The young Makoto Ozone was something to behold. At only 23 years old, he had already established himself as a flag-bearer for a new generation of international jazz musicians by the time of this 1984 concert at the Munich Summer Piano Festival. Having enrolled in the famous Berklee College of Music four years earlier, Ozone was plucked from the ranks of students by the great vibraphonist, Gary Burton, who was so impressed that he invited him to join his celebrated quartet, a dream start on the American scene for the Japanese rising star.
In 1983, a year before this concert, Ozone returned to Japan and maintained his jazz relations with the US via collaborations with Burton, as well as the likes of Christian McBride, Bobby Shew, Ellis Marsalis and more. Here, he plays a repertoire of originals, with one nod to the great Miles Davis. Makoto's playing demonstrates rare poise and touch, matching an extreme sense for delicacy with the swing and energy he has demonstrated ever since falling in love with the music of Oscar Peterson as a child.
