| Apr 11, 2013

Newbies to Japanese jazz get a soundtrack to a primer

For a music fan wanting to explore jazz for the first time, an ideal starting point may be the current chart-toppers, which includes Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding and Jose James. Alternatively, he or she may choose to start with the classics, diving into the ...

| Feb 14, 2013

Jazz acts must embrace some new standards

Drop by your local jazz club and on an average night there’s a fair chance the band will at some point play a rendition of “Autumn Leaves,” “My Favorite Things” or ” ‘Round Midnight” — or maybe all three. You might hear an inspired ...

Miho Hazama starts a journey

Jan 23, 2013

Miho Hazama starts a journey

It’s believed that time spent living abroad can be a journey of self-discovery, and for Miho Hazama that has certainly been the case. Moving to New York to study for a master’s degree in jazz composition at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) was ...

| Jan 10, 2013

Building off that four-letter word — 'jazz'

Something I’ve noticed recently when browsing the jazz sections of record shops is the proliferation of sub-genres among the Japanese artists. Just hearing the names is enough to get a fan excited about the apparent explosion of creativity. For example, postrock jazz acts such ...

Jazz Collective 'Jazz Collective'

Dec 20, 2012

Jazz Collective "Jazz Collective"

If you’ve been to any jazz or funk gigs in the Kanto area over the last couple of years, there’s a good chance you may have seen trombonist Takao Hirose up on stage. In addition to featuring in the horn section for other acts ...

Independent route pays off for jazz act Indigo Jam Unit

Dec 13, 2012

Independent route pays off for jazz act Indigo Jam Unit

Whichever way you look at it, there’s something a little bit different about Indigo Jam Unit. The Osaka-based band has succeeded on its own terms, eschewing the Tokyo club-jazz crowd, but at the same time carving out their own little niche within the scene. ...

Jazzing up the industrial city

Nov 9, 2012

Jazzing up the industrial city

On one side you have Montreux, a Swiss resort town on the banks of Lake Geneva that has seen many famous residents over the years, and which has been immortalized in the lyrics of the Deep Purple song “Smoke On The Water.” On the ...

Sep 13, 2012

Ozone plugs hole left by Coleman at Tokyo Jazz Festival

Improvisation has long been a key part of the jazz musician’s repertoire, and the organizers of last weekend’s Tokyo Jazz Festival (TJF) found themselves having to do some of their own improvising at the eleventh hour when news came through that headline act Ornette ...

Ethnic Minority 'Startin' ”

Jan 26, 2012

Ethnic Minority "Startin' ”

If you’ve been near Shibuya Station in Tokyo at night in the past 12 months, you may well have encountered three young guys playing up a storm to passers-by, many of whom have stopped to listen, cheer and/or dance. This trio goes by the ...

Best of 2011: Shinpei Ruike 4 Piece Band 'Sector b'

Dec 29, 2011

Best of 2011: Shinpei Ruike 4 Piece Band "Sector b"

As member of the ultra-hip Naruyoshi Kikuchi Dub Sextet, Shinpei Ruike has developed an instantly identifiable sound and is arguably the best trumpeter of his generation in Japan. “Sector b,” his second album as leader, shows the full spectrum of Ruike’s sound. Each of ...