Dec 072009

Featured Artist: Yosuke Miyake

If you are thirsty for a mix of classic rock, Jazz and pure shred, there is some thunder coming out of Tokyo that you should check out

Yosuke Miyake

It’s 2AM in Zurich and I’m having trouble sleeping. So, I decided to give Yosuke Miyake’s “Strange, Beautiful and Loud” a spin. Every time I think I can describe his music in one sentence, I have to go back, erase what I wrote and then write a completely new sentence. The more I listen, the more I imagine a strange cocktail with mysterious ingredients that mix quickly like hot water. In “Zira”, I can taste a flaming-shot of Deep Purple, but then in “Diamond Dust”, my palate senses something that might have oozed out of the “Bruford” album that features Allan Holdsworth. This music is strange and it is a beautiful waterfall of guitar fun running all around the living room with scissors in both hands.

Born in Ohtsu City, Shiga, Japan, Yosuke was clearly raised on a healthy diet of top-shelf classic rock guitarists. His first influence was the Police and soon after, he became fascinated with the work of Jeff Beck and Michael Schenker. As his playing matured, his taste began to lean more and more in the direction of Jimi Hendrix, Uli Jon Roth, Focus, Robin Trower and Mahavishnu Orchestra. After joining the band “Terra Rosa” at age 19, he recorded the album “The Endless Basis”. Soon after that, he became a much sought-after session guitarist and was also a featured lecturer at GIT Tokyo for 10 years.

Yosuke Miyake's Strange, Beautiful and Loud

Now I must interrupt myself. I’m listening to “Fantasia.” There is a “B” section that trips out with a very cool police-esque / crimson-ish vibe, and then he breaks out into a total rippin’ rock solo. Ahhh Crap!… I just knocked over my ash tray and there is a lit ciggarette on top of some papers. I nearly started a house fire, but it goes perfectly with the music. Sorry for the interruption.

After inking a deal with Triumph Records in 2008, Yosuke released this eery rocking landscape that he calls “Yosuke Miyake’s Strange, Beautiful and Loud”. When I asked him to describe the album, he uses the moniker “Heavy Jazz-Rock Sound”. I like that.

A very expressive yet technically spot-on guitarist, Yosuke is a master of his craft. His aggressive lead playing leaves nothing to the imagination: total balls-out rock with nitro-glycerine on top. What is interesting about his style is that at any given time, he can suddenly switch gears and the notes you hear begin to cascade into an upward spiral of textures and melodies that are complex yet somehow approachable. “Diamond Dust” has a solo that is breathtaking as it weaves in and out of the thick OB-8 sounding chords, avoiding the tonic with playful abandon and creating just enough tension that you actually start to lean towards the speakers as you are listening.

Yosuke’s Japan tour begins in February 2010. If you live in, or plan to be in Tokyo around that time, I recommend you pay Mr. Miyake a visit. He’s a serious shredder with a tasteful and Jazzy side. It’s a really great mix.

I still cannot get to sleep. I think I’ll give this CD another listen.

Kevin Chisholm

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