Skylark
No Place To Go
Bali Ha'i
The Song Of Delilah
Flamingo
I'm Beginning To See The Light
The Lamp Is Low
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
Brass And Bamboo