For more than 30 years, the opening notes of the score for "Lupin The Third" have come to signify the anime and the music's composer, pianist Yuji Ohno. Expect the theme song to pop up during the rollicking, up-tempo set by Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five. A skilled arranger, Ohno puts his stamp on jazz standards, classics, pop songs and contemporary hits — with help from Yoshihito Eto on drums, Masayuki Tawarayama on bass, Keiji Matsushima on trumpet, Hisatsugu Suzuki on saxophone and Satoshi Izumi on guitar.
Also check out: Not to be missed is trumpeter Terumasa Hino, widely recognized as one of the best jazz musicians in Japan. Among other notables, Toronto-born, New York-based saxophonist Grant Stewart brings his bold, nostalgic sound to the festival with his quartet, comprising younger brother Philip on drums, Dezron Douglas on bass and David Hazeltine on piano.
The setting: While its California namesake will have its 53rd edition in September in view of Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean, the one-day Noto festival does not lack for scenery with its bay view along the Sea of Japan. If the weather holds and the sea breeze blows, a day in the park with good music doesn't get much better.
When/where: July 31 at Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture; starts at 2 p.m. and ends around 9:30 p.m., rain or shine. For more information, visit www.mjfinnoto.jp