A unique project of Alexey Kruglov and Masami Suzuki. On November 28 in 2023, while on the territory of their countries, two friends played at the same time, addressing sounds to each other. Alexey performed on the island of Sakhalin on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk (Korsakov town, Aniva Bay), Masami improvised in Niigata on the shore of the Sea of Japan (Sekiya-hama Beach). The distance between musicians was about 600 kilometers.

This album captures a spontaneous dialogue between two masters of free jazz, separated by the sea yet united through music. Despite the 600-kilometer distance, their saxophones resonated in real time, weaving a shared sonic space between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.

Alexey Kruglov and Masami Suzuki are virtuosos of improvisation, whose interplay balances delicate lyricism with the raw energy of free jazz. Their collaboration is not just an experiment in remote connection but a metaphor for transcending boundaries—geographical, cultural, and musical.

Recorded amidst the natural acoustics of coastal landscapes, the album incorporates the crash of waves, gusts of wind, and the spontaneity of the moment. It stands as a living document of an extraordinary event where nature and human creativity merge into one.

Alexey Kruglov: alto sax, recorder, voice
Masami Suzuki: soprano sax, Noh-kan, voice

Music by Alexey Kruglov & Masami Suzuki
Poetry by Osip Mandelstam (Masami Suzuki recites a poem The Sound is Cautious and Deaf...)

The shores of the Sea of Okhotsk (the island of Sakhalin, Russia) and the Sea of Japan (Niigata, Japan)

November, 28, 2023

Recorded by musicians
Mixing by Alexey Kruglov
Technical assistance, mastering by Ruslan Zaipold
Design by Alexey Korf
Photo for the cover by Vladimir Bugayev
Produced by Alexey Kruglov & Yuri Vinogradov

Special thanks to Anastasiia Meshcheriakova, Ludmila Selivanova, Ekaterina Zavalishna, Akiko Inoue, Maxim Bugayev

Contempora 022
11.04.2025