Tak in The Alfee’s Takamizawa new Solo Album
The Alfee's member Takamizawa Toshihiko will release his new solo album, Fantasia, on August 25th, and Tak is credited as guest musician.
Tracklist or other credits details aren't available yet, so stay tuned for further news
Koshi Solo Album “Hadou” 08/18 out!!
And finally, we have a release date for Koshi's new solo album! "Hadou" will be out on 08/18, and it'll have a regular and a limited edition. The limited edition will feature a DVD with all of Koshi's promotional videos (PVs), except for "Okay" which is on the limited edition DVD of the single. (see below for a complete listing)
The album itself will have 15 tracks, including "Okay", and News 23X ending song "Sono Te wo Totte Hashiridashite". Also, the previously unreleased song "Akai Ito" will be included as well.
We have no covers yet, but the prices will be 3,059yen (tax incl.) for regular edition and 3,990yen (tax incl.) for limited edition.
Tracklist
01. LOST
02. Zettai (teki) [absolute (ly)]
03. The Morning Call
04. Okay
05. Lone Pine
06. Eden
07. CAGE FIGHT
08. Koyoi Kimi to [tonight with you]
09. Kono Te wo Totte Hashiridashite [take this hand and start running]
10. Sariyuku Hito e [leaving people]
11. Fushichou [phoenix]
12. Shujinkou [protagonist]
13. Little boy
14. Akai Ito [red thread]
15. Itaikena Taiyou [innocent sun]DVD Tracklist
01. Nami - from album Magma
02. Tooku Made - from single Tooku made
03. O.NO.RE - from album Shian
04. Touch - from album Shian
05. Famiresu Gozen Sanji - from album Shian
06. AKATSUKI - from single KI
07. Shizukana Ame - from single KI
08. I'm on fire - from single KI
09. Wonderland - from single Wonderland
10. Shoumenshoutotsu - from album Peace of mind
11. Hazumu Sekai - from album Peace of mind
B’z LIVE-GYM 2010 “Ain’t no Magic” DVD & Blu-ray 07/28 Out!!
B'z finally announced the release of their 2010 tour finale B'z LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't no Magic" at Tokyo Dome. It's going to be July 28th, 2010. Approximate run time is going to be 151 minutes (over two hours!!). There are no extras included, obviousy because of the DVD that came with MAGIC. As for the set list, see this post: B'z LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't No Magic" Dome Tour Set List.
The price is the same for both editions: 6,300 Yen. You can either grab the 2 DVD set or the Blu-ray set! Don't hesitate! 
Preorder (2 DVD Edition): [CDJapan.co.jp] -- [HMV.co.jp]
Preorder (Blu-ray Edition): [CDJapan.co.jp] -- [HMV.co.jp]
Koshi Solo Single “Okay” 6/23 Out!!
Finally Koshi has announced one of his new solo productions for us to enjoy. His new single entitled "Okay" is going to be out in Japan on June 23rd, 2010! Unfortunately, the theme song for the renewed news show "News 23X" won't be on the disc. Instead, you're going to be able to enjoy 3 fresh tracks written and arranged by Koshi himself. As previously reported, Koshi went to Los Angeles to have a recording session with Stevie Salas, who is featured on tracks 1 and 3 on this release. Also, as previously seen on the video that was shown on the official website, Shane Gaalaas will be handling the drumset in all 3 tracks recorded.
The promotional video was shot in New Mexico at the White Sands National Monument and will be featured on DVD in the limited edition of the single. Prices are 1260 Yen for the regular edition and 1575 Yen for the limited edition.
"Okay" Track listing:
01. Okay
02. Salvation
03. My Mirai(=Future) -- マイミライLimited Edition features Okay promotional video on DVD
Pre-order "Okay" regular edition: [CDJapan] -- [HMV]
Pre-order "Okay" limited edition: [CDJapan] -- [HMV]
Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto “TAKE YOUR PICK” 6/2 OUT!!
This is what we've all been waiting for! Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto have announced today, that their collaboration album, "TAKE YOUR PICK", is going to be released in Japan on June 2nd, 2010. It's going retail at a price of 3,059 Yen (approx. $32 / 24€).
While this is a pretty hefty price tag for an album that doesn't contain additional content such as a DVD, I'm sure we'll all forget about the price once we get to listen to all 12 quality tracks, half of them arranged and written by Tak Matsumoto, half of them arranged and written by Larry Carlton. Seeing as how the album is evenly split among songs by Tak Matsumoto and Larry Carlton, "TAKE YOUR PICK" seems as fitting for such an album as a title will ever be. Die-hard fans would even say that this album is the compilation of the best music from the west, and the best music from the far east. Larry Carlton's style is pretty bluesy, too, and thus it was only a matter of time until these two great musicians met.
Taking a look at the cover of this album, it becomes clear that this is indeed a mixture of American music and Japanese music, illustrated by 2 guitar picks with their respective national flags on it. It has got a lot of meaning to it, if you closely analyze the cover. It is very simplistic and yet gets the message across. A lot of cover artists fail to do so nowadays.
The track listing, no doubt, reveals a very blues, jazz oriented album, that, I bet, does not fail to have the fan listen to the best of the best, when it comes to Larry Carlton's works as well as Tak Matsumoto's works.
Overseas fans, unfortunately, will probably have to wait a little longer to get their hands on this masterpiece as this press release by Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto does not illustrate whether the album will be internationally available, or not. Stay tuned for more news!
"TAKE YOUR PICK" Track listing:
01. JAZZY BULLETS
02. Nite Crawler 2010
03. THE WAY WE WERE
04. Islands of Japan
05. Neon Blue
06. Tokyo Night
07. hotalu
08. East West Stroll
09. Easy Mystery
10. ao
11. Take Your Pick
12. A girl from ChinaTracks arranged and written by Larry Carlton: 02, 04, 05, 08, 09, 11
Tracks arranged and written by Tak Matsumoto: 01, 03, 06, 07, 10, 12Price: 3,059 Yen
