Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden

Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden (dCprG) is a Japanese experimental afro-jazz/"rock-in-opposition"/fusion supergroup, formed in 1999 by renowned saxophonist Naruyoshi Kikuchi after Tipographica break-up. The band's original line-up, with two performers on each instrument except bass, featured Naruyoshi's bandmates from Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet and members of several other prominent Tokyo underground groups: Rovo, Kuricorder Quartet and Asteroid Desert Songs. In July 1999, DCPRG gave its first live performance, praised by critics and listeners for the fierce energy and innovative sound, inspired by Miles Davis in the '70s "electric funk" period, Japanese composer Masabumi Kikuchi and Afro-jazz polyrhythms. The band's iconic feature was a "multi-BPM" technique, with each musician keeping a different tempo and creating unique cross-rhythmic structures. In the summer of 2001, a reputable Japanese label P-Vine Records presented two debut studio works by DCPRG, a 30-min composition on Sino / Pan-American Beef Stake Art Federations split CD with Rovo, followed by the band's full-length Report From Iron Mountain studio CD album. In 2002, Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden produced GRPCD1 compilation, featuring seven remixes by Otomo Yoshihide, Rei Harakami, [a10230], DJ Me DJ You duo, Tsutomu Kuwata under DJ Quietstorm alias, and Kazunao Nagata. DCPRG continued touring with an extended horns section: Koji Nishimura, Kunimitsu Kohata and Shiro Sasaki on trumpets and Takerou Sekijima on tuba. The band released its second studio CD album, 228002, on P-Vine in September 2003, with Jason Shalton replacing Otomo on guitar, while Sekijima, Sasaki and Taisei Aoki (trombone) joined DCPRG permanently. In September 2004, the group's CD mini-album with covers of "Stayin' Alive" by Bee Gees and David Bowie's "Fame" and the 2-nd part of Kikuchi's debut composition for DCPRG, "Pan-American Beef Stake Art Federation," was jointly released by P-Vine and Columbia Music Entertainment. In 2007, following the third studio album, 5314076 2xCD, which also became the last release for P-Vine Records, Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden went on a hiatus that lasted over three years. The band's live tour history between June 2001 and April 2007 has been documented on a three-part cycle, starting with 2265019 2xCD on P-Vine in June 2003, featuring Tokyo shows at On Air East in Shibuya, Liquidroom, Shinjuku, and Star Pine's Cafe. The second 'live report,' MUSICAL FROM CHAOS 2 CD+DVD, came out in March 2005 on a Japanese label Triad, with concerts recorded at Seibu Kodo, Liquidroom and Club Quattro, Tokyo. The concluding 3615423 DVD was published by P-Vine in December 2007, compiling live excerpts filmed at various venues across Japan, such as Milk, Tokyo, Club Quattro in Shibuya, Nagoya and Hiroshima, 大阪Bigcat, Kyoto University, Shibuya O-East, The Voodoo Lounge (2), and Unit (3). In 2009, Kikuchi planned a one-off comeback show, invited by Michael Henderson to join the Japanese leg of his "Electric Miles Reunion Band," but these plans fell through. Instead, DCPRG made a solo comeback in October 2010, performing with a renewed line-up at Hibiya Yagai Ongakudo open-air stage in Tokyo's Hibiya Park on a rainy night — a show later released by East Works Entertainment Inc. on 15757173 DVD. The same month, they gave a second reunion concert at KBS Hall in Kyoto. Kikuchi briefly partnered with EWE Records and Kip Hanrahan's label American Clavé before signing a new deal with prestigious jazz label Impulse! through UMG's Japanese branch Universal Classics & Jazz. DCPRG released two CD albums on Impulse, 6116333 in September 2011, recorded live at Liquidroom in Tokyo with Arto Lindsay as a special guest, and Second Report From Iron Mountain USA, the first studio work in five years. In May 2015, DCPRG presented Franz Kafka's South America SACD+DVD, the fifth studio album, via Taboo, one of Sony Music Artists Inc. imprints in Japan. Original DCPRG line-up (1999–2001) Naruyoshi Kikuchi — keyboards, VOX Jaguar organ, CDJ turntables, conduction Masayasu Tzboguchi — keyboards, electric piano, clavinet, synths Otomo Yoshihide — guitar Koki Takai — guitar, filters & effects Kenta Tsugami — soprano saxophone Yoshihiro "Gosekky" — tenor saxophone Gen Ogimi — percussion Masaki Yoshimi — tabla Masaki Kurihara — bass Yasuhiro Yoshigaki — drums Nobuo Fujii — drums Guests: Itoken — drums, tambourine Koji Nishimura, Kunimitsu Kohata — trumpet Second installment (2003–2007) Naruyoshi Kikuchi — keyboards, CDJ turntables Masayasu Tzboguchi — keyboards, synthesizers Jason Shalton — guitar Koki Takai — guitar Kenta Tsugami — soprano saxophone Gosekky — tenor saxophone Gen Ogimi — percussion Masaki Yoshimi — tabla Masaki Kurihara — bass Yasuhiro Yoshigaki — drums Nobuo Fujii — drums Takerou Sekijima — tuba Taisei Aoki — trombone Shiro Sasaki — trumpet Current line-up (since 2015) Naruyoshi Kikuchi — band leader Masayasu Tzboguchi — keyboards Tomomi Oda܍ — keyboards Takayoshi Ohmura — guitar Gen Ogimi — percussion Tsugami Kenta — saxophone Takai Shiohito — saxophone Shinpei Ruike — trumpet Arigath ⎨アリガス⎬ — bass Muneomi Senju — drums Kyojun Tanaka — drums ܍ Josei played on keyboards on Alter War in Tokyo and Second Report From Iron Mountain USA before Tomomi Oda joined