Due out in Japan on Aug. 18, I  was the production coordinator and annotator for this superb Dave Frishberg - Rebecca Kilgore release. And when I finally saw the amazing jacket art that Kazushige Sugano created for it, I could barely contain myself. Next, I communicated to the artist that I was aware that the cover was obviously homage to the great 1950s jazz RCA LP covers created by the legendary designer Jim Flora. The Japanese artist soon sent back word of how happy he was that I "caught" the Flora tribute-of-sorts. Now all that was left was to get, as a courtesy,  Frishberg and Kilgore's approval. I sent an email with an attachment of the cover to Frishberg. I rang him up the next day and asked what he thought of the art?

"Frankly," he told me, "I was shocked." Uh-oh! "Shocked good or shocked bad?," I asked. "Oh, shocked good," he replied with true Frishbergian laid-backedness. One down and two to go.

Fortunately, Ms. Kilgore's reaction was also a positive one. I realize now that I shouldn't even have entertained the notion that either could think otherwise. . .so obvious is masterfulness of Sugano-san's artistry.

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Two additional new Frishberg releases from Muzak Records (Japan)

"Toad" contains the original CTI Records mix, and the never-before-released producers' mix and sequencing.