>> Soil & Pimp Sessions
bio: Pump up the jazz. “Fucking crazy Japanese jazz cats” This is the blow your mind, pimp your jazz attitude release. Some said “Beebop experimental jazz”, other the “Beasties of Jazz”. They say it’s Death Jazz. Jazzmen with tattoo. The truth is: Soil & Pimp Sessions is an explosive innovative jazz band without making compromise. Comprised of six musicians; Shacho (agitator, spirit), Tabu zombie (trumpet), Motoharu (sax), Josei (piano), Akita Goldman (bass) and Midoryn (drums).
At its core, the group is about giving pulsating live performances. Maybe you can see them on rock festivals. SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS combine the highest musicianship with the coolest of cool sounds and atmosphere. Their brand of jazz is rough around the edges, unadulterated entertainment and constantly kept at boiling point.
Each member brings his own unique talent and perspective. They originally met at a club event in Tokyo in 2001. The Tokyo club scene was dominated by DJs until SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS arrived, breaking the mold as live pioneers.
In 2003 they had no commercial recordings available, yet that year on reputation alone were invited to perform at Japan's premier festival, Fuji Rock Festival. It was a defining moment, lapped up by those lucky enough to witness it, hugely praised and one of the major talking points of the entire festival.
After a major record company scramble for their signature, the group signed to Victor Entertainment in 2004 in Japan. Their first mini-album ‘Pimpin’ came out in June, immediately garnering rave reviews, and credited as one of the most influential releases that year. The group defied boundaries and genres, attracting listeners of jazz, club and rock. They performed at the major summer festivals in Japan. At the Asagiri Jam Festival, fellow performers Los Lobos caught their act and were so impressed they invited each member to join them on stage as a soloist in a jam session. This session became a highlight of the festival, a bright spot in the bad weather.
In February 2005, they released their first full album ‘Pimp Master’ in Japan only. The album was soon play listed on the main FM radio stations, unusually for an instrumental group, and they graced the cover of a poster campaign for Tower Records, the biggest chain of record stores in Japan.
SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS have started to gain a reputation outside of Japan. Gilles Peterson played them on his Radio 1 show "WorldWide' for four weeks. Finally Soil & Pimp Sessions gaining the “Single Of The Year”, and “Live Performance Act Of The Year” BBC1 “Worldwide” award. And they got the John Peel “Play More Jazz” Award. Now Compost signed them for Europe, while Gilles Peterson signed them for the UK on his new label Brownswood.
In 2006, they will once again be performing at some of the major summer festivals including :
Netherlands Amsterdam, Kindred Spirits “For The People” Special at Paradiso Upper Hall (with Kyoto Jazz Massive) (30. June) Norway, Kristiansand Quart Festival (5.July), Spain Salamanca, Salamanca Jazz Festival (8 July) Switzerland Montreux, Montreux Jazz Festival (13 July) Netherlands, The Hague North Sea Jazz Festival (14. July) France Montpellier, Sete Jazz Festival (with Gilles) (15 July) Italy Arezzo, Arezzo Wave Festival (16 July)
For more gigs and updates see compost homepage!
Quotes:
"As many times you listen to them u still can not believe that such a band ecxist on a music scene! It's a band which will bring jazz to Top 40! Enough sitting in jazz clubs... Soil and "Pimp" Sessions will make u dance to serious jazz! Warrior energy and poet sensibility! This guys are Jedis of jazz music!" (Eddy Meets Yannah - Compost Rec.)
“Soil & Pimp Sessions playing tightly-crafted tunes in a mostly-acoustic style, but grooving with a hard, soulful dancefloor energy that's amazing. Intense work from one of the most incredible club jazz groups around, a combo so great, so fierce, Soil & Pimp have a sound that grasps you right away, an incredibly precise approach to jazz, one that has them riffing away with an intensity that recalls some of the big groups from the 70s soul jazz scene but which seems to blow even them away with sheer ferocity.” (Clubbity)
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