Akira Ishikawa and Count Buffaloes - African Rock (2026 Deep Jazz Reality Pure Vinyl LP)

Akira Ishikawa and Count Buffaloes (石川晶とカウント・バッファローズ) - African Rock | Vinyl LP - 2026 Deep Jazz Reality Reissue (TJJA-10086, Project Re:Vinyl, limited edition Pure Vinyl)

• One of the most sought-after Japanese jazz-funk records of the 1970s, eight pieces evoking African life and landscape through a fusion of jazz, rock, funk, psychedelia and African percussion, arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki
• Trilingual track titles in Japanese, English and Swahili, from the solemn “Prayer” (Sala) through the explosive “Jumbo” (Jambo), with Kimio Mizutani’s electric guitar, Ken Muraoka’s saxophone and alto flute, marimba and double percussion
• Limited edition Pure Vinyl reissue on the Project Re:Vinyl series, distributed by Lawson HMV Entertainment

Akira Ishikawa travelled to Africa in the late 1960s and came back a different drummer. The albums that followed with his band Count Buffaloes, Electrum in 1970 and Drums Concerto in 1971, pushed increasingly toward a fusion of jazz and African rhythmic structures. African Rock, recorded across two sessions at Minorphone 1st Studio in April and May 1971, is where all three pillars of his playing converged: jazz, rock and African music, fused in the best balance he ever achieved. The arrangements are by Hiromasa Suzuki, whose electric piano sits at the centre of every track, and Suzuki’s writing is as crucial to the album’s identity as Ishikawa’s drumming. “Prayer” (Sala) opens Side A with a solemn, almost ceremonial theme, the marimba from Kenji Shiraishi and double percussion from Masami and Naomi Kawahara establishing the rhythmic bedding before Muraoka’s alto flute enters. “Dawn” (Alfajiri) shifts into more psychedelic territory, Kimio Mizutani’s electric guitar adding distorted, wah-inflected lines that recall the electric Miles Davis bands of the same period. “Animals” (Mnama) is short and tribal, and “Hunting” (Mwindo) closes Side A with the album’s most rhythmically complex piece, Ishikawa’s drums driving the ensemble through nearly seven minutes of escalating intensity.

Side B opens with “The Earth” (Ardhi), the longest track, where Suzuki’s electric piano, Mizutani’s guitar, the Alkylene Quartet’s strings and the brass of Takehisa Suzuki and Tadataka Nakazawa build into a layered, orchestral piece that Inner Ocean Records compared to Fela Kuti. “Love” (Upendo) is quieter and more restrained, one of the few moments on the record where the energy drops, and “Joy” (Furaha) rebuilds the momentum before “Jumbo” (Jambo) closes the album as a lively, explosive finale. Kunimitsu Inaba’s electric bass anchors the rhythm section alongside Ishikawa’s drums, and the percussion team of the Kawaharas adds congas and auxiliary colour throughout. The original 1971 pressing on DAN Records (VC-5003) has become one of the most coveted Japanese jazz records among collectors. This is the 2026 limited edition on Deep Jazz Reality (TJJA-10086), part of the Project Re:Vinyl series, pressed on Pure Vinyl.