Ryo Fukui "Mellow Dream" LP

Fukui's 1977 second album continues the piano-trio approach established on Scenery. Satoshi Denpo plays bass and Yoshinori Fukui plays drums. Original compositions and standards connect modal jazz, bop, lyrical ballad playing, and blues. For fans of: Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and Japanese piano-trio jazz. Mellow Dream captures Ryo Fukui moving easily between reflective melody and powerful rhythmic drive. The Hokkaido pianist brings a clear touch and a strong sense of swing to a trio that can sound intimate one moment and commanding the next. The album's title piece and "My Foolish Heart" reveal its gentler, more contemplative side. "Baron Potato Blues" gives the group room to dig into a more robust groove, while "Horizon" opens into an expansive display of collective energy. This We Release Jazz reissue presents a key record in Fukui's small but enduring catalog, with the lyrical warmth and dynamic contrast that make his playing so compelling. Listen: Ryo Fukui: Mellow Dream listening sample UPC - 4260544825422