Mercer Hassy Orchestra

DUKE’S PLACE

Mercer Hassy Records

Mercer Hassy, conductor/arranger; RHYTHM SECTION: Atsuko Takahashi, piano; Ayane Imai, keyboard/vibraphone; Hiroto Shirai, wood/fretless 5-string bass; Masahide Hashimoto, guitar; Daisuke Mima & Tacto Kojima, drums/percussion; Hirochi Ueno & Ray Iwasa, vocals/chorus; SAXOPHONES: Tomoya Akagawa & Ion Sato, alto saxophones; Ray Iwasa & Kanako Yamada, tenor saxophones; Kenta Seldguchi & Naold Era, baritone saxophone; TRUMPETS: Shaw Nakajima, Yukiko Ikehara, Hiro Kanazawa, Yuka Sugiyama, & Hidetoshi Hanamura. TROMBONES: Satsuki Narita, Ayane Ikegami, Shiori Suzuid, & Selya Hayashi (bass trombone). SPECIAL GUESTS: Nori Tani, flute; Yuta, Human Beat Box.

It sounds like a train is coming right through the middle of my room. That’s how this tribute to Duke Ellington begins.  History establishes that Ellington’s innovations and productivity are unparalleled.  His incredible contributions to jazz, in particular and music in general, is heralded by this orchestrated recording. This Mercer Hassy album opens with Duke’s composition, “Daybreak Express.”  The arrangement by Hassy is inventive and provocative. Next, the orchestra transforms the familiar “Satin Doll” into a driving, funk production with a vibraphone taking the lead.  “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” is sung by Hirochi Ueno, with the Mercer Hassy Orchestra bouncing a funky beat beneath his smooth vocals. The harmonic horn lines are satin smooth, but the rhythm section is updated to modernize the music from the 1930s to 2024.  Their beautiful rendition of “Passion Flower” settles the energy down to a sweet purr. The addition of Yuta as a human beat box adds contemporary flavor to “The Queen’s Suite” arrangement.

Mercer Hassy was born in Sapporo, Japan and is almost completely self-taught in music.  As intricate as these arrangements are, it’s pretty amazing this was accomplished by a self-taught musician. The bandleader has been a lover of jazz and big bands from a young age.  He always wanted to write and arrange for big bands.  Mercer Hassy says he was influenced greatly by both Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones.  In 2010, he formed his own orchestra, and they are a popular big band in Japan.  In 2017, Mercer Hassy arrived in Los Angeles and recorded a small group that included the great Peter Erskine on drums, and American pianist Alan Pasqua.  With the addition of trumpeter Tiger Okoshi and flutist, Nori Tani, along with a string quartet, Mercer Hassy released his “Waon” recording that featured traditional Japanese instruments and melodies. That album also included the Master of Shakuhachi, (Kuniyoshi Sugawara) along with rising star Koto player, Tomoko Kihara.

This recording received wide acclaim, heralded as a cutting-edge fusion of Japanese and Western music.  In 2020, the Mercer Hassy Orchestra released two albums. One was titled “Sir Duke” and another was “Don’t Stop the Carnival.”  To celebrate the centennial of Duke Ellington’s first recordings, Mercer Hassy and his energetic orchestra offer this tribute album to the legacy and talent of the iconic band leader, Mr. Duke Ellington.

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