Tokio Uchida / Beyond the Old Memories

- Tokio's Acoustic Blues Collection -
Exploration and Evolution of Traditional Blues for Fingerstyle Guitar

Tokio’s 11th album is a compilation of blues that can be said to be the roots of him. Includes a number of finger picking that evolved the unique sounds of country bluesmen into guitar music. Nostalgic, exciting and full of originality! Enjoy the communication between Tokio and past bluesmen by making full use of 6-string and 12-string finger picking and slide playing techniques.

From Charley Patton, Son House and Willie Brown in the Delta Blues to Charley Jordan in St. Louis in the 1930s, Skip James in Bentonia, the protagonists of the prewar Chicago blues Big Bill Broonzy, Bo Carter who acted as solo artist as well as the member of Mississippi Seeks, "Country Blues Pioneer" Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jackson Bluesman Tommy Johnson, Bahamian Joseph Spence ... the unique sound of those legendary artists revives as acoustic guitar music with a new interpretation. Furthermore, from timeless masterpieces such as Carter Family's Victory Rag and Amazing Grace to unique original songs, this album is full of the possibilities and charm of acoustic blues.

*The complete tab/music book (TAB•BK-1019) for this album is also available.

Titles include: (click on titles for mp3 sound samples)
01. Beyond the Old Memories
02. Amazing Grace
03. Dockery Farm Groove
04. Victory Rag
05. Banty Rooster
06. Keep It Funky
07. Bentonia Feeling
08. Pig Meat Strut
09. Head-Butt
10. Bo’s Raggy Blues
11. Old Mountain Blues
12. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
13. Delaware Boogie #2
14. Bye Bye Jackson Blues
15. Happy Meeting In Glory
16. Treasure Flower

< TAB•CD-1019> price 3,080 yen

Tokio Uchida / The Coming Of Spring -Fingerstyle Guitar-
Japanese Songs Played With Acoustic Guitar

•This is Tokio Uchida's 10th album dealing with Japanese songs which are rootsy well-known and familiar to every Japanese. He has played acoustic fingerstyle guitar music with the taste of country blues and ragtime many years. For this album he adapted his techniques and styles for arrangements of Japanese nursery rhyme, ministry of education songs and traditional folk songs. Some tunes are featuring delicate and beautiful harmonys and some are arranged with counterpoint lines. and some are played with galloping style or monotonic blues approach, and others feature bottleneck slide. As a result, this CD became a unique and individual album with Tokio's identity. You can recognize Japanese emotions and enjoy the sounds with new feelings crossing western and eastern music.

*The complete tab/music book (TAB•BK-2002) for this album is also available.

Titles include: (click on titles for mp3 sound samples)
01. Furusato -My Country Home- (Teiichi Okano)
02. Haru ga Kita -Spring Has Come- (Teiichi Okano)
03. Karasu no Akachan -Baby Crow- (Minoru Kainuma)
04. Akatombo -Red Dragonflies- (Kosaku Yamada)
05. Kasan no Uta -Mothers Song- (Satoshi Kubota)
06. Oborodukiyo -Misty Moonlit Night- (Teiichi Okano)
07. Toryanse -Pass Through The Lane- (Traditional)
08. Konomichi -This Road- (Kosaku Yamada)
09. Antagata Dokosa -Where Are You From- (Traditional)
10. Umi -The Sea- (Takeshi Inoue)
11. Takeda no Komoriuta -Takeda Lullaby- (Traditional)
12. Dokoka de Haru ga -The Coming Of Spring- (Shin Kusakawa)
13. Kagome Kagome -Bird In The Cage- (Traditional)
14. Hamabe no Uta -Song Of The Seashore- (Tamezo Narita)
15. Kojo no Tsuki -Moon Over The Ruined Castle- (Rentaro Taki)
16. Chatsumi -Tea Picking- (Unknown)
17. Kurodabushi -Kuroda Air- (Traditional)
18. Omoide no Masuduri -Memory Of Trout Fishing- (Tokio Uchida)

< King Records KICS-3365 > price 2,750 yen

Between Two Worlds
 Stefan Grossman & Tokio Uchida

Between Two Worlds

- Country Blues Guitars of Stefan Grossman & Tokio Uchida -

This is the second duet album by Stefan Grossman and Tokio Uchida, following "Bermuda Triangle Exit" (2007). Includes 13 studio sessions with full of presence (9 duos, 2 solos by each other) recorded at Mix-O-Lydian Studio in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, USA.

There are elaborate arrangements and improvisational sessions in the studio, but the concept is a "country blues guitar" album. Country blues is music originally produced by black bluesmen in the 1920s and 1930s. Stefan directly inherited the ideas and techniques from the original bluesmen rediscovered in the 1960s, and Japanese Uchida learned a lot from the Stefan. You can enjoy the old and new, tasteful and fashionable "country blues sound" which created by fusing the sounds of these two with different backbones.

Titles include:1) One Kind Favor, 2) Betty and Dupree, 3) Catfish Rag, 4) Shake Baby Shake, 5) Guitar Rag, 6) Hesitation Blues, 7) Delaware Boogie, 8) Innocence Abroad, 9) Big Mama Blues, 10) Rooftop Blues, 11) St. Louis Blues, 12) Texas Connections, 13) Goin' To Germany

< TAB•CD-1017 > price 3,080 yen

Cat and Dragon
Tokio Uchida / Fingerstyle Guitar Music Vol. 7

This is Tokio Uchida's 8th.CD album, recording for the exhibition titled 'Cat & Dragon' held at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in 2012. Japanese elite profesional creators, illustrators and sculptors, presented their art works under the theme of 'Cat & Dragon'. The leader was a veteran illustrator Youji Kaida, well-known as a special painter for 'Ultraman' and the monsters in special effects movies. The all works were fantastic, imaginary and individual. They appealed contrast between very familiar cat and fancy beast 'dragon'. Also Tokio worked for its music part.

This album includes ten excellent tunes arranged by Tokio's skilled fingerstyle guitar. Six original tunes, especially four among them under the theme of 'Cats & Dragon' which are played with acoustic and resonator slide guitar, are very imaginary. Another original 'Whistlin' Honky-Tonk Slide' played with resonator slide guitar is influenced by legendary great Rev. Gary Davis. And three of Irish & Scottish arrangements, 'The Water Is Wide', 'Off To California', and 'The King of the Faeries', are beautiful and retrospective. All tune are beautiful, fantastic, exciting and individual, as well as always incorporating traditional essense.

*And also the complete tab/music book(TAB•BK-1016) for this album is on sale.

Titles include:
1) Cat and Dragon (T. Uchida)
2) The Water Is Wide (trad., arr. by T. Uchida)
3) Rushing Dragon For Water (T. Uchida)
4) Matatabi -catmint- (T. Uchida)
5) Off To California (trad., arr. by T. Uchida)
6) Whistlin'Honky-Tonk Slide (T. Uchida)
7) The King Of The Faeries (trad., arr. by T. Uchida)
8) See You Soon No.2 (T. Uchida, play with Daisuke Minamizawa)
9) Tears Of The Dragon (T. Uchida)
10) Yu-Kun's Toddling (T. Uchida)

< TAB•CD-1016 > price 2,640 yen

Sakura
Tokio Uchida / Fingerstyle Guitar Music Vol. 6

This is Tokio's 7th CD album (2011) played by fingerpicking guitar solo style. It features 13 arrangements which cover wide range of music genre from jazz, gospel, celtic, and Japanese traditional to his background 'blues'. Tokio has been developing many of these music for fingersyle guitar for long years. We beleive these masterpieces would cross over national borders and the times.

The album title 'SAKURA' is old very popular Japanese traditional song which was originally a tune for traditional Japanese harp. It was requested for the concerts in France in 2008 at first. Tokio grappled with effective arranging for the Japanese song, which are counterpoint and troll techniques by two melody voices. The 'SAKURA' impressed the audience in France and U.S.A. with this full of Japanese feeling. Tokio also contained another Japanese old song 'Sunayama'in this album.

In 2011 Tokio was invited to The Festival of Robert Johnson 100th anniversary in Greenwood in Mississippi. This exciting memories of visiting Holy place of 'Blues' made him compose 'Tribute To Robert Johnson'. This tune is played with twelve strings guitar and he handles full of RJ's exciting techniques. Bind Willie Johnson's 'The Rain Don't Fall On Me' and 'Dark Was The Night/God Don't Never Change' are played with emotional resonator guitar. Further Tokio plays his original' Raggy Blues in E', which took many of rhythmic ragtime blues techniques.

Original composition 'Lonely One', beautiful and Jazzy mood, has been presented to the theme music of NHK radio program " Beauty essence for heart by Dr.Kayama Rika".The program is very popular and is broadcasting still now since 2012.

Three Irish & England tunes of 'Ashy Africa', 'The Rover Reformed/The Fine Companion', 'Scarborough Fair' and standard 'Summar Time'are also exellent fingerstyle arrangements. The last one of Tokio's original 'Evening Glow' is very retrospective.

*And also the complete tab/music book(TAB•BK-1015) for this album is on sale.

Titles include:
1) Lonely One (T. Uchida)
2) Ashy Africa (P. Wenrich, arr. by T. Uchida)
3) Sakura
4) The Rain Don't Fall On Me (Blind W. Johnson, arr. by T. Uchida)
5) The Rover Reformed / The Fine Companion (trad., arr. by T. Uchida)
6) Raggy Blues In E (T. Uchida)
7) Scarborough Fair (trad., arr. by T. Uchida)
8) Tribute To Robert Johnson (T. Uchida)
9) Summertime (G. Gershwin, arr. by T. Uchida)
10) Acoustic Delights (T. Uchida)
11) Dark Was The Nights, Cold Was The Ground / God Don't Never Change (Blind W .Johnson, arr. by T. Uchida)
12) Sunayama -sandpile- (Kosaku Yamada and Shinpei Nakayama, arr. by T. Uchida)
13) Evening Glow (T. Uchida)

< TAB•CD-1015 > price 3,080 yen

Bermuda Triangle Exit
Stefan Grossman & Tokio Uchida

Bermuda Triangle Exit
Stefan Grossman & Tokio Uchida

The first duo album with full of country blues flavor
by two fingerstyle masters of USA & Japan

Produced by Stefan Grossman

The first duet album by American and Japanese fingerstyle guitar masters, Stefan Grossman and Tokio Uchida, who have mastered all styles of country blues guitar. Includes 18 exciting acoustic guitar instruments recorded in January 2007 at Mix-O-Lydian Recording Studio in New Jersey, USA (14 duos and 4 solos).

At the recording scene, there were duos where the two of them came up with each other's ideas. For some tunes Tokio arranged the 2nd part based on Stefan's original, for another duos Stefan developed his own ideas based on traditional numbers. And also there are some improvisational takes in front of the microphones.

With a wide selection of blues, rags, folk tunes and originals, this album is based on country blues guitar techniques and ideas, but has resulted in a new sound. We hope you enjoy this work, just as they enjoyed the sessions! (With Japanese liner notes)

Titles include: 1. Bermuda Triangle Exit (MP3 / 752KB), 2. F Rag (MP3 / 736KB), 3. Dance of the Man Who Ate Raw Chicken, 4. Pig Meat Strut (MP3 / 728KB), 5. Jesse James, 6. Struttin' Rag, 7. Crow Jane (MP3 / 724KB), 8. Black Eye Blues, 9. Blues For Clifford, 10. Keep It Clean, 11. Tribute to Lonnie Johnson, 12. Candyman, 13. Banty Rooster (MP3 / 772KB), 14. Kawazu, 15. Shining Shadows, 16. Freight Train, 17. Special Rider Blues, 18. My Creole Belle (MP3 / 716KB)

< TAB•CD-9002 > price 3,080 yen

One Kind Favor
Tokio Uchida / Fingerstyle Guitar Music Vol. 5

This is Tokio Uchida's 5th CD which is the acoustic fingerstyle blues instrumental album. It covers his wide variety of repertoire from the twelve string guitar boogie " A Boogie" to the bouncy rags such as "Island Village" and "Blake's Dream", the country fingerpicking standard "I'll See You In My Dreams" and the resonator slide tune "Tight Match" which is dedicated to the legendary tough professional wrestling game of Tokio's hero Giant Baba and Dory Funk Jr. And it features two bonus tracks from his live sessions with AKI and Shun Komatsubara.

*And also the complete tab/music book(TAB•BK-1013) for this album is on sale. This solid tab/music book includes the explanations of techniques, the episodes of tunes (written in Japanese), the favorite photos, the exercise for fingerpicking, etc..

Titles include: 1. Blue Prelude, 2. Island Village (MP3 / 1.3MB), 3. New Mississippi Blues, 4. When The Trumpet Of The Lord Shall Sound, 5. Tight Match (MP3 / 1.3MB), 6. Tribute To Clifford (MP3 / 1.3MB), 7. Potato Vodka Blues, 8. Crossnote Skippy Blues, 9. Blake's Dream, 10. A Boogie, 11. I'll See You In My Dreams, 12. One Kind Favor, 13. Retrospect (MP3 / 1.3MB), < bonus "live" tracks >: 14. Improvisational Session (w/AKI), 15. See You Soon (w/Shun Komatsubara)

< TAB•CD-1013 > price 3,080 yen

Acoustic Delights
Tokio Uchida / Fingerstyle Guitar Music Vol. 4

This is Tokio Uchida's 4th acoustic guitar instrumental album which covers his wide variety of repertoire from beautiful healing tunes to haunting bluesy ones, which were expanded on his consistent musical roots. His original tunes such as Acoustic Delights and Big Salamander, popular standards such as Stardust and Tennessee Waltz and classic rag Maple Leaf Rag are featured. The pure acoustic sound will penetrate your heart deeply!

*Also the complete tab/music book(TAB•BK-1012) for this album is on sale. Tokio transcribed the themes and variations exactly and explained(written in Japanese) the techniques in detail himself.

Titles include: 1. The Voice Of The Wind (MP3 / 1.1MB), 2. Just A Closer Walk With Thee, 3. Stardust, 4. Maple Leaf Rag (MP3 / 1.1MB), 5. King Solomon Hill's Ambition, 6. Acoustic Delights, 7. Big Salamander (MP3 / 1.1MB), 8. Tennessee Waltz, 9. Premonition Blues/Old Country Rock Variation, 10. Esperance Minuet/The Beau Stratagem, 11. Danny Boy (Londondery Air), 12. Afterglow Slide/Jumping Bean (MP3 / 1.1MB), 13. Memory Of Trout Fishing-celebration version-

< TAB•CD-1012 > price 3,080 yen

Tokio Acoustic Blues
Tokio Uchida / Fingerstyle Guitar Music Vol. 3

This is Tokio Uchida's third acoustic guitar instrumental album which conveys his great zeal for acoustic blues. He has learned a lot of guitar styles & techniques of legendary bluesmen like Blind Blake, Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lonnie Johnson, Tampa Red and others. In this albumn, he plays the original tunes to which such styles and techniques are applied and the standerds such as "Georgia On My Mind", "St. Louis Blues", "Corina, Corina", etc. in his own pure fingerstyle playing! 14 tunes including two bonus tracks of jam sessions with Bob Brozman and Duck Baker are recorded on it!

*Also the complete tab/music book(TAB•BK-1009) for this album is on sale. Tokio transcribed the themes and variations exactly and explained(written in Japanese) the techniques in detail himself. Please be soaked in the world of fingerstyle blues guitar.

Titles include: 1. Thanks To Stefan#2, 2. St. Louis Blues (MP3 / 940K), 3. Raggin' Slow Blues In C, 4. G Rag Paradise, 5. Durham Meeting (MP3 / 940K), 6. Georgia On My Mind, 7. Lonnies Mystique, 8. Lightmin' In Mississippi, 9. Black Eye Blues, 10. Corrina1 Corrina, 11. Kawazu, 12. The Sun Sinking Into The Sea (MP3 / 940K), Bonus Tracks:13. Big Bill's Shuffle(with Duck Baker), 14. Charley Patton Jam Session(w/Bob Brozman) (MP3 / 940K)

< TAB•CD-1009 > price 3,080 yen

Memory of Trout Fishing
Tokio Uchida / Fingerstyle Guitar Music Vol. 2

Some of Tokio's acoustic guitar instrumentals were used for the degital satellite-broadcasting program "Fly-Fishing Area Guide" by the major outdoor-life magazine "Be-Pal" (Shogakukan). The new tunes have been picked out from them and recorded on this CD. This is Tokio's second album. It features 12 acoustic guitar solos, including the title tune "Memory of Trout Fishing", the famous ragtime tune "The Entertainer", O'Carolan's "Lord Inchiquin", reputable "Burg Blues" which is the opening demonstration of his best-seller video "The Essences Of Acoustic Blues Guitar".

*Also the complete tab/music book(TAB•BK-2001) for this album is on sale. This solid tab/music book includes the explanations of techniques, the episodes of tunes (written in Japanese), the favorite photos, the exercise for fingerpicking Vol.2, etc..

Titles include: 1. Memory Of Trout Fishing (MP3 / 944K), 2. Will The Circle Be Unbroken?, 3. Appalachian Mood, 4. Medley: Blind Mary / Lord Inchiquin, 5. Vestapol, 6. BURG Blues, 7. The Kindergraten, 8. Evening Rise (MP3 / 944K), 9. Amazing Grace, 10. The Entertainer (MP3 / 940K), 11. Chalk Stream (MP3 / 940K), 12. GO Fly-Fishing

< BP•CD-0001 > price 2,640 yen

Coconuts Clash
Tokio Uchida / Fingerstyle Guitar Music

This is the first original anthology of Tokio Uchida who is well known for his many books about acoustic guitar playing and for supervising videos. This long-awaited solo album is full up with essences of acoustic guitar music such as blues, ragtime, new age, ethnic music and so on! A lot of exciting, romantic and queer guitar instrumentals hold your hearts tight!

*And also the complete tab/music book(TAB•BK-1001) for this album is on sale. This solid tab/music book includes the explanations of techniques, the episodes of tunes (written in Japanese), the favorite photos, the exercise for fingerpicking, etc..

Titles include: 1. Medley: Prelude Of TAB Label / Requiem For Uncle Body, 2. Sea Gull, 3. Blake's Stumbling Rag Special (MP3 / 940K), 4. In The Bermuda Triangle, 5. Beef Bowl, 6. Medley: Prety Polly / Shade Grove / East Virginia (MP3 / 940K), 7. Princesses In Separta, 8. Lonely Night Journey, 9. Coconuts Clash (MP3/940K), 10. The March Of Catfishes, 11. Tribute To Rev. Gary Davis, 12. Thanks To Stefan, 13. See You Soon (MP3 / 940K)

< TAB•CD-1001 > price 3,080 yen

= = = Words of cheer from Stefan Grossman who is Tokio's guitar teacher! = = =

"I've known Tokio for many years. He is a great guitarist who has taken American guitar styles and techniques and has merged these with his own individual Japanese perspectives to create evocative and exciting instrumentals. He has a highly individual style that continues to develop and evolve. Tokio is that rare musician who can perform as well as teach" - Stefan Grossman