1987- Hajime
DooBeeDoo, 2026
8/10
Originally released in 1987, the multi-faceted artist SoSaLa (aka Sadato) plays sax, synth, flute and sings across these 10 genre defying and improvised tracks.
“Sincro” opens with chanting before SoSaLa’s wind, drumming sounds and screeching enters the ambience, and “Ningen” follows with rhythmic percussion and talking and singing before plenty of free jazz exploration enters.
The middle spot belongs to “Sarariman Shine”, which showcases SoSaLa’s wild sax playing under a cosmic influence, while “Leila” blends Dennis Gunn’s guitar and plenty of rawness into a more rock focused moment where Toshika’s synth won’t go unnoticed.
“Bachan No Tea Time” and “When I’m Crazy I’m Normal” arrive at the end. The former is minimal and artistic and enlists Romi’s voice, and the latter, which is the best track, offers a noisy version of jazz-rock that sure has aged well.
An effort that captures SoSaLa at a very particularly creative time, the unpredictable chords, riffs and odd noises defy categorization but are certainly intriguing and unconventional.
Travels well with: SoSaLa- 1994 Live At CBGB; SoSaLa- 1983- Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Rathausplatz Bern