Ah, it’s guilty pleasure time. Japanese jazz-funk is a many-splendoured thing, with various highways and byways to get pleasantly lost among. In its curious cross over between City Pop, video game soundtracks and American funk (post Herbie in Headhunters mode) the funk tide can be anything from gloriously danceable to schmaltz central. The Electric Bird label had a direct link with American jazz funk through its mother company King Records which was licensed to release CTI and Blue Note. So no surprise that Natoya has selected material with mostly US personnel supporting Japanese stars.

The bait is the stellar guests. For example, Matthews’ ‘Special Delivery’ showcases David Sanborn, and like most of the material here it has an easeful groove. And just look at the bass and drum credits here, a galaxy of stars drawing their session fees. It’s professional, perfectly produced, but often perfectly predictable.

Like the Kiwi cricketer Bob Cunis, who John Arlott described as having “a name that was neither one thing or another”, this anthology falls between the stalls of neither having the edge of American funk or the irresistible shine of Japan’s own fusion.

We are in different realms from Prism or Casiopea, but that won’t stop Funk Tide getting spun on many a baby zoomer’s play list. Meanwhile, I’m diving back into Harumo Imai’s seductive sax. Wouldn’t you?