Rising Son (Vinyl)

Japan-born/N.Y.C.-based trumpeter Takuya Kuroda's Blue Note Records debut, 2014's Rising Son, is a funky, soul and hip-hop-infused affair featuring production from acclaimed jazz vocalist José James.

Longtime collaborators, Kuroda and James met while students at Manhattan's New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and Kuroda later toured with James and wrote the horn arrangements for his 2012 album, No Beginning No End. 

On Rising Son, Kuroda delves deep into a '70s fusion, funk, and Afro-beat-influenced sound that is at once contemporary and vintage in approach. In many ways, the sound of Rising Son has a lot in common with James' own soul-jazz style, and his guest spot on Roy Ayers' "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" is certainly a highlight of the album.

Kuroda and his band play a clipped, muscular funk-jazz that shows the influence of artists like African-legend Hugh Masekela and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Tracks like the Latin-tinged "Mala" and the frenetic "Afro Blues" (which showcases a guest appearance by famed West African guitarist Lionel Loueke) are hypnotic, pulsing, and joyous.

Ultimately, Rising Son isn't just Kuroda's major-label debut, it's a major artistic statement

Allmusic (4.5 Stars)