BILL LASWELL/OTOMO YOSHIHIDE/YOSHIGAKI YASUHIRO

SOUP LIVE

 Disc one: 
  1/  Chikin                                     (Laswell,Yoshihide,Yasuhiro)  17.13
  2/  Corn                                       (Laswell,Yoshihide,Yasuhiro)  20.11
  3/  Onion                                      (Laswell,Yoshihide,Yasuhiro)  10.13
  4/  Eel                                        (Laswell,Yoshihide,Yasuhiro)  23.18

 Disc two:
  1/  Pea                                        (Laswell,Yoshihide,Yasuhiro)  15:30
  2/  Clam                                       (Laswell,Yoshihide,Yasuhiro)  19.36
  3/  Truffe                                     (Laswell,Yoshihide,Yasuhiro)  23.22

          Recorded at Shinjuku Pit Inn, Tokyo, Dec. 14 and 15, 2003
          Mixed at Orange Music, NJ
          Engineered by Robert Musso
          Assistant Engineer: James Dellatacoma
          Mix Translation by Bill Laswell
          Produced by Shin Terai for Texture Inc
          Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtle Tone Studio, NYC

Otomo Yoshihide: guitar, effects; Bill Laswell: bass, effects, samples; Yoshigaki Yasuhiro: drums, percussion, electric drum, trumpet; GUESTS - Naruyoshi Kikuchi: tenor saxophone, organ; Yuji Katsui: electric violin; Akira Sakata: alto saxophone.

          2004 - Blues Interactions/P-Vine (Japan), PCD-18509/10 (2CD)
          2005 - ION Records (USA), Ion 2023 (CD)

Note: The Ion reissue is one disc consisting of disc one of the Japanese version.

REVIEWS :

"Soup Live" is a double live album (extending over two hours) of performances by the trio of Otomo Yoshihide (guitar), Bill Laswell (bass) and Toshigaki Yasuhiro (drums, trumpet) with guests captured in December of 2003 in Tokyo. This is the same trio that recorded the superb studio album "Soup" and is similar to the studio album-- essentially the album consists of seven extended jams (the shrotest around ten minutes, the longest over twenty) with the trio exploring their many musical styles and sounds-- jazz, rock, dub, techno, noise, free improv... it all comes floating in and out of the performances here at one time or another.

I am reminded when listening to this of David Torn's description of his music as "ambient with an attitude", but perhaps a notion of "angry ambient" is a bit more appropriate-- the trio performs frantic energy improvs that feel deeply rooted in the work of Brian Eno but manage to capture intensity like the most frantic of power trio improv. With the addition of a lead voice on some tracks (Naruyoshi Kikuchi on tenor sax and organ, Yuji Katsui on electric violin and Akira Sakata on alto sax), there seems to be more of an opportunity, remarkably, for the trio to interact, with Otomo joining Laswell and Toshigaki in setting up grooves and rhythms for the lead players to work on. Of particular note is "Eel", the closing track on the first disc-- Naruyoshi's tenor comes in delicately at first, playing long tones and simple melodic statements over a minimalist bassline from Laswell but there's an underlying tension that comes loose with Naruyoshi exploring the altissimo register of the horn. After several minutes of this, suddenly a fantastic groove is established by the trio, with Otomo joining in to provide a platform over which Naruyoshi digs deep. Towards the end of the piece (and not for the first or last time on the record), Otomo seems to evoke the ghost of Sonny Sharrock, pulling forth statements, themes and ideas like only Sharrock seemed to manage.

And really, the whole thing is like this-- over two hours of ambient with an attitude, of explosive improvisation and powerful performances. Odds are if you're looking at this, you'll love it. It's just as fantastic as the studio record, and both are highly recommended.

5 stars out of 5

Michael Stack (courtesy of the Amazon website)

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yess i would have to say as a whole album this is better than the studio album. but it dosent have much of the added musicians of Naruyoshi Kikuchi: tenor saxophone, organ; Yuji Katsui: electric violin; Akira Sakata: alto saxophone, which when are used are amazing additions especially the violin, but i think that was the goal of the project, to try to be a 3 piece power house to prove that a 3 piece even live could proove that music of this colliber could be accomplished. this is a bit more harder edged that the studio album but no more that miles davis would do. and i do believe that they are stirring up a lot of the air that miles's 69-75 band accomplished along with herbie hancock and his stint in psychonavigated jazz with mwhandishi, sextent, and crossings, and of course pharoah sanders who worked with coltrane in the late 60's and formed his own band to further challenge jazz standerds with his afro/indian psychodelic experimental translations with lion thomas and other greats.
nothing like metal or verry dark muscic is featured here. just a mear fired up jazz psychodelic band, that fears no boundarys, no's no limits. this is not a typical band not like phish or greatfull dead or some hippi experiment. these are true musicians from mostelly japan, akira sakata is a world remound sax player that is a staple for the jazz community.
yajdubuddah "yajarod" (courtesy of Amazon website)