Orquesta Libre
Orquesta Libre | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Glamorous Records |
Orquesta Libre (Japanese: オルケスタ・リブレ) is a Japanese large-ensemble project led by drummer and composer Yasuhiro Yoshigaki. Active since 2011, the group reimagines standards from jazz, rock, film, and theater for a flexible “mini-orchestra,” often with guest vocalists and collaborators.
The ensemble released two debut studio albums simultaneously in July 2012—one a two-disc vocal set with singer-songwriters Yoichiro Yanagihara and Yuichi Ohata, and the other an instrumental collection—on Yoshigaki's Glamorous Records imprint. A European tour followed, including an appearance at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and the group played at Fuji Rock Festival '12.[1][2][3]
In 2013–2014 Orquesta Libre issued the Ellington tribute Plays Duke featuring pianist Suga Dairo and tap dancer RON×II, which received coverage in English-language jazz media.[4][5]
History
Formation and concept
Orquesta Libre grew out of a 2011 curated concert at Shinjuku Pit Inn in Tokyo. Conceived by Yoshigaki as a flexible, song-centered orchestra, the band set out to “turn anything with a strong melody into a standard,” ranging from 1960s–70s rock and pop to Brecht/Weill and film music, re-arranged for winds, brass, vibraphone, guitar, and rhythm section, with occasional tap dance and guest vocals.[6][7]
Early releases and European tour (2012)
On July 4, 2012, the group released two albums on Yoshigaki’s Glamorous Records: the two-disc vocal set Uta no Katachi (Uta No K-Ta-Chi)—with one disc featuring Yoichiro Yanagihara and the other Yuichi Ohata—and the instrumental Can’t Help Falling in Love.[8][9][10][note 1] Following the releases, Orquesta Libre toured Europe in July 2012, including an appearance at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and later performed at Fuji Rock Festival '12.[11][12]
Plays Duke and subsequent activities
The ensemble’s Ellington project with pianist Suga Dairo and tap dancer RON×II was documented on Plays Duke (2014) and received coverage in English-language jazz media.[13][14]
Musical style and collaborators
Critics describe Orquesta Libre as an “alternative wind-orchestra” that blurs jazz, rock, theatre, and film music, often juxtaposing Ellington with 1960s/70s pop and Brazilian repertoire. Core instrumentation has included saxophones, trumpet, trombone, tuba, vibraphone, guitar, bass, drums and percussion; collaborators have included pianist Suga Dairo, tap dancer RON×II, and vocalists Yoichiro Yanagihara and Yuichi Ohata.[7][4][2]
International performances
- Europe (2012): European tour in July 2012 including Copenhagen Jazz Festival; domestic appearance at Fuji Rock Festival '12 followed later that month.[2][3]
- Europe (2016): A later Orquesta Libre Europe Tour (Yasuhiro Yoshigaki) received support in the Japan Foundation’s grant program listings (countries noted include Austria, Denmark and Germany, among others).[15]
Members
Line-ups vary by project. Yoshigaki leads on drums and percussion. Documented personnel on Plays Duke include: Yoshigaki Yasuhiro (drums), Taisei Aoki (trombone, keys, harmonica), Hiroyuki Shiotani (soprano sax, clarinet), Daisuke Fujiwara (tenor sax), Takao Watanabe (trumpet), Gideon Juckes (tuba), Kumiko Takara (vibraphone), Masato Suzuki (bass), Motomu Shiiya (guitar, steel guitar), Yoichi Okabe (percussion), plus guests Suga Dairo (piano) and Ron×II (tap).[4]
Discography
Uta no Katachi (UTA NO KA·TA·CHI) (2012)
- Two-disc studio album released July 4, 2012 (EWGL-0013/14; Glamorous Records). “Red Disc” features Yoichiro Yanagihara; “Yellow Disc” features Yuichi Ohata. Issued the same day as the instrumental set Can't Help Falling in Love.[16][17][18]
- Red Disc — with Yoichiro Yanagihara (vocals)
| No. | Title | Length | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Song | 4:34 | Orquesta Libre Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (drums, percussion, arrangements) |
| 2 | Ballad of Sexual Dependency | 5:35 | |
| 3 | The Ballad of Mack the Knife – live ver. | 6:18 | |
| 4 | What Keeps Mankind Alive? – Finale of The Threepenny Opera | 5:34 | |
| 5 | Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye | 5:24 | |
| 6 | Alfie | 7:07 | |
| 7 | Smile | 3:32 | |
| Sources: OTOTOY release page for timings and track order.[19] | |||
- Yellow Disc — with Yuichi Ohata (vocals)
| No. | Title | Length | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cecilia | 6:04 | Orquesta Libre (same core lineup as above) Guest: Yuichi Ohata (vocals) |
| 2 | Have You Ever Smoked Gauloises? | 6:07 | |
| 3 | Lili Marleen ~ the Blue March of Turkey | 7:44 | |
| 4 | Les Champs-Élysées | 5:05 | |
| 5 | Purple Haze | 8:10 | |
| 6 | I Shall Be Released | 7:28 | |
| Sources: OTOTOY release page for timings and track order.[20] | |||
Can't Help Falling in Love (2012)
- Released July 4, 2012 (EWGL-0015, Glamorous Records).
| No. | Title | Length | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Por Una Cabeza | 5:10 | Orquesta Libre Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (drums, percussion, arrangements) |
| 2 | Hush | 4:09 | |
| 3 | Purple Haze | 8:51 | |
| 4 | I Say a Little Prayer | 5:29 | |
| 5 | (They Long to Be) Close to You | 8:14 | |
| 6 | Hello, Dolly! | 7:40 | |
| 7 | Le Clan des Siciliens | 5:35 | |
| 8 | Ponta de Areia | 6:22 | |
| 9 | Can’t Help Falling in Love | 11:34 | |
| Sources: package materials (obi/insert) for credits and lineup;[21][22] track timings from OTOTOY release page.[23] | |||
Plays Duke (2014)
- CD released March 14, 2014 (GLAM-0002); LP released August 28, 2014 (GLAM0003LP).
| No. | Title | Length | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take the "A" Train | 7:39 | Orquesta Libre Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (drums, percussion) |
| 2 | Caravan | 8:16 | |
| 3 | Creole Love Call | 8:16 | |
| 4 | I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good) | 9:06 | |
| 5 | African Flower (Petite Fleur Africaine) | 10:20 | |
| 6 | Money Jungle (listed as “Money Jangle”) | 4:55 | |
| 7 | The Mooche | 10:47 | |
| 8 | Rockin’ in Rhythm | 5:34 | |
| 9 | Mood Indigo | 9:27 | |
| Sources: track list/coverage (All About Jazz);[24] release details (CD/LP);[25][26] timings from package/download metadata (to be replaced with liner citation if available). | |||
Rock Opera! (2016)
- With Rolly. CD released March 23, 2016 (CDSOL-1724); LP released June 7, 2017 (SOLID-1021); CD reissue July 3, 2024 (UVPR-60028).[27][28][29]
Notable performances
- Copenhagen Jazz Festival (2012, Europe tour) – invitation referenced in artist interview.[3]
- Fuji Rock Festival '12 (2012).[2]
Reception
English-language jazz press highlighted the ensemble’s unconventional orchestration and energetic re-arrangements on Plays Duke. Reviewer Eyal Hareuveni noted the way Yoshigaki’s unit “re-imagines Ellington” with added colors such as tuba, vibraphone and tap.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Past News – Yasuhiro Yoshigaki Official Site". y-yoshigaki.com (in Japanese). Retrieved October 9, 2025.
Orquesta Libre のアルバム、2タイトル同時発売… ヴォーカルアルバム『うたのかたち』／インスト『Can't Help Falling in Love』
- ^ a b c d "祝・Fuji Rock Festival'12出演!! Orquesta Libre". Ototoy (in Japanese). July 24, 2012.
2012年7月11日より行っていたヨーロッパ・ツアー… コペンハーゲン・ジャズ・フェスティバル出演、Fuji Rock Festival'12 への出演
- ^ a b c "Interview: Yasuhiro Yoshigaki". JJazz.Net (in Japanese). September 5, 2012.
コペンハーゲン・ジャズフェスティバルのオーガナイザーが…出演しないかと誘ってくれた
- ^ a b c d Hareuveni, Eyal (December 9, 2013). "Review: Orquesta Libre – Plays Duke". All About Jazz.
- ^ "Album Page: Plays Duke". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Orquesta Libre TOUR 2013". JJazz.Net (in Japanese). February 2013.
- ^ a b "Orquesta Libre – Feature". Ototoy (in Japanese). July 4, 2012.
- ^ "うたのかたち〜Uta No Ka・Ta・Chi". Ototoy (in Japanese). July 4, 2012.
- ^ "Can't Help Falling In Love～好きにならずにいられない". Ototoy (in Japanese). July 4, 2012.
- ^ "Past News – Yasuhiro Yoshigaki Official Site" (in Japanese). Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "祝・Fuji Rock Festival'12出演!! Orquesta Libre". Ototoy (in Japanese). July 24, 2012.
- ^ "Interview: Yasuhiro Yoshigaki". JJazz.Net (in Japanese). September 5, 2012.
- ^ "Review: Orquesta Libre – Plays Duke". All About Jazz. December 9, 2013.
- ^ "Orquesta Libre + Suga Dairo + RONxII『plays DUKE』". JJazz.Net (in Japanese). March 14, 2014.
- ^ "Grant Program for Dispatching Artists and Cultural Specialists – 2016 (Performing Arts)". Japan Foundation. 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
Orquesta Libre Europe Tour, Yasuhiro Yoshigaki – Austria, Denmark, Germany…
- ^ "Orquesta Libre to release two debut albums on July 4". BARKS (in Japanese). July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Uta no Katachi (Uta No Ka·Ta·Chi)". JazzShiryokan (Jazz Archive Japan) (in Japanese). Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Uta no Katachi (release page)". OTOTOY (in Japanese). July 4, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Uta no Katachi (release page)". OTOTOY (in Japanese). July 4, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Uta no Katachi (release page)". OTOTOY (in Japanese). July 4, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ Can't Help Falling in Love — obi 好きにならずにいられない 〜 plays standards Instrumental version Can't Help Falling In Love（帯） (Obi strip) (in Japanese). Orquesta Libre. Glamorous Records. July 4, 2012. EWGL-0015.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Can't Help Falling in Love — insert Can't Help Falling In Love（解説カード／インサート） (Insert) (in Japanese). Orquesta Libre. Glamorous Records. July 4, 2012. EWGL-0015.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Can't Help Falling In Love – release page". OTOTOY (in Japanese). July 4, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Plays Duke – album page". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Orquesta Libre + Suga Dairo + RON×II Plays Duke". JJazz.Net (in Japanese). March 14, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Plays Duke (LP)". Disk Union (in Japanese). August 28, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Rock Opera! (CD)". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). March 23, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Rock Opera! (LP)". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). June 7, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Rock Opera! – 2024 CD Reissue". Discogs. July 3, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
Notes
- ^ Some contemporary listings showed "Glamorous Records / ewe,” reflecting a co-listing at the time. Source: "Interview: Yasuhiro Yoshigaki". JJazz.Net (in Japanese). September 5, 2012.
レーベル：Glamrorous Records / ewe
.