{"id":7452,"date":"2022-12-11T22:50:36","date_gmt":"2022-12-11T22:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=7452"},"modified":"2022-12-18T11:22:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-18T11:22:13","slug":"music-introducing-ponta-fukumachi-1976","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=7452","title":{"rendered":"MUSiC: Introducing \u2019Ponta\u2019 Murakami, 1976"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"425\" height=\"425\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5629.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7463\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5629.jpg 425w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5629-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5629-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5629-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"155\" height=\"30\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stars_07_threehalf-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7464\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stars_07_threehalf-3.jpg 155w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stars_07_threehalf-3-150x30.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 155px) 100vw, 155px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, Terminal Passage, who regularly uploads music to YouTube that I either really like, or at least find interesting, came up trumps with this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was researching the drummers of Casiopea, and Murakami was listed: \u2018Occasionally appeared as a second drummer for the band in a few of their live performances\u2019, in the \u201877-79 period! So,  around the time of the groups transition from their first drummer, to Sasaki, whose playing I adore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3cxw37wrZWM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This album gets a relatively low score, of three and a half stars, purely on listenability. It\u2019s<em> very <\/em>interesting, being pretty experimental, and perhaps technically deserves a higher rating. It\u2019s also very <em>very<\/em> interesting from a drummer\u2019s perspective, with some incredible playing. But, it\u2019s not an entirely easy or pleasant listen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cover artwork, however, is a very pleasing and delightful surprise, appealing to me massively aesthetically. That gets five &#8211; or poss\u2019 even the rare but coveted six &#8211; stars from me. Fantastic! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5628-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7465\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5628-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5628-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5628-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5628-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5628-100x100.jpg 100w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/img_5628.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The back cover. Fab!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Intent at his work\/playing, \u2018Ponta\u2019 looks like a major dude in his fair-isle sweater and jumbo earphones!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As it currently stands this post is just a \u2018heads up\u2019, to myself, as much as anyone else. No doubt as I listen to it more &#8211; I\u2019ve only had a cursory listen so far &#8211; I\u2019ll fill in on the musical content a bit more here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">LATER\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Well\u2026 it\u2019s now very late in the day, and I\u2019ve listened more closely to the first four tracks, which would\u2019ve comprised side one, in vinyl days of yore. It sounds like it\u2019s mostly just keys and drums; Ponta along with Jon Fukamachi. If there are other musicians I don\u2019t know who they are!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Musically it\u2019s pretty gonzo!  Veering all over the map, with a big nod to funky jazz fusion, but in a decidedly odd and unusual vein. Track one, Dance Of Paranoia, moves between a funky clavinet feel, with busy drums, segments that are driven by acoustic piano bass lines, and some outright weirdly composed stuff. It also features some unusual scoops or dips in volume. Very obviously deliberate, and highly unusual! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact Point, track two, sounds like it has electric bass. And is &#8211; relative to much of the album &#8211; quite straightforward, if still a bit quirky. There are shades of disco space funk in this one. Absolute Space takes the spacey soundscapes vibe and goes much more deeply and freely into it, although the abundant earthy percussion tethers things, with some Airto like organic percussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ballistic yet super tight drumming of Quadriga, track four, is the first instance of something both musically interesting, and also somewhat to my tastes. Up till now, there\u2019s been much to enjoy, but scattered throughout a real kaleidoscopic scattershot mix of stuff, much of which <em>doesn\u2019t<\/em> float my boat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, even here, Ponta oscillates pretty wildly, between driving groove based sections, and much freer segments. This track really is a tour de force of drumming and percussion skills. In places it\u2019s like the kind of weird modern \u2018classical\u2019 composed music you hear percussionists performing on Young Musician of the Year. Music <em>by <\/em>musicians <em>for<\/em> musicians! Poss\u2019 of very limited appeal to non-musos?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a drummer, musician and \u2018artist\u2019, I can really appreciate the artistry of the whole album, even when it doesn\u2019t necessarily \u2018do it\u2019 for me. But with Quadriga I can <em>totally<\/em> enter the spirit of it. As it\u2019s so intensely rhythmic. Definitely my favourite track so far. But maybe tomorrow, and \u2018side two\u2019, will change that? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well, Terminal Passage, who regularly uploads music to YouTube that I either really like, or at least find interesting, came up trumps with this. I was researching the drummers of Casiopea, and Murakami was listed: \u2018Occasionally appeared as a second drummer for the band in a few of their live performances\u2019, in the \u201877-79 period! &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=7452\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;MUSiC: Introducing \u2019Ponta\u2019 Murakami, 1976&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paGwUa-1Wc","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7452"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7452"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7516,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7452\/revisions\/7516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}