FREE FIGHT

BBE Music's acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass returns with its 20th release, a super rare private
press from one of the unsung female jazz figures of Japan, saxophonist and composer Sachi
Hayasaka, together with her band, Stir Up! Released in 1988 on the private label Mobys, First
Fight was Hayasaka's debut album and announced the arrival of an essential and primal
force onto the Japanese jazz scene.
Part free jazz, part post-bop, and part heavy groove, First Fight is one of the most varied yet
engaging albums BBE Music has reissued in the J Jazz Masterclass Series, showcasing
Hayasaka's inventive and muscular playing as well as her highly original and surprising
compositional powers. Given the album's eclectic yet cohesive sound, it's no surprise that it
originally found a home at Mobys, the label established by esteemed jazz critic and
promoter Teruto Soejima. Mobys only issued a handful of albums from some of the leading
free and open players including J Jazz Masterclass alumnus, pianist Aki Takase, as well as
free jazz guitar icon Masayuki Takayanagi, and free jazz figureheads Itaru Oki and the great
Masahiko Satoh.
Born in Tokyo in 1960, Hayasaka took lessons from saxophonist and recording artist Toki
Hidefumi and fully immersed herself in the jazz life, working part-time at various jazz kissas
including Peter's Cat, a kissa managed by novelist Haruki Murakami. She has performed
regularly in across Japan at venues like the famous Pit Inn and formed a strong alliance with
the classic Tokyo jazz kissa Paper Moon, which continues to this day.
Heavily influenced by players such as Roland Kirk, David Murray and Ornette Coleman,
Hayasaka has played with free jazz legend Yosuke Yamashita and performed around the
world (as well as up Mount Fuji!). In the late 1980s she moved to New York for several years
and worked with notable musicians including drummer Pheeroan akLaff and pianist Cliff
Korman. She has recorded a number of albums to her name for Japanese jazz labels such as
Three Blind Mice and Kitty as well as leading European imprints such as Enja.
Still a very active musician on the jazz scene, Sachi Hayasaka's name can now reach a new
audience with this stunning debut album, available for the first time in over 35 years. First
Fight still sounds as fresh and exciting as the day it was recorded as is a testament to
Hayasaka's skill and power as a world-class musician and composer.
The new J Jazz Masterclass reissue, taken from the original master tapes provided by
Hayasaka herself, includes fully reproduced original album artwork and custom obi strip (not
included with the original pressing), Hayasaka's own telling of her life in jazz, and previously
unpublished photos from her personal archive.