Kenso

Kenso was a Japanese symphonic/jazz-rock band that released three studio albums on Pam and Nexus between 1981 and 1985, followed by a turn-of-the-’90s pair on Crime and Electric Bird. The band has also released numerous discs of live recordings and ’70s-era archival material.

Members: Yoshihisa Shimizu (guitar, synthesizer), Kenichi Oguchi (keyboards), Kenichi Mitsuda (keyboards), Shunji Saegusa (bass), Keisuke Komori (drums)

Kenso was formed in 1974 by guitarist and keyboardist Yoshihisa Shimizu. During 1976 and 1977, they recorded an album’s worth of material at L.M.C. “Bushitsu” Studio with a two-track cassette deck. The lineup at this stage was bassist Masayuki Tanaka, drummer Akira Ninomiya, keyboardist Tōru Ōya, and singer Yoshiaki Tsukahira.

The group went on hiatus for a time as Shimizu focused on his medical studies. They reconvened in 1979 and prepared their first proper album.

Discography:

• Kenso (1981)
• Kenso II (1982)
• Kenso III (1985)
• Music For Unknown Five Musicians (live, 1986)
• ή Σπάρτη (1989)
• Yume No Oka (夢の丘) (1991)
• Esoptron (1999)
• 76 / 77 (2000, recorded 1976/77)

Sources:

• Discogs: Kenso