Salt Peanuts
Salt Peanuts Jazz of Japan #246 • Jun 13, 2024 • Brian McCrory Salt Peanuts jazz club, located near Ekoda and Shin-Egota stations in Tokyo, Japan Salt...
Oto-ya Hiroo
Oto-ya Hiroo Jazz of Japan #306 • Apr 30, 2025 • Brian McCrory Oto-ya Hiroo concert space, located near Hiroo station in Tokyo, Japan A markedly different...
Baby Brothers: Bb
Baby Brothers: Bb Jazz of Japan #113 • Mar 23, 2020 • Brian McCrory The living music from vocal a cappella groups can be inspiring and soothing in turbulent...
Nobie & Takayoshi Baba: Owari to Hajimari
Nobie & Takayoshi Baba: Owari to Hajimari Jazz of Japan #286 • Jan 11, 2025 • Brian McCrory Owari to Hajimari (The End and the Beginning) is a new album from...
Miwo: Tranquillo
Miwo: Tranquillo Jazz of Japan #247 • Jun 14, 2024 • Brian McCrory Jazz singer MIWO’s first album is entitled Tranquillo from 2020. This fifty-one-minute...
Gate One
Gate One Jazz of Japan #259 • Aug 27, 2024 • Brian McCrory Gate One jazz club, located near Takadanobaba station in Tokyo, Japan Tokyo’s Gate One is a...
Baby Brothers: Happy Christmas with Bb
Baby Brothers: Happy Christmas with Bb Jazz of Japan #219 • Dec 24, 2023 • Brian McCrory This special release from Baby Brothers, entitled Happy Christmas...
Kaoru Azuma: Footprints in New York
Kaoru Azuma: Footprints in New York Jazz of Japan #339 • Nov 29, 2025 • Brian McCrory Vocalist Kaoru Azuma’s Japanese debut release is Footprints in New...
Emiko Voice: Standard Trio
Emiko Voice: Standard Trio Jazz of Japan #207 • Oct 15, 2023 • Brian McCrory Emiko Voice is always an interesting, active, and boundary-exploring musician,...
Strings
Strings Jazz of Japan #294 • Feb 27, 2025 • Brian McCrory Strings jazz club, located near Kichijoji station in Tokyo, Japan Strings is a friendly jazz bar in...
NHORHM: New Heritage of Real Heavy Metal
NHORHM: New Heritage of Real Heavy Metal Jazz of Japan #320 • Jul 25, 2025 • Brian McCrory NHORHM is New Heritage of Real Heavy Metal. It’s not only a homage...
Sunny Side
Sunny Side Jazz of Japan #298 • Mar 18, 2025 • Brian McCrory Sunny Side jazz club, located near Takadanobaba and Nishi-waseda stations in Tokyo, Japan Sunny...
Koto ha, To: Shiro o Matoeba
Koto ha, To: Shiro o Matoeba Jazz of Japan #318 • Jul 12, 2025 • Brian McCrory “Koto ha, To” is a three-member musical project made up of vocalist Ayako...
Natural
Natural Jazz of Japan #319 • Jul 19, 2025 • Brian McCrory Natural music salon, located near Mitaka station in Tokyo, Japan Music Salon Natural is a concert...
Nobie: Primary
Nobie: Primary Jazz of Japan #262 • Sep 6, 2024 • Brian McCrory Nobie is a multi-talented artist whose musical and professional paths started at a young age....
Kaoru Azuma / Hitomi Nishiyama: Faces
Kaoru Azuma / Hitomi Nishiyama: Faces Jazz of Japan #220 • Dec 29, 2023 • Brian McCrory The album Faces from 2020 is the follow-up to vocalist Kaoru Azuma...
Nobie: Bénin Rio Tokyo
Nobie: Bénin Rio Tokyo Jazz of Japan #79 • Aug 15, 2019 • Brian McCrory On Bénin Rio Tokyo, Japanese vocalist Nobie takes us on a musical journey spanning...
Sanae Ishikawa: Grown-up Christmas Gift
Sanae Ishikawa: Grown-up Christmas Gift Jazz of Japan #64 • Dec 24, 2018 • Brian McCrory Enterprising singer Sanae Ishikawa presents us with her passionate...
Seiji Endo: Tsutaete Ikou
Seiji Endo: Tsutaete Ikou Jazz of Japan #30 • Mar 11, 2018 • Brian McCrory In memory of the lives taken by the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of...
Yoyogi Naru
Yoyogi Naru Jazz of Japan #154 • May 4, 2023 • Brian McCrory Yoyogi Naru jazz club, located near Yoyogi station in Tokyo, Japan Yoyogi Naru is one of a pair...
Apple Jump
Apple Jump Jazz of Japan #264 • Sep 16, 2024 • Brian McCrory Apple Jump jazz club, located near Ikebukuro station in Tokyo, Japan Hideaki Hori (piano) Trio...
P's Bar
P's Bar Jazz of Japan #158 • May 12, 2023 • Brian McCrory P’s Bar jazz club, located near Ikebukuro station in Tokyo, Japan A neighborhood jazz bar in...
Water Me!: Water Me!
Water Me!: Water Me! Jazz of Japan #130 • Feb 26, 2021 • Brian McCrory Inspiring contrasts like strong and warm, comforting and demanding, smoky and silky,...
Meu Coracao: A Tempo
Meu Coracao: A Tempo Jazz of Japan #31 • Mar 14, 2018 • Brian McCrory The Japanese vocal-guitar duo Meu Coração releases the stunning A Tempo as a return to...
Fumie Chiba: Beautiful Days
Fumie Chiba: Beautiful Days Jazz of Japan #138 • May 27, 2021 • Brian McCrory On her fourth and latest album Beautiful Days (2017), pianist Fumie Chiba...
Organ Jazz Club Abecafe
Organ Jazz Club Abecafe Jazz of Japan #334 • Oct 30, 2025 • Brian McCrory Organ Jazz Club Abecafe, located near Numabukuro Station in Tokyo, Japan Organ Jazz...
Emiko Voice & Yuka Yanagihara: Enyana
Emiko Voice & Yuka Yanagihara: Enyana Jazz of Japan #295 • Mar 2, 2025 • Brian McCrory Enyana is the first collaboration album from vocalist Emiko Voice and...
Layla Tomomi Sakai: Stolen Moments
Layla Tomomi Sakai: Stolen Moments Jazz of Japan #307 • May 3, 2025 • Brian McCrory Singer Layla Tomomi Sakai’s Stolen Moments is a 27-minute album from...
Noriko Satomi: Project-N
Noriko Satomi: Project-N Jazz of Japan #241 • May 24, 2024 • Brian McCrory Project-N is the debut album from violinist Noriko Satomi, a classically trained...
Sayaka Kishi Trio: Banquet
Sayaka Kishi Trio: Banquet Jazz of Japan #263 • Sep 13, 2024 • Brian McCrory On Banquet, pianist and composer Sayaka Kishi’s latest album from 2024, her...
First-Timer’s Guide to Live Jazz in Japan
First-Timer’s Guide to Live Jazz in Japan Jazz of Japan #331 • Oct 15, 2025 • Brian McCrory Introduction There are some common impressions of hurdles that...
Yoshiko Saita: Back in Time to Boston
Yoshiko Saita: Back in Time to Boston Jazz of Japan #254 • Aug 2, 2024 • Brian McCrory Singer Yoshiko Saita’s latest release is Back in Time to Boston, an...
Sumireiko: Decision
Sumireiko: Decision Jazz of Japan #338 • Nov 22, 2025 • Brian McCrory Decision is a 2020 album from the duo of vibraphonist Reiko Yamamoto and pianist Sumire...
Emiko Voice: Carta
Emiko Voice: Carta Jazz of Japan #5 • Jan 30, 2018 • Brian McCrory An elegant package inside and out, brimming with atmosphere. The outer package is a slim...
Meu Coracao: Hall Tone
Meu Coracao: Hall Tone Jazz of Japan #143 • Jul 5, 2021 • Brian McCrory As jazz fans know, Brazilian music and bossa nova tunes are frequently present on...
Atomi Hamada: This is Atomi
Atomi Hamada: This is Atomi Jazz of Japan #33 • Mar 20, 2018 • Brian McCrory Jazz singer Atomi Hamada releases This is Atomi, a five-track debut featuring...
Maki Fujimura: Best Wishes
Maki Fujimura: Best Wishes Jazz of Japan #66 • Jan 14, 2019 • Brian McCrory Glamorous Osaka-based singer Maki Fujimura enraptures the audience with her silky...
Mie Joké: Etrenne
Mie Joké: Etrenne Jazz of Japan #84 • Oct 16, 2019 • Brian McCrory Jazz vocalist Mie Joké’s 2018 release Etrenne is a fun and fancy swing jazz outing, a...
Yako Horikita: Shining Hour
Yako Horikita: Shining Hour Jazz of Japan #86 • Dec 6, 2019 • Brian McCrory Fans of vintage vocal jazz will be drawn to singer Yako Horikita’s debut album...
Trigraph: Fever
Trigraph: Fever Jazz of Japan #145 • Aug 27, 2021 • Brian McCrory Fever is the 2014 debut release from Trigraph, a band that takes an eclectic approach to...
Azumi: Almost Like Being in Love
Azumi: Almost Like Being in Love Jazz of Japan #96 • Feb 3, 2020 • Brian McCrory Jazz singer Azumi’s 2010 release Almost Like Being in Love is a cheery and...
Sayaka Kishi: Featuring Te
Sayaka Kishi: Featuring Te Jazz of Japan #9 • Jan 31, 2018 • Brian McCrory Featuring Te, a 2014 release from pianist Sayaka Kishi, is a fun and bright...
Emiko Voice x Suga Dairo: Phase 2
Emiko Voice x Suga Dairo: Phase 2 Jazz of Japan #106 • Feb 26, 2020 • Brian McCrory Vocalist Emiko Voice and pianist Dairo Suga perform jazz standards in...
About
Welcome to Jazz of Japan This site is dedicated to showcasing modern jazz albums from Japan and Japanese musicians. On Jazz of Japan, my motivation is to...
Mikiko Nagatake Trio: Breathe Beneath the Sun
Mikiko Nagatake Trio: Breathe Beneath the Sun Jazz of Japan #345 • Jan 3, 2026 • Brian McCrory From 2022, Breathe Beneath the Sun is pianist Mikiko...
Naoko Akimoto: No One Else
Naoko Akimoto: No One Else Jazz of Japan #162 • May 15, 2023 • Brian McCrory Vocalist Naoko Akimoto’s debut release No One Else is a seven-song introduction...
Chie Nishimura: Virtual Silence
Chie Nishimura: Virtual Silence Jazz of Japan #272 • Oct 25, 2024 • Brian McCrory Virtual Silence (2022) is a 38-minute experience in five chapters, a...
Mariko Maeda: Awareness
Mariko Maeda: Awareness Jazz of Japan #178 • Jun 9, 2023 • Brian McCrory Awareness is the inspiring title of trombonist Mariko Maeda’s debut album of newly-...
Yuichiro Aratake: Music Make Us One
Yuichiro Aratake: Music Make Us One Jazz of Japan #183 • Jun 30, 2023 • Brian McCrory Yuichiro Aratake continues to express his compassionate vision with...
Masako Kunisada: Wonderful Life
Masako Kunisada: Wonderful Life Jazz of Japan #122 • Sep 13, 2020 • Brian McCrory Masako Kunisada’s spiritual, soulful voice channels truth and joy on her...
Yuka Ueda: Agora
Yuka Ueda: Agora Jazz of Japan #116 • Apr 20, 2020 • Brian McCrory Agora is the 2011 debut release from vocalist Yuka Ueda who specializes in Brazilian samba...
Yuki Ito: Retattanni no Mori
Yuki Ito: Retattanni no Mori Jazz of Japan #249 • Jul 1, 2024 • Brian McCrory /Retattanni no Mori (Birch Tree Forest) /is a 2019 solo album from bassist Yuki...
Yuka Ueda: Dois
Yuka Ueda: Dois Jazz of Japan #129 • Feb 5, 2021 • Brian McCrory On Yuka Ueda’s 2013 release Dois, the Japanese singer assembles thirteen songs from her...
Layla Tomomi Sakai: Whisper Not
Layla Tomomi Sakai: Whisper Not Jazz of Japan #132 • Mar 8, 2021 • Brian McCrory Whisper Not is vocalist Layla Tomomi Sakai’s debut release from 2016....