Wings 

Yoshio “Chin” Suzuki (1987)

Veteran jazz bassist and composer Yoshio “Chin” Suzuki passed away on 23 September at the age of 80. Before he died, he once told me: “I’ll keep searching for a new sound until the day I die. So long as I’m alive, I’ll keep pursuing that better sound.” Driven by a philosophy of constant motion, his legacy has left a distinct mark on the world of jazz. 

A respected figure in Japanese jazz, Suzuki has shared a stage with Sadao Watanabe, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz. He belongs to the formative generation of Japanese jazz musicians, who carried the music through its postwar emergence and into international dialogue. 

Wings (1987) is an example of his earlier compositions, when he was figuring out his voice. Around that time, Suzuki had just returned to Japan from the States, where he was a regular bassist for ensembles like Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. Through that experience, he turned inward to ask: “What is my sound?” He realised he was chasing something he didn’t have. “When an American person sneezed, a Japanese person sneezed,” he joked with razor sharp wit. 

His work eventually centered around composition and he would establish himself as a band leader. Jazz may have arrived in Japan as an imported culture after the war, but artists like Suzuki have reshaped it from within, forging a distinct voice. 

This sophisticated album blends post-bop, fusion textures and a lyrical groove, featuring an outstanding lineup of Suzuki (bass), David Liebman (s.sax), Andy Laverne (p), Chuck Loeb (g), Danny Gottlieb (ds), Nana Vasconcelos (perc), Tom Harrel (f.horn), Bob Berg (t.sax), Clifford Cater (synth). 

From the very first piano riff that drives the momentum in ‘Persian Breeze,’ the energetic and rhythmically vibrant ‘September Guest,’ to the atmospheric ballad ‘Wings,’ the album oozes with Suzuki’s signature melody lines and charming compositions. 

Title track ‘Wings’ was composed when Suzuki was in his 20s, providing a moment of stillness and introspection. The melody ruminates and goes round in circles, like unfinished sentences that gently escalate. 

Before his passing, Suzuki left the following message for the members of his band THE BLEND: “Each of you is a wonderful musician, capable of carrying on the music and spirit of THE BLEND even without its leader. I’m counting on the four of you!” The band’s remaining performances scheduled for 2026 will go ahead with its four remaining members, including their appearance at the London Jazz Festival on 21 November at the Barbican.

---- ENDS ----