Juice CD

Last year, NuNorthern Soul treated us to a much-needed reissue of Japanese jazz guitarist Ryo Kawasaki's sublime 1983 LP Lucky Lady. Now Mr Bongo has decided to deliver a new edition of another full-length gem from the late, great musician's catalogue: 1976's jazz-funk and fusion-flavoured Juice, which has previously not been released on CD outside of Japan. It's an exceptionally vibrant set all told, with the virtuoso Kawasaki being joined by a range of similarly talented musicians to race through tracks that generally slap hard, boast infectious breakbeat-driven rhythms, and come blessed with a range of exciting, life-affirming solos. Critics of jazz-funk often point out that in the wrong hands it can get self-indulgent and noodly; Juice never falls into this trap and remains thoroughly tight and on-point throughout.