Makoto Terashita - The Great Harvest (2014)

Wonderful album from the Japanese pianist Makoto Terashita featuring Bob Berg and Yoshiaki Masuo. 3 excellent originals from Terashita plus a couple of standards.
Howard Stanislevic was good friends with Makoto during his time in NYC and wrote this to me about Terashita and the album : In 1977 or '78, Makoto was in NYC along with Shoji and others such as Terumasa Hino. I became good friends with Makoto and played with him often. Had him over my apt. and played acoustic guitar (my Japanese-made Epiphone steel-string flat-top) and piano in my living room, in fact. We also played in my friend's basement with other local cats from Queens. His wife was pregnant when they went back to Japan. We ate in ChinaTown together once, and she even cooked for me once in the apt. they were subletting. He's a very nice guy and a true artist! Best piano player I ever played with. He came here to play, learn and make his album, and washed dishes in restaurants to make ends meet! He probably didn't get much sleep while he was here, but he knew enough English to get by.
The Harvest album was made in NYC and I ALMOST got to play guitar on it, except for the fact that the guy who actually did so was a Japanese player who also produced the album! I have a cassette copy made by the studio on cheap TDK tape. If you ever see the album cover online, there's a pic of Makoto staring at the sky. He always used to look at the planes going to and from the 2 airports in Queens, NY and say "UFO" -- esp. at night!
We used to play at a club called Barbra's in Greenwich Village where most Japanese players would jam and gig. It became a grocery store and is now under construction to become apartments. Monday night there were jam sessions with Joe Jones Jr., a pianist named Earl Clarke and a bass player (usually Bob Bodley or Ratzo Harris). I met Makato and Shoji there. Also, Hino, Tommy Turrentine and Charles Smith (Kool and the Gang's guitarist). Shoji's English was not so good but thru Makoto he asked me to sit in at an actual gig he was playing at Barbra's which I did playing Donna Lee & Green Dolphin St on electric guitar. One of my best musical experiences!
-- bacoso