Masahiko Satoh & Soundbreakers - Amalgamation (1971)

This preposterous piece of psychedelic avant-jazz sounds like the work of aliens, each with only one foot in our universe. Propelled by cacophonous brassy blasts, volleys of machine-gunning, ecstatically 'Light Fantastic' rhythms and moments of Teo Macero-style 'Mixing Concrète' (during which the whole track becomes consumed by waves of new sound); the result is the most singular mash-up of inappropriate sounds any listener is ever likely to hear. Over two side-long tracks, shaman Masahiko Satoh sends us through a sonic mind-field, baffling our senses and our sense of gravity. Located at the centre of Amalgamation's giddy sessions was the frantic Detroit drumming of hard-bop legend Louis Hayes, whose role it was to play the bubbling ever unfolding fundament on which Masahiko Satoh's whole trip proceeded, as though the rhythm section were a magic carpet magically pulled out from under the feet of the other performers. Over this rhythmic shaking, Satoh scattered Hammond organ around and ring-modulated his Fender Rhodes piano solos (Roland built three especially for the record), added lead guitar from 'super session' legend Kimio Mizutani, trumpets and sax from Mototeru Takagi, scat singing from Kayoko Itoh, and strings from the Wehnne Strings Consort.
by Julian Cope in JAPROCKSAMPLER

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Jazz-Rock
Fusion

Tracks:
Part 1 (15.50)
Part 2 (21.18)

Line-up:
Shungo Sawada - Guitar
Masaoki Terekawa - Bass
Louis Haynes - Drums
Kimio Mizutani - Guitar
Hiro Yanagida - Organ
D.D. Dickson - Trombone
Jochen Stadt - Trombone
Jackie Hermann - Trumpet
Sabu Toyozumi - Drums
Masahiko Satoh - Keyboards, Percussion
Hideaki Sakurai - Drums, Percussion, Voice
Mototeru Takagi - Woodwinds
Kayoko Ishu - Voice
Whenne Strings Consort - Strings