Makoto Ozone and Yasushi Nakamura at Mezzrow

I had heard that Makoto Ozone would be in Japan and Europe for the rest of the year, so I was surprised when a Mezzrow gig suddenly popped up on FB! I contacted a friend, bought tickets immediately, and was so thrilled.

On the day of the show, my friend lined up early, so we were actually seated right in the front row, practically on top of the stage. I worried a bit about whether it was appropriate for middle-aged women to be making a fuss in the front, but I decided, 'Oh well,' and sitting there turned out to be the best decision ever!

Makoto Ozone was also watching Yasushi Nakamura's very aggressive performance with a smile, and they were feeding off each other. It was just wonderful. The set was mostly original songs, and in the first set, they played only one standard, 'I Hear a Rhapsody' (I guess that translates to something like 'I hear a rhapsody?'). He joked in his MC that it was a 'crazy version of I Hear a Rhapsody,' which got a laugh! Since Makoto Ozone is from Kobe, his English MC is also quite entertaining.

Actually, I remember hearing him play with Gary Burton before and being shocked, thinking, 'What is this amazing song?' When I looked at the standard sheet music at home, I was stunned to see it was such a simple piece.

As far as I know, this is the first time I've seen them perform as a duo. I've seen them in a trio many times, of course. After the performance, I heard Makoto Ozone proudly telling someone else, 'Yasushi knows all of my songs!' To think that for this one spontaneous gig, they mastered songs with so many set arrangements and delivered such a perfect performance—it's truly amazing, I have so much respect for them! The original song Yasushi dedicated to his grandmother, which he wrote when he was 17, was also truly wonderful! Talented people are amazing even from a young age. He really is the most in-demand bassist in New York right now.

I was smiling the entire time I was listening to the performance; I think I must have looked like a dangerous person to those around me.

And naturally, I wanted to see the second set too, so I sat in a seat in front of the bar. Well, it couldn't be helped that I couldn't see the musicians, but the way the sound reached me was completely different! My friend and I were surprised, saying things like, 'It's totally different from before, we can't hear the sound, right? Did all the customers in front of us absorb it?'
I also thought maybe because we were so close before, the live sound made my ears vibrate and go numb.

Mezzrow is a club I know well since I go there to sing almost every week, but I had never listened to a performance from so far forward, so it was a big discovery.

After the performance, I couldn't help but excitedly tell Makoto Ozone, 'That was so much fun! I sat in the front even though I was worried it might be annoying, but the way the sound reached me was completely different and it was amazing!' and Makoto Ozone replied, 'I wouldn't find that annoying at all... (bitter smile).'
He is so kind.

Mezzrow is first-come, first-served, so if you're planning to go, you should get to the club early!