Ego-Wrappin' -- Katsute （かつて）

I mentioned this song in my first profile for this Osaka jazz/rock duo, Ego-Wrappin'. That profile was for the raucous "Psychoanalysis" in which vocalist Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵） rips through the song like a buzzsaw. It certainly got my attention....went out and bought the album, "Michishio no Romance"（満ち汐のロマンス....Tide Flow Romance) (May 2001).

"Katsute"(かつて。。。Never Before) is the first track on the band's 2nd album, before the craziness of the second track which is "Psychoanalysis". On the other hand, "Katsute" starts out for the first minute with just Satoru Takeshima's lone soprano saxophone playing out in the night before this jazz waltz starts dancing in. Then, Nakano brings out her other voice: sweeter, slightly higher but with a bit of that downtown ragged edge still in retention. There's a violin solo by Hiroo Mutou which reminds me of Stephane Grappelli when he was jamming with gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt back in the 1930s.

Nakano provided the lyrics while she and partner Masaki Mori（森雅樹） composed the song. Since Ego-Wrappin' is a band that also should be seen live, here is a concert version of "Katsute".