LATEST NEWS

 

SAIICHI'S NEW ALBUM TO BE RELEASED IN JAPAN JULY 2004

Photo by Pete Sargeant 2004

MINI TOUR OF JAPAN TO PROMOTE THE ALBUM “SO AM I”

SAIICHI APPEARS ON PETE SARGEANT’S PROGRAMME ON RESONANCE FM
STANDING IN TO PLAY WITH JOHN O’LEARY BLUES BAND
SUPPORT APPEARNCES FOR ROADHOUSE CD LAUNCHES
WORK ON THE 2004 CLAPTON GUITAR AUCTION

see below....

June 2004 – At Last! “So Am I” Japanese release on 20 July

 

It’s been a long time coming, but it is finally here! Saiichi’s second solo album, “So Am I,” will be released in Japan from Hendrixx Records on 20 July. The session for the album started in March 2003 and the last batch of the tracks were finally mixed in May 2004. The album mastering was completed in London in June and the artwork by Funky Paul (of the vintage Robin Trower album covers fame) was finally dispatched from LA to Tokyo. (Please read about the album in the updated Discography section). The release date is 20 July. The album can now be pre-ordered on Amazon.co.jp, Tower.jp or HMV Japan. Please follow the Amazon link from the Discography page. “So Am I” features 14 original tracks by the Saiichi and Pete Brown team, including “I Never Turn,” “The Band Played On,” “Student Susan,” and “Old Samurai.” Zoot Money, Clem Clempson, David Hadley-Ray, and Simon Edgoose were the band for the recording session and the album also features various guest musicians including Malcom Bruce, Henry Lowther, Jim Stapley of Dekko, and Ben Matthews of Thunder.

Saiichi will have a short tour in Japan to support the album with provisional dates of 18 July Osaka; 22 July Tokyo; 25 July Yokohama, and (possibly)28 July Tokyo. Please click here to get to the Japanese language page of Hendrixx Records giving details of the gig.

 

June 2004 – Jeff Beck book project

Saiichi has been working with a Japanese publisher for a new book on the history of Jeff Back to be released from Shinko Music in autumn. Saiichi arranged and conducted interviews with Bobby Tench, Micky Waller, Richard Bailey, Roger Mayor, and Jim Barber for the Japanese publishers.

 

19 June 2004 – Standing in at John O’Leary Blues Band gig

Saiichi stood in to play the guitar in place of the amazing Jules Fothergill, who fell ill on the day of John O’Leary’s gig in Hampton Court. Saiichi walked in with his Les Paul and an old Watkins Dominator amp and played an evening of blues numbers with much relish. It was two years since he had played with the band led by John, who was one of the founder members of the famed Savoy Brown Blues Band in the early 60’s, a contemporary of John Mayall, Alexis Corner, et al.

 

May/June 2004 – Guest Appearances at Roadhouse CD Launch gigs

photo by Tina Fothergill

...with Tom Nolan at Eel Pie Club

Saiichi with his band played support slots at three of CD launch gigs by Roadhouse, who released an excellent new CD, “No Place To Hide,” on Blues Matters! label. The first was at Farnham Maltings on 27 May. This was followed by an appearance at their CD launch at the famed Eel Pie Club in Twickenham on 9 June (when he was joined by an old friend, Tom Nolan on the stage). Saiichi and the band also appeared at the last of the Roadhouse CD launch shows at the Boom Club in Sutton on 20 June when they were captured on video playing “Old Samurai” and “Student Susan.”

 

 

April 2004 – Saiichi and Pete play Stormy Monday Club, Barnes

photo by John Peck

A review of this gig by George McFall has been posted at the promoter, Pete Feenstra’s website

 

 

April 2004 – Saiichi Advising Christie’s on 2004 Clapton Crossroads Guitar Auction in New York

 

Following his involvement with the 1999 Christie’s guitar auction, Saiichi was appointed as a consultant to the second Crossroads Guitar Auction at which Eric Clapton is disposing what he described as “the cream of his guitar collection,” including the Blackie Stratocaster, the cherry-red ES-335 used during the Cream farewell tour, and the Martin 000-28/45 that he has been playing since the 70s. Saiichi has been responsible for researching and compiling information on the use of the auction guitars to be included in the auction catalogue. He has so far tracked down some obscure one-off use of Clapton’s guitars such as a re-issue Sunburst Les Paul in Oregon during the 2001 tour, a spruce-top Dobro used for one number at the White House concert, and a signature Stratocaster in a hot-rod style iridescent colour for one number in New York, etc. The catalogue will feature more photographs than the previous one from 1999 and should be a collector’s item in its own right!

 

 

28 March 2004 – Live Appearance at Pete Sargeant’s Radio Show at Resonance 104.4fm

Saiichi was the guest artist on the popular “One Way Single Parent Family Favourites” show on Sunday 28 March. The show is quite special due to the DJ (also Blues Matters! magazine journalist) Pete Sargeant’s eclectic choice of music. Saiichi played “live to the air” a solo acoustic version of “Crossroads”, the Sugiyama/Brown composition, “I Never Turn,” from the forthcoming new album (which is Pete’s favourite), and jammed with Pete Sargeant on a blues number.

Saiichi also selected some of the tracks to be played during the show which had a theme of “Things Seen In The Sky.” The guest artist selection, Pete commented, gave away a lot about the personality of the artist. Saiichi’s choice included Neil Young’s “Birds” live from 1969 Big Sur Festival, Stevie Wonder’s “Blame It On The Sun,” “Song of the Wind” from Santana’s 1972 Caravanserai album as well as Ray Charles’ “Santa Clause is Coming to Town,” and Robert Johnson’s “Terraplane” which, Saiichi commented bizarrely, that he had originally thought was about a type of an aeroplane in his Tokyo teenage years!

 

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