Sabu Toyozumi

Yoshisaburo "Sabu" Toyozumi (born Tsurumi, Yokohama; 1943 ) is one of the small group of musical pioneers who comprised the first generation playing free improvisation music in Japan. As an improvising drummer he played and recorded with many of the key figures in Japanese free music including the two principal figures in the first generation, Masayuki Takayanagi and Kaoru Abe from the late 1960s onwards. He is one of a very few of this circle who are still alive and engaged in playing this music today.

Toyozumi features on numerous commercially available recordings with many of the most notable Japanese and international improvising musicians including Derek Bailey, Mototeru Takagi, Misha Mengelberg, Peter Brötzmann, Keiji Haino, Otomo Yoshihide, Tom Cora and Fred Van Hove. He dedicated his first record as a leader, Sabu – Message to Chicago, to compositions by AACM members, and in 1992 toured and recorded with AACM trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith.

Toyozumi has been instrumental in bringing many European and American improvisers to Japan including Derek Bailey, Misha Mengelberg and Sunny Murray.

In 2005 British improvising guitarist and promoter John Russell arranged a two-day event dedicated to Toyozumi in which the drummer performed in different groupings with 14 musicians from the London improvised music scene including, most notably, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, Phil Minton, John Edwards and Steve Beresford. He continues to tour widely and in the past year or so has performed in Belgium and France, Chile, Taiwan, England, Philippines and Greece. He also performs from time to time with the legendary Japanese noise group Hijokaidan. Currently he performs on the erhu – a two-stringed Chinese violin – as often as playing the drums.

Selected discography

Sabu Toyozumi has performed on over 80 published recordings. A full discography is maintained at Sabu Toyozumi Discography. Besides those listed below, Toyozumi also appears on recordings by Anthony Braxton, Charles Mingus and Stomu Yamashta.

As band leader Sabu – Message to Chicago (1974), Trio Records/Nadja with Ryoh Hara and Syoji Ukaji Water Weed (1975), Trio Records – with Takashi Tokuhiro and Mototeru Takagi Sublimation (2004), Bishop Records – with Kawasaki Jun, Kando Hideaki and Iizuka Satoshi Son's Scapegoat (2006), Siwa- with Kondo Hideaki, Kawasaki Jun and Takuo Tanigawa With Masayuki Takayanagi's New Directions Independence: Tread on Sure Ground (1970), Union Records Call in Question (1970), P.S.F. Records Live Independence (1970), P.S.F. Records Improvising collaborations Saxophone Adventure (1970), Philips – with Mototeru Takagi Overhang Party (1978), ALM – with Kaoru Abe Sabu Brotzman Duo (1982), Improvised Company – with Peter Brötzmann What Are You Talking About? (1983), DIW – with Tristan Honsinger, Toshinori Kondo and Peter Kowald Sabu Bailey Brotzman Trio (1987), Improvised Company – with Derek Bailey and Peter Brötzmann Ars Longa Dens Brevis (1987), Allelopathy – with Fred Frith, John Zorn and Onnyk Cosmos Has Spirit (1992), Scissors – with Wadada Leo Smith Two Strings Will Do It (1994), PSF – with Barre Phillips and Keiji Haino Fragrance (1998), Nds – with Paul Rutherford The Crushed Pellet (2003), Studio Wee – with Eiichi Hayashi and Otomo Yoshihide Live in Japan (2003), Qbico – with Arthur Doyle and Takashi Mizutani If Ocean is Broken (2009), Qbico – with Mototeru Takagi Crimson Lip (2009), Improvising Beings – with Alan Silva, Keiko Higuchi and Takuo Tanikawa New Sea (2012), Kaitai Records – with Takashi Kako and Mototeru Takagi Kosai Yujyo (2012), Improvising Beings – with various musicians The Untrammeled Traveller (2013), Chap Chap Records – with Misha Mengelberg The Conscience (2017), NoBusiness – with Paul Rutherford With Hijokaidan Split (2010), Harbinger Sound, split LP with Airway Made in Japan (2012), Doubtmusic