Kimiko Kasai had associated with Western jazz-funk artists for the better part of a half decade by the time of the 1979 joint release with Herbie Hancock, Butterfly. Several Headhunters including long-time Japan resident, Paul Jackson and saxophonist Bennie Maupin join the session. I had heard the up-tempo jazz funk of the title track before and appreciated it - though my recollection of it is rather faint hearing it again a decade later. With a moderate accent and a warbling tone, Kasai is best highlighted on the restrained numbers most notably, "Maiden Voyage" with delicate piano and a thrilling sax solo from Maupin. An absolute treasure of a track.
Musicians:
Backing Vocals – Kimiko Kasai (tracks: A3, B2), Mari Kaneko (tracks: A3, B2), Yuka Kamebuchi (tracks: A3, B2)
Bass – Paul Jackson
Clavinet – Herbie Hancock
Drums – Alphonse Mouzon
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Backing Vocals, Synthesizer [Oberheim], Synthesizer [Prophet], Synthesizer [Yamaha CS-80], Synthesizer [Mini-Moog], Synthesizer [Arp String Ensemble], Clavinet, Vocoder [Sennheiser] – Herbie Hancock
Guitar – Ray Obiedo
Percussion – Bill Summers
Piano [Acoustic] – Herbie Hancock (tracks: A4, B1), Webster Lewis (tracks: A3)
Synthesizer [Yamaha CS-40], Organ [Hammond B-3], Piano [Rhodes], Synthesizer [Prophet], Synthesizer [Mini-Moog], Synthesizer [Arp String Ensemble] – Webster Lewis
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Benny Maupin
Vocals – Kimiko Kasai
