Being unfamiliar with jazz, isn't an excuse to stay home during the Tokyo Jazz Festival. The event features artists from outside the genre, and organizers have set up the Tokyo Jazz Labo, a workshop for newcomers.
The Saturday stage at Tokyo International Forum Hall A will host a notable nonjazz performer: rock and fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, better known as lead guitarist in the influential Sadistic Mika Band. His touring band includes percussionist Nobu Saito, drummer Masahiro Miyazaki, keyboardist Yoshinobu Kojima, keyboardist and saxophone player Makoto Aoyagi, bassist Hideki Matsubara and guitarist Naruhi Inaba.
Takanaka and his band took to the stage at Sapporo City Jazz last week to perform tracks from the artist's solo releases, including the songs "Blue Lagoon" and "Ready to Fly," before closing the gig with one of Sadistic Mika Band's more popular hits, "Kurofune."