It straddles jazz rock and fusion with ease. Mellow, stormy and groovy.
The sound of "Beyond," born in 1980, is still vivid and fresh when listened to today.
Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, played a key role in the development of jazz rock in Japan. Recorded in 1980, this final album under the name "Memory Lane" was Inagaki's final work. "We created this album while anticipating the fate of fusion music," he said of the album, and it certainly sets it apart from the average fusion. From the mellow and emotional "Memory Lane" to the stormy and refreshing "I Will Give You Samba," and the groovy and edgy "Take My Hand," the sound they created with their friend Norio Maeda, which looked beyond, is of an extraordinary level of perfection in the songs, arrangements, and performances. It remains a vivid and refreshing masterpiece even today. [Text by Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUNDS/DEEP JAZZ REALITY)]
