- Released - 2025/12/01
- Credits - Takaaki Maeda (Guitar)
“One String Missing” is an album that takes a direct and deliberate approach to the jazz guitar duo format, a setting that has become increasingly rare today. By working with an ensemble consisting of only two guitars, without drums or bass, the project focuses on drawing out both the tension and the freedom that are unique to this stripped-down configuration.
In jazz, guitar duo albums are far from mainstream. All musical roles—melody, harmony, rhythm, and bass—must be carried entirely by the guitars. There is little room to hide, and as a result, the musicians’ musical values, technique, and sense of ensemble are exposed with complete clarity. This album intentionally embraces that challenge.
The musical foundation of the album lies in the aesthetics of swing jazz and traditional jazz, with a particularly strong influence from swing guitar master Bucky Pizzarelli. On this recording, special attention is given not only to the lead lines, but also to the accompaniment, where the unmistakable spirit of Bucky’s style is clearly present.
Chord voicings that actively incorporate the lower register, accompaniment that implies a walking bass line, and a swing feel that never pushes the rhythm too aggressively forward—all of these elements are central to the sound. The accompaniment is treated not as a background role, but as another voice in the conversation between the two guitars.
Although the album makes use of multi-track recording techniques, the priority throughout the process was to preserve a strong sense of live interaction. Rather than polishing the performances to studio perfection, emphasis was placed on maintaining the natural distance, breathing, and subtle fluctuations of time that arise when two musicians play facing one another. The result aims to capture the feeling of a live exchange, as if the dialogue on stage has been sealed directly into the recording.
This album is recommended not only for jazz guitar enthusiasts, but also for listeners who have long been drawn to Bucky Pizzarelli’s approach, as well as those interested in swing jazz created solely by two guitars. It is a recording that fits naturally into quiet moments, especially during the morning or daytime, when one can listen closely and enjoy the space within the music.
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| No. | Title | Writer |
| 1. | In a Mellow Tone | Duke Ellington |
| 2. | I'm Beginning to See the Light | Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James |
| 3. | Triste | Antônio Carlos Jobim |
| 4. | If I Had You | Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly |
| 5. | Bernie's Tune | Bernie Miller |
| 6. | Don't Get Around Much Anymore | Duke Ellington |
| 7. | Sweet Georgia Brown | Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard |
| 8. | Moon River | Henry Mancini |
| 9. | Sancio de Swing | Takaaki Maeda |
| 10. | Stompin' at the Savoy | Edgar Sampson |