Kogun

In 1974, a Japanese soldier emerged from the Philippine jungle where he had hidden for three decades, still unconvinced that World War II had come to an end. The Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band released their debut album, Kogun ("solitary soldier"), later that year. The title track, incorporating music from medieval Japanese no theater, served as a commemoration of his experience within the context of jazz music for the first time. During a time when big band jazz was primarily seen as a nostalgic vehicle and no longer considered a significant art, the album was celebrated as a momentous event. Kogun further solidified Akiyoshi's reputation as a brilliant composer/arranger and garnered praise for Tabackin as a versatile improviser on tenor saxophone and flute.