Attila Zoller & Masahiko Sato
A Path Through Haze.
Attila Zoller and Masahiko Sato move between quartet, trio and duo on A Path Through Haze, a Berlin recording released by MPS in 1972.
Their partnership began in Japan, where Zoller was touring with fellow guitarists Kenny Burrell and Jim Hall when he first played with Sato. MPS’s account recalls an immediate musical connection. The album brings that guitar-and-piano partnership into a session with bassist Yasuo Arakawa and drummer Masahiko Ozu.
The recording took place at Teldec Studio in Berlin on 7 November 1971, with Eberhard Sengpiel engineering. The original sleeve places it in the context of that year’s Berlin Jazz Festival, while naming the studio as the recording location. Its production credits include executive producer Joachim Ernst Berendt and recording director Willi Fruth.
Changing groups across six pieces
The writing credits tell part of the story. Zoller contributes “Meet”, while Sato writes the closing title piece. “Sazo”, “Close Up” and “Together-Not Alone” are credited jointly to the two leaders. Between those originals sits the traditional “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair”, bringing an Appalachian folk song into the programme.
The personnel changes within that sequence matter. “Meet” is a fast quartet performance; “Sazo” and “Close Up” reduce the ensemble to guitar and piano. For “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair”, Sato’s piano trio takes over. The album therefore offers more than one instrumental setting for the partnership, instead of keeping the same quartet texture throughout.
“Together-Not Alone” works from the chord changes of the standard “Alone Together”. The title piece returns to the quartet in a modal setting. MPS also points to Sato’s arranging and composing work on albums by Nancy Wilson and Art Farmer, placing his role here alongside a wider recording career.
The recording on different editions
The German LP was issued in a gatefold sleeve, with photography and graphics credited to Sepp Werkmeister. Japanese editions form another part of the album’s release history: Sengpiel’s discography lists MPS catalogue numbers YZ-28-MP from 1973 and ULX-38-P from 1975. The Japanese CD below, CDSOL-3542, is a later 2025 edition carrying the original Berlin recording credit. These edition years follow the 1971 session and the album’s original 1972 release.
Popular editions to consider
Vinyl: the 1972 MPS Records edition (21 21284-2, Germany) appears in 204 Discogs collections. Its community rating is 4.53/5 from 19 votes. There are 23 copies listed for sale. View this Vinyl edition ↗
CD: the 2025 Solid Records (6) edition (CDSOL-3542, Japan) appears in 14 Discogs collections. Its community rating is 5.00/5 from 1 votes. There are 13 copies listed for sale. View this CD edition ↗
Album details
| Original release | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Label | MPS Records |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Recording | 7 November 1971 · Teldec Studio, Berlin |
| Quartet | Attila Zoller — guitar; Masahiko Sato — piano; Yasuo Arakawa — bass; Masahiko Ozu — drums |
| Original programme | 6 tracks |