Yamaha Junior Original – ’72

I’m not going to go into the differences between the cultures of Japan and the United States, specifically in the realm of education, but suffice it to say that they’re different. Very different.

The Yamaha Music Education System exists to create accomplished musicians at a young age and bring out the full potential of musical prodigies. The annual Yamaha Junior Original Concert allows the most accomplished students to perform orignal compositions in front of an audience. This LP, as the title suggests, was recorded in 1972 and features eight compositions played by eleven musicians.

Side one offers more traditional fare than side two, with classical pieces played on the piano. I find side two to be far more interesting, as the children, ages ranging from twelve-years-old to thirteen, are allowed to perform more contemporary songs on electric pianos. One of the standout tracks is titled “Purple,” and is played solo by a young girl named Yukiyo Yamamoto. Yukiyo bangs out a fast-past, and sometimes dark, gospel jam, occasionally sounding like “Groove Holmes” on PCP. But the true album highlight comes from thirteen-year-old Toru Masuzawa, accompanied by two other students on drums and percussion, with his spaced-out jazz groover. I can’t read Japanese, so the title is a mystery, but the song’s soul and maturity does little to indicate the age of it’s creator.