Mountains and Excitement [KROK-001]… Ещё

Introduction

Three and a half years after the hiatus of Horizon Yamashita Delivery Service, Masahiro Kurooka has released his debut album with a 14-member brass band.

Masahiro Kurooka, vocalist for the band Horizon Yamashita Delivery Service, which went on hiatus after a 10-year hiatus following a 2015 stay in India with all members, has released his first album after more than three years of preparation, releasing it on August 11th (Mountain Day). "Mountains and Excitement," a 12-track album themed around Kurooka's life's work, mountain climbing, is the debut album of the 14-member brass band, the Kurooka Orchestra. The Kurooka Orchestra consists of members active in various bands such as biobiopatata, 1983, Zayaendo, and Makurogebox, and is composed of two saxophones, two trombones, tuba, two clarinets, three flutes, horn, recorder, and drums, with Kurooka also adding guitar and vocals. This folk wind orchestra piece features unique music that Kurooka composed after actually climbing mountains, arranged by Endo Satomi, who is active in biobiopatata and Zayaendo. On August 10th and the release date of the album, the Jimbocho Listening Room, where the album was recorded, will host a two-day record release event with guests Furukawa Mugi and Hei Tanaka, and an after-talk with Mountain Sensei and Kowloon Joe.

[Kurooka Orchestra Recording Members] Masahiro Kurooka: Guitar, Vocals (Horizon Yamashita Takuhaibin, Synchro, Adakuro, Atarashii Chumon) Satomi Endo: Saxophone (Unrequited Love, Biobiopata, Zayaendo, Sekifu) Natsuko Hara: Saxophone (Biobiopata, Yuta Orisaka) Kiriko Kawamatsu: Trombone (Makkurokeboxu, Furamukirin, Zayaendo, Hinemosu) Sekirika: Trombone (Bobabibubon, Tayome Orquesta) Hiroshi Hirose: Tuba (Zayaendo) Yoshiko Numata: Clarinet (Zayaendo, Sekifu) Tomokazu Nozuyama: Clarinet Reiko Uehara: Flute Takumi Matsumura: Flute (1983, Peno, I'm Not This, Nariiki, Hajime Goten, Kenichiro (Nishihara, Shinichi Sugawara, Masaaki Kikuchi) Chie Kitahara: Flute (Amemiya Hirotetsu Quartet) Mami Aizawa: Horn Yui Kurooka: Recorder Shintaro Kiyonari: Drums (sekifu)

[Track List] 1. Cairn 2. The Story of Departure 3. The Person at the Summit 4. The Story of Names 5. Tent Site 6. Trees 7. Crampons and Ice Axes 8. Rope 9. Individuality 10. Each Person is Different 11. Draft 12. Quetzel

Media Reviews and More

Masahiro Kurooka, vocalist of the band Horizon Yamashita Delivery Service, which went on a 10-year hiatus after a 2015 stay in India with all members, will release his first album after more than three years of preparation on August 11th (Mountain Day). This album, themed around Kurooka's life's work, mountain climbing, features 12 tracks and is the debut album of the 14-piece wind orchestra, the Kurooka Orchestra. (C)RS

About the Artist

Masahiro Kurooka Profile As a child, he developed a slight interest in music while listening to the band Yuugadan in the car on his way to and from cram school. In high school, he saw a clip of the Isle of Wight Rock Festival broadcast on BS and felt a shock as if he had been hit on the head with a blunt object. Asked, "What is cool?", he felt a sense of certainty that "This is it!" and discovered music. During college, he met future bandmate Tomohiko Banse and became absorbed in genres he had never listened to before, from Queen to opera. During college, the two spent nights recording at home together. They made one album a year and played it for friends. Nearing graduation, he resolved to become a contemporary artist and cycled from Chiba to Shibushi, Kagoshima. After that, he moved to Ishikawa Prefecture by chance for about six months, where he didn't work and spent his time reading. He soon began to miss Tokyo and returned. He stayed with his family, Banse, for about two years, listening to Frank Zappa and Supah! He also started a band called Horizon Yamashita Takuhaibin. After about ten years, the band eventually went on hiatus after all members arrived in India. He then devoted himself to music as Masahiro Kurooka, with the Kurooka Orchestra and Atarashii Kumon (New Orders), and continues to this day. He also occasionally draws manga and illustrations. His solo performances are frequent in Nagoya and Mie.

Kurooka Orchestra Profile Initially, as part of a project at the Nagoya live house k.d. Japon, he asked members of the Aichi University of the Arts Wind Orchestra to perform existing jazz and marches, and Kurooka would forcefully add lyrics and sing over them. However, after about three years of activity, he felt something was missing, and began to wonder if he could add some instruments to the songs he had written, so he asked Satomi Endo in Tokyo to write the sheet music for the instrumental parts. The arrangement was so good that he gathered members in Tokyo and, with Endo's great cooperation, began holding concerts. He is currently active with the members in Tokyo.