モナリザ　Mona Lisa E.Lecuona A.Sax Koichiro Tsukamoto/Cond jiro kamoi/Shobi wind Orchestra

華麗なるサクソフォーン 塚本 紘一郎 Koichiro Tsukamoto 塚本紘一郎のサックスによる演奏表現の魅力は彼の生い立ちによるところが大きい。 幼少期は天才アコーディオン奏者として全国ツアーを行う活躍の一方ピアノも幼児期より学び、高校では堀川高校音楽コースで声楽を専攻と同時に弦楽器（ヴァイオリン・ビオラ）にもその才能を発揮し、高校卒業時にはビオラ奏者として京都市交響楽団の入団も決まっていた。しかし、彼は突然サクソフォーンに目覚め、東京芸術大学器楽科サクソフォーン専攻を受験し見事合格、以後サクソフォーン奏者として輝かしい音楽活動を展開している。 特に芸大在学中には第30回日本音楽コンクール（毎日新聞・NHK主催）管楽器部門にサクソフォーン界では初の第３位に入賞、同時に読売新聞新人賞を受賞している。 芸大卒業後はNHK交響楽団、読売日本交響楽団、日本フィルハーモニー交響楽団等でのクラシック分野での演奏活動と同時にジャズの分野にも進出した。更にラテンバンド「有馬徹とノーチェ・クバーナ」に招かれラテン音楽分野でもその実力は高く評価された。 昭和40年代には吹奏楽の分野にも進出し、中高生を対象とした講習会ではクリにシャンとしてサクソフォーンの奏法の指導に携わると共に、吹奏楽をバックによるソロ演奏活動も行い全国各地で積極的に活躍した。 塚本紘一郎の最大の魅力は、華麗な音色と超絶技巧でソプラニーノサックスからコントラバスサックスまで全てのサックスを操り、感性豊かな音楽表現により多くのファンを魅了して来たことである。 この度は塚本紘一郎が吹奏楽と共演するソロ演奏のＣＤを完成させた。共演する吹奏楽団は全国的にその名声を誇る「尚美ウインドオーケストラ」である。収録は学校法人尚美学園の新バリオホールで行われた。吹奏楽の指揮は塚本の友人で、東京交響楽団のトランペット奏者として活躍し、現在は吹奏楽指導者として第一人者の鴨井次郎氏である。 今回の収録曲はポピュラーが中心であるが、ソプラニーノサックスからコントラバスサックスを使っての演奏で、各々の楽器の音色と演奏表現及び各々の曲の曲想を塚本紘一郎の豊かな感性によってどのように表現されているかが大きな聴きどころと云える。 The attractive performance of Koichiro Tsukamoto's saxophone comes largely from his background. He started playing the piano from early childhood and performed concerts all over Japan as a phenomenon accordionist. He displayed his talents in stringed instruments such as violin and viola when he majored in vocal music in the music course of Horikawa High School. By his graduation from high school, he was to join Kyoto Symphony Orchestra as a viola player. However, he suddenly got fascinated by saxophone and took the entrance exam for a major in saxophone of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music which he passed with success. Since then he has developed his dazzling music activities as a saxophone player. During his studies at the university, he won the third prize in the category of wind instruments in the 30th Music Competition of Japan under the joint auspices of NHK and the Mainichi Newspapers. The third prize was the first case for saxophone players and he also received a newcomer player award by the Yomiuri Shimbun. After his graduation, while keeping a solid foundation in classic music in NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra to name a few, he also made his way to the field of jazz. He played as a guest in a Latin band named "Toru Arima and Noche Cubana" and his talent was also highly appraised by the Latin music field. From mid-1960's he stepped into the field of wind music concerto and taught the saxophone in workshops for junior-high and high school students. He vigorously conducted solo performances with wind music backing all over Japan. Among his most appealing points are that he masters all kinds of saxophones from sopranino saxophone to contrabass saxophone with his musicality, brilliant tones and unmatched techniques, which have strongly drawn the fans. Koichiro Tsukamoto, a representative saxophonist in Japan has produced a CD of his solo performances with wind music or with sequencer accompaniment, as well as his original compositions. The brass band accompanying Tsukamoto was Shobi Wind Orchestra, a famous orchestra in Japan. Recording was held in the new VarioHall in Shobi Institute of Education. The conductor of the orchestra was Jiro Kamoi who is the friend of Koichiro Tsukamoto. Kamoi was once a trumpeter at the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and is now a recognized authority as a brass band conductor. Most of recorded pieces in the CD are pop music, with the use of sopranino saxophone to contrabass saxophone. The highlight of the CD is how Tsukamoto performs each piece with a sensitive touch towards each motif, by various tones of different instruments and inherent expressions.