Eiji Kitamura - No Count (1983)

Eiji Kitamura (北村 英治) not only produces phenomenal renditions of classic jazz standards, but he’s also a talented songwriter. Here we have “No Count“, from his eponymous 1983 album. This is the second album I’ve uploaded which has Kitamura playing alongside an all-American ensemble, the first being his 1979 album ’April Date’ ( and boy does he know how to pick ’em. The octet plays with absolute class on each track, with the brass even outshining Eiji himself on some tracks. The tracklist is a perfect set of laid-back songs, including some notable compositions by Count Basie and Duke Ellington, as well as a Gershwin standard. For me personally, no track on this album can top the killer rendition of “Topsy“ delivered by the ensemble. I hadn’t heard any variation of “Topsy“ before this album, but damn did Kitamura’s octet give it one hell of an introduction here. I don’t k