Bruce Lee Gallanter, the Downtown Music Gallery NY (15/02/2022)
I am a longtime fan of Japanese saxist (& marine microbiologist) Akira Sakata, who has collaborated with many other giants: Pete Cosey, Bill Laswell, Peter Brotzmann, Andrea Centazzo & Jim O’Rourke. The only other member of this quartet that I know of previously is pianist Giovanni Di Domenico, who has recorded with Mr. Sakata on (at least) 2 previous discs. The only other member of this quartet to be found in the DMG database is Christos Yermenoglou who is a member of the Greek ensemble Musica Lonatana, who have a CD out on the Leo label.
This disc was recorded May of 2018 at the Duende Jazz Club in Thessaloniki, Greece. From the opening salvo, the quartet is playing freely, intense, focused, powerful with all four members fully engaged. Mr. Sakata has a unique, stunning, somewhat brittle tone on his sax, reaching deeper & deeper as the quartet erupt intensely together. When Sakata eventually finishes hi solo, the piano & guitar take off for some strong, spirited interplay, both exchanging furious lines with the drummer navigating from the center of the storm. Guitarist Damiandis takes the next solo and shows that he is also a force to be reckoned with as his solo is striking, jazz/rock frenzied lines with select sustain for his own distinctive tone. The quartet calm down midway for a more restrained section which features Sakata’s more controlled note-bending sax and Di Domenico’s superb near-majestic piano. I was thinking that: is there something in this music which would have us think that there is some Greek music influence, but decided that this not really the case. “Free Music” has its own unique language which goes beyond words, lyrics and obvious references. Still, this is Free Music at its best.

Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'Halo (30/08/2019)
Een internationaal kwartet dat al improviserend een uur lang uit de bol gaat in Thessaloniki onder het Japanse credo "lucht lezen".

Thessaloniki is al eeuwen een culturele draaischijf. Alternatieve stromingen gedijen er op elk gebied en in elk genre. De Duende Jazz Club, gelegen in een zijstraatje vlakbij de centrale Aristotelous Square, is een van de verplichte stopplaatsen wanneer je ginder verblijft. De Griekse gitarist Giotis Damianidis heeft er de juiste connecties. Niet verwonderlijk, hij groeide op in de stad. Ondertussen is Brussel al jaren zijn uitvalsbasis en staat hij in de kijker met onder meer Punk Kong en Don Kapot.

Op 5 mei 2018 nodigde hij drie andere bevriende muzikanten uit om samen in de Duende Jazz Club te musiceren. Zijn landgenoot Christos Yermenoglou zat achter het drumstel. Saxofonist en klarinettist van dienst was de ondertussen vierenzeventigjarige Japanse cultfiguur Akira Sakata. Tenslotte was er nog de Italiaanse pianist Giovanni Di Domenico die reeds verschillende jaren op onregelmatige tijdstippen met Sakata werkt en zelf ook al jaren in Brussel vertoeft. Hij stond trouwens in voor de finale mix en mastering van deze opname.

Twee plaatkanten van zowat een half uur (24'57 en 26'02) boordevol exuberante uitspattingen. Op kant A geeft de saxofonist het startsein en blaast meteen alles en iedereen omver. De drie anderen reageren ogenblikkelijk en counteren met eenzelfde inzet. Een heel temperamentvolle ontlading waarbij niemand ook maar een seconde aflaat, met Sakata als katalysator. Enkel de laatste twee minuten gunnen ze zich wat respijt en laten het geheel zachtjes uitdoven.

Op kant B benaderden de vier hun publiek heel wat omzichtiger. Wat saxofooncapriolen, gitaareffecten, trillende pianosnaren en cymbaalklanken lijken een nieuwe numerieke taal te ontwikkelen. Zoals te verwachten, wordt deze blauwdruk steeds drukker en gelaagder. Tot sjamanistisch oergeschreeuw en gutturaal gezang van Sakata aanleiding geven tot een heuse woede-uitbarsting. Bijzonder is dat er een heel mystiek aura zweeft boven dit alles. Wanneer de saxofonist naar het einde toe nog eens extra accenten legt, is de link naar Albert Ayler en Sun Ra niet ver meer. Als kers op de taart is er een laatste uithaal van Damianidis. Adembenemend.

De vier passen het Picasso-principe toe: "ik zoek niet, ik vind". De krachtige taal van improvisatie gehanteerd door protagonisten die de basisprincipes alsmaar verder uitwerken volgens eigen principes en rituelen.

De titel Hōryū-ji verwijst naar een boeddhistisch tempelcomplex in Japan. De bijzondere architectuur en vooral het begrip entasis (lichte bolling onderaan een zuil, terug te vinden in Griekse tempels maar ook in het complex van Hōryū-ji intrigeerden hen. Dat het Sakata zijn eerste verblijf in Griekenland was, gaf dit concert in deze context een bijzondere meerwaarde.

Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts (17/06/2019)
Hōryū-ji means in Japanese: the Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law. It is the name of one of the powerful Seven Great Buddhist Temples in Japan, dating from the beginning of the seventh century with a wooden pagoda that is considered to be the oldest wooden building existing in the world. The strong, curved architecture of this famous temple inspired the meeting of Japanese legendary reeds player Akira Sakata, frequent collaborator of Sakata, Italian, Brussels-based pianist Giovanni Di Domenico (both recorded the duo album Iruman, Mbari, 2014 and later four more albums with ad-hoc quartets), fellow Brussels resident, Greek guitarist Giotis Damianidis and Greek, Thessaloniki-based drummer Christos Yermenoglou.

This ad-hoc quartet met for two performances at Duende Jazz Club in Thessaloniki on May 2018, the second of which yielded «Hōryū-ji». The music is completely free-improvised, reflecting the ecstatic power of the art of the moment, the intense experience that thrives on the edg and acknowledgement of deep spiritual roots of free, invigorating meeting. If you will, also the uncompromising, resilient essence of the Japanese temple.

Sakata, obviously, is the the natural leader. He sets the fiery atmosphere of this session immediately and already on the first note that he plays. But the interplay is democratic and allows Di Domenico and Damianidis to take the lead later before Sakata offers a more lyrical vein for the quartet to follow. Later it alternates again between a steamy, ecstatic catharsis and a totally open interplay. Sakata takes the lead again on the beginning of the second untitled piece, now playing the clarinet and deepening the open, contemplative vein of the previous piece and later turns this kind of open, conversational interplay into a highly playful one, highlighting his deep understanding with Di Domenico. This piece reaches its emotional climax when Sakata begins one of his inimitable speech, cries-talk-chants-raps his diatribes in a manner that only he can. He builds the dramatic tension with this speech towards the inevitable, powerful coda. But now the effects-laden guitar of Damianidis sends this quartet to far away galaxies, as if insisting on reaching Sun Ra, wherever he is in deep space.

Fotis Nikolakopoulos, The Free Jazz Collective (05/06/2019) ****½
There aren't many things happening right now that connect the international free jazz and improvisational scene with Greece. So, it is a joy to review this album recorded a year back in Thessaloniki at Duende Jazz club. We haven't witnessed that much of Akira Sakata's art in this part of the world. Even though he has been spreading fire music combined with ritualistic traditions of his birthplace for about 5 decades.

On this recording he teams up with two great Greek improvisers, Christos Yermenoglou (drums, percussion) and Giotis Damianidis (electric guitar). Along with the constantly in top form pianist Giovanni Di Domenico they create a Coltrane-ish affair, celebrating free thinking music of love, peace and solace. This is a vinyl and download only release, and the LP is comprised of two long improvisations clocking at fifty minutes.

Sakata's presence always marks a recording as a must have for me. I've many times caught myself listening to him intensely. Pure joy comes out of his passionate reeds, the way he integrates vocalizations, screams, growls within his playing while in no way he is saturating his partners. Sakata's rituals bare a collective symbolism of catharsis akin to the long tradition of Japan's music.
But he is not alone in all this. The two long improvisations provide enough room and space for their collective playing. Being a fan of Yermenoglou, I always enjoy his easiness to integrate, act and react upon the challenges the others put on him. Here my minimal technical knowledge sees him as a duo with the piano of Di Domenico. The team up seemingly playing in close proximity.Even though there is no double-bass, this recording suffers not from the lack of rhythm. Di Domenico's chameleonic playing provides additional rhythms, while in other cases is the melodic conjuction with the others. He can play so free in a late period Coltrane way and a few minutes later he seems so disciplined in order to balance the fierce attack of Damianidis electric guitar.

At first the guitar, the way it sounded and how it reacted with the others puzzled me. It certainly has a more rockish timbre, it's even psychedelic someone could comment. It's definitely not the "typical" electric guitar of improvisational recordings. At some points Damianidi's guitar freaks out and goes its own way defying any expectations of the listener. That could be a very accurate description for this LP. Even though I listened to it with joy and enthusiasm from its first seconds (and this attitude sometimes makes any existing flaws inaudible…), it continued to thrill me even after repeated listening.