UPCOMING RELEASES
THE LAST LAUGH
Sabana Blanca
Featuring Takaaki Masuko, Johannes Ammon, & Andrew Blickenderfer
Recorded in February 1999,
Release TBD (Winter 2024/2025)
(NativeWit Productions)
with THE HORSE FLIES
I DON'T REMEMBER: 90s DEMOS (Pest Control, 2024)
Claus, Dodge, Hayward, Hyman, Masuko, & Stearns
+ featuring special guest, Ben Wittman
IN THE DANCE TENT (Pest Control, 1999)
Claus, Dodge, Hayward, Hyman, Masuko, & Stearns
+ featuring special guests Nevy Areval and Jim Roberts
UNTIL the OCEAN (Pest Control, 2008)
Claus, Hanson, Hyman, Masuko, Olsa, & Stearns
GRAVITY DANCE (MCA, 1989)
Claus, Dodge, Hayward, Hyman, Masuko & Stearns
"You Know What's Coming" - Claus, Dodge, Hayward, Hyman, Masuko & Stearns, 1993 Grassroots Festival, Trumansburg, NY
"Human Fly" - Claus, Hanson, Hyman, Masuko, & Stearns with special guests, June Drucker & Alison Miller, 2003 Telluride Festival, Telluride, Colorado
"I Need a Plastic Bag (to Keep My Brains In)" - Claus, Dodge, Hayward, Hyman, Masuko & Stearns with The Second Hand Dance Company, at the Oakland Beehive in Pittsburgh, PA in 1992
"14 Reasons" - Claus, Hanson, Hyman, Masuko, Olsa, & Stearns, eTown, Live at The Boulder Theater, April 25, 2010, Boulder, Colorado.
"Last Train to Rajasthan" - Claus, Hanson, Hyman, Masuko, Olsa, & Stearns, 2008 Grassroots Festival, Trumansburg, NY
"Cluck Old Chicken" - Claus, Hanson, Hyman, Masuko, Olsa, & Stearns with special guests, Bela Fleck, eleven-year-old Masuko-fan Matthew Kenny, and the Tuvan throat singing ensemble, Alash, 2009 Grassroots Festival, Trumansburg, NY
DANCE ACCOMPANIMENT
"The Weird Sisters" - The Horse Flies + the Second Hand Dance Company, Oakland Beehive, Pittsburgh PA, 1992
Hakidame ni Tsuru (Satoko Fujii, Takaaki Masuko, Natstuki Tamura, Yasuhiro Usui, & Mizuki Wildenhahn), Germany, 2016
"Slow Waltz" - The Second Hand Band, accompanying the Second Hand Dance Company, New Victory Theatre, New York City, circa 1996
Hakidame ni Tsuru, Yokohama Jazz Promenade Festival, 2014
OTHER RECORDING PROJECTS
6th SENSE LIVING ROOM (2023, NativeWit Productions) by Sabana Blanca
DOOR AJAR (2020, NativeWit Productions) by Telltale Crossing
with Cristi Catt & Daniela Tosic
WHAT DO YOU SEE? (2004, NEMS) by HourGlass
“...this superb quintet of singers and instrumentalists filters old music through modern sensibilities, bringing fresh enchantment to everything they touch. ”
— Donald Rosenberg, Cleveland Plain Dealer
THE FOURTH RIVER: The Millennium Revealed (1999, Telarc) by Tapestry
with Les Miserables Brass Band
OM-PAH (1987) by Les Miserables Brass Band Image links to album on Apple Music
MANIC TRADITIONS (1997, Northeastern) by Les Miserables Brass Band
“...the sort of album that exemplifies all that is fun with world music...the sort of album that ends up on my permanent "in play" CD pile. Play it loud.” - Ari Davidow, 11/2/97
PINOCCHIO (1992, Rabbit Ears) with music by LES MISERABLES BRASS BAND
with Le Bon Vent
GOODNIGHT MARC CHAGALL (2004) by Le Bon Vent
“Masuko plays rhythms that echo France’s thriving Moroccan and Algerian communities” - Aaron Cohen
with The Zamir Chorale of Boston
with Aine Minogue
CIRCLE of the SUN (1998, BMG/RCA) by Aine Minogue
“exotic rhythms behind her whispery soprano...most attractive.”
— Denver Post
BETWEEN the WORLDS (1997, BMG/RCA) by Aine Minogue
with Nikola Radan
LES IMAGES DES VOYAGES (2003) by Nikola Radan
with Flor de Cana
DANCING on the WALLS by Flor de Cana (Flying Fish, 1991)
with Sol Y Canto
SANCOCHO by Sol Y Canto (Rounder, 1994)
SENZAI ICHIGU (2021, NativeWit Productions) by Masuko, Ammon, Fujii, & Tamura
HADA HADA (2002, Libra) by the Natsuki Tamura Quartet
with Natsuki Tamura & Satoko Fujii
with the Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra
THE DEATH of SIMONE WEIL (2003, CJR) by Darrell Katz and the JACA Orchestra
“...eerie and moving, and even swinging.” - Jon Garelick, listing his top 10 releases of 2003
with Claire Ritter
AT ONE (1984, Zoning) by Claire Ritter and Takaaki Masuko
IN BETWEEN (1988, Zoning) by Claire Ritter
TRUE (1998, Zoning) by Claire Ritter
CASTLES in the SKY (2001, Zoning) by Claire Ritter
“. . .beautiful, eccentric, between Monk and Scriabin”
— JazzUSA.com
THE STREAM of PEARLS PROJECT (2011, Zoning) by Claire Ritter