The music Coltrane, Tyner and others did back in their prime made a sizable ripple in jazz. Many went on to emulate their style well after the originators either died or moved on. For the most part I find these emulator (or keepers of the flame, to be more polite) to be either alright or great. Kohsuke Mine Quintet is one of those greater ones. They’re relatively obscure from what I gather, releasing only a few albums back in the 70s and a resurgence album in the 90s but their music is much more deserving of attention.

The moment you start this album you’ll immediately notice how similar this is to that particular peak era of McCoy Tyner’s solo career where he released albums like Sahara, Song For My Lady and so on. After a very expressive and intense 10 minute opener track the album shifts into a bit slower gear where their saxophonists have a more leisurely pace to do solos in the usual spiritual jazz crescendo way. But this only lasts for a short while, one song to be more specific, as the album quickly picks the pace up and does not let go for the most part until the album is finished.

In essence this album is nothing new, not even for then but it is a damn well put together quintet with great talent. And they definitely compensate their lack of adventure with their technical skills. If you’re getting bored of the usual great post-bop/spiritual jazz albums give this one a few listens. You won’t be disappointed.