Yuya Wakai: Images
Joyful notes flow effortlessly from pianist Yuya Wakai as he confidently opens his solo piano album Images. His catchy exuberance...
Miki Hayama Trio: Wide Angle
Pianist Miki Hayama creates superb jazz on Wide Angle, exploring powerful, edge-of-your-seat quickness with modern dimensions. This album is her...
Ken’ichiro Shinzawa: Piano Works
Ideal for peaceful, calming piano, Ken’ichiro Shinzawa’s Piano Works features seven original compositions with a sweet purity in the musical...
Hara Dairiki Trio: You’ve Changed
The Hara Dairiki Trio creates a jubilant atmosphere on You’ve Changed, playing choice jazz standards from the bebop and straight-ahead...
Manabu Ohishi Trio: Wish
From Osaka-based label Atelier Sawano comes this beautifully-recorded jazz trio recording starring pianist Manabu Ohishi. The label’s concept of “hand-made...
Hitomi Nishiyama Trio “Parallax”: Live
This 2016 album simply entitled Live from Hitomi Nishiyama’s Parallax piano trio marks 10 years since her label debut Cubium...
Mayuko Katakura: The Echoes of Three
Pianist Mayuko Katakura’s 2015 album The Echoes of Three captures an exciting reunion of old friends whose strong connections and...
Les Komatis: Les Komatis
Three established musicians join up to release Les Komatis, a rich fusion of jazz, pop, and Brazilian influences combined for...
Kaori Vibes Quartet: Cross Point
Vibist Kaori Nakajima returns with her second album Cross Point featuring KVQ: Kaori Vibes Quartet (formerly Vangy!!), a jubilant combo...
Atomi Hamada: This is Atomi
Jazz singer Atomi Hamada releases This is Atomi, a five-track debut featuring songs she has loved as jazz instrumental standards....
Ami Fukui Trio: New Journey
Ami Fukui’s third album New Journey grabs the listener’s attention with colorful, immersive songs, 11 well-crafted originals played with exciting...
Meu Coracao: A Tempo
The Japanese vocal-guitar duo Meu Coração releases the stunning A Tempo as a return to an earlier form. While the...
Seiji Endo: Tsutaete Ikou
In memory of the lives taken by the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, three musicians formed...
Hitomi Nishiyama Trio: Music in You
Hitomi Nishiyama’s 2011 album Music in You features an established trio that shares a cohesive sensibility, creating beautiful textural moods...
Tomoka Miwa: Colors in Silence
Tomoka Miwa, Tokyo-based jazz and pop singer, uses her jazz palette on Colors in Silence, a live recording from 2015....
Sumito Oi: Sumitty & The Funfair
Sumitty & the Funfair is a 2015 release from drummer Sumito Oi and his band of merry music makers, assembling...
Sachiko Ikuta Trio: Haru No Kaze
A jazz pianist who balances lyricism with boldness, Sachiko Ikuta leads a piano trio on Haru No Kaze (Spring Wind)...
Mayuko Katakura: Inspiration
Pianist Mayuko Katakura’s 2009 debut album Inspiration immediately impresses. The album kicks off at a rapid pace with “Blues For...
Sohnosuke Imaizumi: Rin
Drummer Sohnosuke Imaizumi lays down impressive foundations with his debut album Rin. Having worked as a member of groups including...
Toshihiko Inoue: Vayu
Vayu captures a solo saxophone performance from veteran jazz player Toshihiko Inoue in 2006, released in 2016. Originally planned as...
Ryosuke Hashizume: Needful Things
Four accomplished musicians reunite for Needful Things, a live recording of original compositions, bewitching music with a touching beauty. Starting...
Rie Taguchi: The Gift
Vocalist Rie Taguchi leads a swinging sextet on her first full-length album, The Gift. Her sultry voice seems to crack...
Koichi Sato: Melancholy of a Journey
Pianist and composer Koichi Sato’s 2016 release Melancholy of a Journey features a distinctive jazz sextet: a piano trio adding...
Seiji Endo: Circle for Peace
Seiji Endo, a poet at the piano, plays his original compositions for solo piano on his second solo album Circle...
Takuji Yamada: Lite Blue
Takuji Yamada is a professional jazz musician who takes care with his jazz. His first album Lite Blue from 2012...
Mayuko Katakura: Faith
Faith is the second album from Mayuko Katakura, an amazing jazz pianist with an impeccable touch that echoes jazz piano...
Junichiro Ohkuchi Trio: Invisible
Accomplished pianist Junichiro Ohkuchi leads a trio of solid veterans in the straight-ahead jazz tradition on his 2016 album Invisible....
Keisuke Nakamura: Humadope
Trumpeter Keisuke Nakamura leads a group of contemporary jazz musicians called Humadope, a post-bop Jazz Messengers-styled quintet with a trumpet-sax...
Hitomi Nishiyama Trio: Many Seasons
With a clean, clear pianist’s touch melding jazz with classical and a subtle rock sensibility, Hitomi Nishiyama’s 2007 album Many...
Satoshi Kosugi: Bass on Times
Bass on Times is a 2009 album from jazz bassist Satoshi Kosugi, a well-known and active musician in Japan’s jazz...