Those musical statements make up ten tracks that run for over an hour’s worth of material. Matsuo’s quartet plays on eight of the tracks with performances that flow atmospherically between robust displays of fun virtuosity and more laid-back pieces. Two tracks feature Matsuo alone on overdubbed guitar, simulating a duo that offers a view into his lyrical writing and close-up playing style.

It’s also interesting to note that the category keywords tagged to the online digital version of this album include acoustic, country, and folk along with jazz, and although Matsuo’s influence and personal style may lean towards these different genres here and there, the overriding jazz spirit, attitude, and improvisational showcases are the main features of this album, from start to finish.

Sticker Notes

Wildness and intelligence intertwine, stirring up the fiery sparks of tumultuous phrases. This is guitarist Yudo Matsuo’s first album in six years, recorded with his perfect lineup for a quartet. Beautiful fingers race elegantly over his original songs that are brimming with ideas.

Audio and Video

• Time Thieves (track #5) - live version:

• Asalato (track #7) - live version:

• Recording studio montage:

• Digital album streaming/download (Bandcamp)

• Excerpt from track #2: “Blue violet”

Those moments are contained within eight songs that run from six to eleven minutes apiece on the 65-minute album. Several songs open with Fuse’s solo piano, a style of improvisation that starts from players like Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett and seems to bring in some modern jazz and classical concepts as well. Those absorbing introductions can wind out for several minutes before the trio coalesces and the main rhythms, melody, and harmonies of the written compositions begin. In series, the album traverses a path as if flowing through an opening meditation, brighter stimulation, a tropical lilt, a ballad break, more inner mediation to modern pop jazz, some free improvisation, wavering suspense, and a final piece for peaceful reflection.

Fuse composed all the songs for his trio, and in contrast to his previous release that included no explanatory musical notes, this CD includes a booklet of Fuse’s detailed observations (riffing on the phrase Thus I Have Heard?) about Buddhist concepts and how they relate to this present work… and how it all connects to isolation, self-realization, and the ability to lay down an artistic statement (for any work) in the context of what one has experienced.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Otohito Fuse’s original Japanese liner notes.)

“Thus Have I Heard” is the English translation of “如是我聞”, a phrase that opens many Buddhist texts to announce that what follows is a record of what was said. This is usually said at the opening of Buddhist scriptures due to the fact that they were not written by the Buddha himself, but recorded in that form by his disciples who listened to his teachings.

The teachings of the Buddha are boundless, and since the ways of teaching these lessons to humankind is so varied and dependent on each individual, it is impossible to put those into words. “Being conscious of that, this is what I have heard and understood so far.” I think this is a wonderful phrase that overflows with humility and sincerity.

***

People are all isolated. Perfect understanding between people is an impossible task. Of course, we are able to make efforts through words to understand one another. Yet, lifespans are limited, and both people and the world gradually change over time, so efforts towards mutual understanding cannot be fully achieved.

The same goes for oneself. Memories are vague and capricious, and even intense feelings that you sense you will never forget can become unexpectedly difficult to recall. Moreover, even if a certain region of the brain is experiencing an emotion, it often happens that completely unrelated thoughts are occurring at the same time, preventing the whole system from appreciating that emotion.

Creating a piece of work. The appreciation of the work that has been created. What may drive people to these actions is awareness of their isolation. Even though we all are painfully aware of our own isolation, we are so strongly moved by our joy, pain, and emotions that we cannot help but try to create some kind of work to leave behind. And those people who appreciate that work are encouraged by the fact that there are others, living in the same conditions of isolation as themselves, who produced such pieces.

The issue of time is also a critical one for people. Time keeps flowing in only one direction and can never be reversed. It can be said that much suffering stems from by this irreversibility of time, not the least of which is aging and death. Even as symbols and information, things that do not change with the passage of time, can go on to explain this suffering, it is impossible for them to directly represent this suffering themselves. This is exactly why the creation of work from an earnest mind, whether in literature, art, music, writing, photography, or whatever form, always brings forth something that evokes a realm that cannot by reduced to symbols and information. Music in particular only exists in conjunction with time. For this reason, it can give us the most direct connection that resonates to the inner struggle of human existence in the flow of time. Not only is this what I love about music, there are also times when I find it awe-inspiring.

***

Considering the progress and spread of generative AI, the activity of human-derived works is approaching a turning point. When it comes to music, paintings, and photography, the listeners and viewers may be reaching a stage where they cannot determine based solely on the data if those works were made by a human or generated by AI.

In this sort of era, how can those who stake their lives in creating works of art find hope?

Perhaps it’s by returning to the starting point: that we are all isolated, we cannot oppose the flow of time, and one day we will inevitably die (in some unknown way). There are countless people who have shared in this same suffering and have used up their lives to bring forth their work. That work has in turn comforted and encouraged many other people. The fact that such endeavors have continued unbroken throughout human history can give us a great amount hope.

From this perspective, the essence of the person who created the work stands out distinctly. However, that essence is not a fixed characteristic, but rather one that is unstable and ambiguous in the extreme. In the vicissitudes of the flow of time, it’s unknowable whether some future self, or some different self that is occupied by other thoughts at the moment, will later betray the fact of “At this moment and in this place, I feel moved in this way.” Even while struggling to give a sense of form to this emotion, both the self and the world are changing moment by moment, and there is no guarantee of consistency in that which is being created. Still, a work that has been born of strong emotion is the only thing in existence that can speak for its creator’s voice at that time and place, and once it leaves their hands, it drifts on through time and space.

***

By the way, I enjoy taking photos. There’s a repetition in the act of taking photos in the naive hope of capturing what you see just as it is, but then those expectations are more or less betrayed by the results once the shutter is released and you examine the picture. Within that trial and error process of recognizing the difference between the two states and attempting to bring them closer to one another, you can suddenly notice a way of viewing the landscape that you had not seen before. Or, there are times when the emotions conveyed through a scene are captured best through a photo with a slightly different form. Through photography, the way of engaging with a landscape can be disassembled and then reconstructed, and this sense is fascinating.

I also like the kind of impartiality involved in how the camera records photographs through a completely mechanical process. In theory, anyone can take the exact same photo if they use the same camera, the same settings, are in the same location, and release the shutter at the same time. Conversely, it is for that exact reason that the photographer’s individuality manifests as the person who existed there at that time and place. Photographs become very significant in the life of the photographer as a modest proof of an isolated existence that emotes “Certainly, I was there, and I observed this scene.”

And this is a quality that is common to all forms of human creation to some degree.

When someone creates something, whether consciously or unconsciously, it is slice of the world that that person experienced at that time. Even still, unending differences rise from that. When confronting those differences, the relationships between that person, their work, and the world is reorganized little by little and becomes multi-layered.

Furthermore, the premise of impartiality that suggests that anyone could produce exactly the same work given the exact same time, location, and movements, makes prominent the uniqueness of the work and the creator themselves. This is precisely why it is so interesting that completely different things are be produced through the same instruments and materials. The work becomes one with the fact that that creator existed and was there at a certain time and place.

***

A work of art is the only thing that conveys how the form of world was revealed to the artist up until that time. In that sense, almost all the works that have been produced in the world are “/Thus I Have Heard/”. This is truly why I want to sincerely and carefully observe how the world appears and sounds to me. And I want to trust in what I see and hear, and transform those experiences into works. Whether this takes the form of improvisation or that of honoring the traditions of a designed style is a completely different matter. There is nothing more pleasurable than creating music together with musical partners who place such importance on what they hear and respond to each place and situation independently. I want to express my gratitude to the members of the trio with whom I make music on a daily basis.

Tsutomete

“Tsutomete” is an old word that carries the meaning of early morning.

A phrase from The Pillow Book that is widely known is “In winter the early mornings.” The atmosphere of the morning is special, particularly those refreshing early mornings in winter. The eastern sky gradually begins to glow, and the gap between it and the deep blue of the night sky create a twilight in clear gradation. Hope for the new day uncontrollably springs in the heart while at the same time there’s a painfully bittersweet feeling as the scene disappears before your eyes, moment by moment. And once the sun fully emerges, you can no longer peacefully gaze upon the eastern sky. While storing away in your chest that landscape that was visible only just moments ago, you find comfort in the morning scenery of the interweaving of soft light and long shadows as you return to the ordinary habits of the day.

Northbound Journey

A trip to the north always carries some sense of loneliness. For someone from the north like me, the northward direction includes connotations of cold versus warmth, stillness versus motion, neutral colors versus the chromatic, and death versus life. Simultaneously, the north summons a feeling of nostalgia. Perhaps this is because of the warmth of the people who live within that bitter cold. Or maybe it’s because the north is superimposed with the afterlife, where we project memories of our loved ones who have died and memories we have lost. As travel continues northward, it’s also interesting how in spring the season seems to rewind, and in autumn, fast-forwards. For those traveling north, it’s as if time moves at a different speed and different moments flow and intersect in time.

White Lycoris

In the autumn of last year, I visited a habitat of red spider lilies (Lycoris radiata) in Hidaka, Saitama. The full bloom had just passed, so depending on the spot, there were specimens in various stages, from those that were still vivid red to those who were beginning to lose their form, fade in color, or even whose withering petals on drooping branches where eerily hanging like wisps of hair. Flowers’ colors and forms are always changing, and their peak viewing period is shorter than one thinks. I was struck again when admiring the beauty of flowers that aside from their colors and shapes, those fleeting and precious qualities are even more crucial factors. And, thoughts of kazuso (Buddhist contemplation of the nine stages of decomposition) entered my mind as I kept on looking at those wilted flowers for a while.

Later, mixed in the midst of those red spider lilies I spotted a tiny sprinkling of white ones. Coupled with having just been looking at those withered flowers, those white flowers made me feel how especially beautiful, noble, and precious they were.

Sado

There are several places that I have a special attraction to for some unknown reason. Sado Island is one of those places. To date, I have visited Sado three times.

The Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine is a recognized World Heritage Site, the port city of Shukunegi flourished with Edo-era cargo ships, and the locally-bred Japanese crested ibis is headed for a resurgence. This is an island with innumerable points worthy of mentioning. What I cannot forget is the feeling of driving along the Sotokaifu Coast.

The undulating region next to the sea has almost no areas of flatland and is abundant in peaks and valleys. The landscape is covered with grass and bamboo, with almost no tall trees growing there. Large, strangely-shaped rocks rise from the ocean, including Futatsugame and Onogame, reaching heights of several tens of meters to over a hundred meters above sea level. A single road weaves its way through the middle of this landscape of such huge scale. The days that I’ve visited so far have been calm. Yet, this terrain causes me to wonder about its severe landscape and the hardships faced by the people who live there, as well as those woh maintain its transportation system. This magnificent scenery is etched in my heart, and at the same time makes me keenly aware of my own tiny existence while the landscape comforts me quietly in its embrace.

B.A.S.D.

The letters for the title of the song “B.A.S.D.” are derived from the Four Sufferings of Buddhism, that is: Birth, Aging, Sickness, and Death.

The older we get, the more we experience the issues of aging, illness, and the death of those close to us. However, despite the fact that we cannot evade the Four Sufferings, they are generally concealed in daily life, and it’s considered normal to go about our lives without acknowledging them consciously. Furthermore, just as one individual’s death can never be replaced by that of another, the anguish of the Four Sufferings is a deeply personal one. Therefore, once afflicted by these sufferings, people must be devoted to confronting their despair and powerlessness in isolation.

If even a little bit, I believe that one way out of this sadness is to come into contact with those who were burdened with grief in the past but still led inspiring lives. By offering respect and prayers to those who lived through suffering in the past, we may enter the same sphere ourselves and be able to gradually accept our own pain.

Nyoze

“如是” is a phrase that often appears in Kanji-translated Buddhist scriptures. It is read as kaku no gotoshi and carries the meaning of in this way or manner. However, in Japanese culture where these Kanji-translated texts have long been chanted in the manner of incantations, one part of the allure of reciting these scriptures may be that are difficult to understand. Within that, the repeated sound of nyoze itself may affect both the person who chants the phrase and those who hear it, possibly bringing a kind of revelation that transcends any meaning or representation in language.

It’s also said that nyoze is a phrase that alludes to the common similarities between different things. I believe that identifying such likeness is one of the most primal ideas that drive human beings living on this earth. In a blank, featureless spacetime that was originally filled only with objects, people gradually discovered similarities and created a world of our own making. This is not limited only to objects which can be expressed through language. We can take some solace in the irreversible flow of time as we reflect on our memory of events that occur at different points in time yet vaguely resemble one another.

We Can Hardly See

The things that are truly important to us are actually just nearby. However, they are things we can hardly see. These kinds of words are commonly said across a range of domains, from spiritual contents to the commonplace search for a misplaced item. Isn’t life itself a pursuit of those things that are truly important to us, and that we keep approaching closer and closer to? Furthermore, those concepts of close and far are relative, and we continually recalibrate the meaning of those words as we live our lives. The journey and track of one’s life goes on as we traverse the perimeter of that unreachable destination, never too close nor too distant.

Ascending Shadow of the Mountain

Living on the Kanto Plain, you can see the sun setting in the direction of Mount Fuji on clear winter days. The setting sun is beautiful, of course, but I especially like the coloring of the sky just after sunset. It is as if time is standing still.

One day, right after the sun had set to to the ridgeline on the right of Mount Fuji, I saw a pale gray band of light rising from the summit and stretching towards the left. It must have been a shadow cast by the sun that was still setting on the west side of Mount Fuji. I felt that this sight was incredibly beautiful. I wanted to take a picture, but by the time I prepared my camera, the shadow had disappeared. On other days, the shadow never reappeared, even when the sun set in the same position. Perhaps it was related to the amount of dust in the air? But I had certainly seen that rising shadow. I keep dreaming of the day I can have a chance encounter with that shadow again, and today as well, I find my thoughts returning to Mount Fuji.

Obi Notes

Otohito Fuse Trio’s second album, Thus Have I Heard.

This is the current marker for this trio with Riku Takashi and Kaita Nakamura, who have continued to perform together since the previous release Isolated.

Fuse’s music carries themes of scenery and spiritual concepts as a picture scroll of sound, as each member proceeds to perform what they heard at that moment.

Includes a 20-page booklet of photographs and writings.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for Thus Have I Heard (album trailer):

• “Northbound Journey” (track #2) - recording session:

• Full Playlist (Bandcamp)

• Full Playlist (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #7: “We Can Hardly See”

The seven songs included on this album are modern sounding with straight-beat and brushed swing feels. Most songs are in the 9- to 12-minute range, and there is plenty of space for the soloists to explore their improvisations and raise the thrill levels (or deepen the mistique, as the case may be) while the trio propels forward as a group. Most of the solos here feature Yanagihara on piano and Ito on bass, but drummer Kimura also gets a few spots where he trades measures with the pianist or plays dynamic drum solos over rhythmic vamps. This trio is well-suited to one another, tightly-locked and exciting, and the energy of performing live is a visceral force present in their playing.

Wrapping up the live set is track #7, Ito’s “Hinageshi” with a beautiful melody that also appears on some of her other albums: Retattanni no Mori (for solo bass), and Shiro o Matoeba (“Koto Ha, To” vocal/piano/bass).

Semendo Sementes was recorded live in 2021 at the Tokyo jazz club Plus Eleven in Ageo. Included below are videos of the making of this album and the trio’s concerts at Plus Eleven.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for Semendo Sementes from Yuki Ito Trio:

• “Snow Goose” - track #5:

• “ひなげし (Hinageshi)” - track #7:

• Full playlist (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #1: “Aderante”

This album is a live recording made at the popular, long-running Tokyo jazz club Alfie and captures a date with Hirata and his quartet starring Mamoru Ishida on piano, Yutaka Yoshida on bass, and Yusuke Yaginuma on drums. True to its title, this is an excellent introduction the new player with a selection of old standards played in a completely satisfying, traditional way, and the perfect swing, taste, and synchronized group energy was not only for a fun live show at the time, but produced a great recording to boot.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Mikio Hasui’s original Japanese liner notes.)

The first time I saw Koichi Hirata live, my initial impression was that he was much younger than I expected, yet with a calm and composed demeanor. That first impression of him was a perfect match to the sound that poured out of his beautiful full acoustic guitar. The first song, “A Weaver of Dreams”, began with a quiet solo introduction, and it reminded me of a famous guitar player that I also love, Kenny Burrell. I thought that Kenny Burrell must be one of the guitar players that Koichi Hirata also surely admires.

Speaking of that, that Kenny also has an album with a similar title, Introducing Kenny Burrell. Since this album’s title is Introducing Koichi Hirata, it must also contain a considerable amount of respect for Kenny. Hirata, originally from Sapporo, is currently a 22-year-old university student.

Have you been playing jazz guitar from the start?

“When I was in second grade of elementary school, I was influenced by the Beatles and started to play guitar. Initially, it was not jazz that I loved, it was blues and R&B, and I would play that a lot. Later, I discovered Larry Carlton and gradually developed an interest in jazz. I first learned about John Coltrane through one of Larry Carlton’s interviews, and through the album Blue Train and others, I became seriously devoted to jazz.”

If I had to pick one, I’d say it’s a quite orthodox jazz guitar style, right?

“I feel that rather than saying I play jazz guitar because I love jazz guitar, it’s more that I love jazz and I play guitar. When it comes to jazz, I like the straight-ahead jazz style of the 50s and 60s, so my playing style and tone end up taking on characteristics from those eras. Of course, I also listen to the performances of guitarists from various genres as well. I especially like blues, and players like B. B. King, Albert King, and T-Bone Walker. I think our generation is blessed in that we can listen to that traditional orthodox style, as well as rock, avant-garde, modern contemporary music, and other genres in the same way and absorb them all equally.”

What does standard jazz mean to you?

“As for me, standard jazz is melody, after all is said and done. I also hold the content of the lyrics to be important, but what I want to express more is how the beauty of those melodies inspires moods and emotions. And I want to share the beauty of those jazz standards that we call masterpieces with as many people as I can.”

Was there any specific intention behind the songs selected for this album?

“I chose songs from among those that I usually play with this group. If I had to say, these are standards that I particularly like. I am self-taught on guitar, so you could also say that my interpretation of jazz is also self-taught. These are all songs that I simply enjoy listening to as music.”

At the start, I wrote that Koichi Hirata’s quiet demeanor suited his orthodox guitar style well. But after intently listened to this album many times, I realized that I was mistaken. While you can hear that orthodoxy in his style and tone, I picked up on the additional attractions of soulful bluesiness and a funky side in the performance. The comments he shared for this interview are the very things that define his sound. After all, jazz is the performers themselves.

1.A Weaver of Dreams

A standard by Jack Elliott (lyrics) and Victor Young (music). Kenny Burrell’s version of this song is famous, but John Coltrane delivers a wonderful one-horn performance of this song on a Cannonball Adderley album. Hirata plays this at a slow medium tempo, and his simple but delicate improvisation honor great guitarists of the past with a mature performance that stands in contrast to his young age.

2.This Could Be the Start of Something Big

Music and lyrics by American TV broadcaster Steve Allen. Translating the title literally as something big may be about to happen, these are lyrics that create that subtle anticipation of excitement. The performance starts with Yusuke Yaginuma’s lively drumming, and his characteristic drum sound makes this uptempo standard all the more thrilling. Following Hirata’s casually swinging guitar is Mamoru Ishida’s piano, which is also thrilling.

3.The Shadow of Your Smile

With music by Johnny Mandel and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, this was the theme song for the American movie The Sandpiper. It is a ballad loved and performed by many jazz musicians, including Oscar Peterson. It’s also loved by guitarists, and Herb Ellis and Joe Pass played this song as a duo. Hirata plays it simply, without altering the beautiful melody, but with lots of emotion. The soulfulness intensifies in the second half with a four-person jam that is delightful.

4.These Are Soulful Days

This is a song by trumpeter Calvin Massey that seems to have become famous after it was included on the album Lee-Way by fellow trumpeter Lee Morgan. This session is supported by the powerful rhythm section of Yutaka Yoshida and Yusuke Yaginuma that gives this music, which is usually performed with horn sections, into something that has a completely different appeal. Yutaka Yoshida’s bass solo is hearty and engrossing.

5.Frame for the Blues

This song, a blues tune written by American trombone player Slide Hampton, starts by featuring a robustly bluesy solo by Yutaka Yoshida that seems to proclaim “Now this is double bass!” It’s a perfect fit for Hirata, who started as a lover of R&B & blues, and his quartet delivers a soulfully traditional blues. In that sense, this may be the most Hirata-esque guitar playing on this album.

6.Fungii Mama

An original song written by trumpeter Blue Mitchell. It’s a cheerful calypso tune that brings to mind “St. Thomas” [by Sonny Rollins]. You reflexively feel like dancing when listening to Hirota’s dexterous solo, Mamoru Ishida’s comping and improvisation, and Yutaka Yoshida’s sensitive bass solo. And here too, Yusuke Yaginuma’s drumming is again first-rate. Yaginuma’s distinctive style, somewhat elemental and with a sense of melody, positively directs the mood of this song.

7.My One and Only Love

A ballad composed in 1947 by Guy Wood. Lyrics were later added by Robert Mellin and it became known as a very popular ballad. The performance begins with the simple intro of a guitar solo from Hirota that brings out the beautiful melody genuinely with skillful harmonization that absolutely fascinates listeners. In the middle of the session, the performance ramps up to a jaunty medium tempo, and Hirata’s improvisation also begins to show his characteristic soulful side. Although it’s a staple ballad that is known by many people, here it becomes one that is filled with this quartet’s personality.

Obi Notes

The eighth installment in the popular live stage recording series from Alfie, the long-running jazz club in Roppongi, is finally released. The eagerly-awaited debut album from Koichi Hirata in the orthodox style of jazz guitar!

Jazz guitarist Koichi Hirata is a current college student who has began to make his mark on the jazz scene. He pours his deep love of jazz into his guitar playing and seems to have already reached the level of mastery. A recording of the finest real jazz played with his trusted musical partners!

Audio and Video

• “A Weaver of Dreams” (track #1):

• “This Could Be the Start of Something Big” (track #2):

• “My One and Only Love” (track #7):

• Full playlist (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #4: “These Are Soulful Days”

The jazzy swing music is easy to get into being so likable, simple, and uncomplicated in the best way. It’s classic jazz piano trio music played by Ozawa on piano, Yusuke Yaginuma on drums, and the two bassists Koji Yasuda and Takumi Awaya, who share bass line duties on different tracks. One song, “I Wanna Be a Duck!”, also features vocalist Ema singing Ozawa’s wondrously imagined original lyrics.

Referencing the title of Cheers! again, the musical mood has that celebratory feel of kicking off a party together, the shared good-will of plans to make time together well spent. Also like a party, the colors of the different songs are various and vibrant while mostly staying true to the straight-ahead orthodoxy of swing, bop, and groove-based jazz.

The majority of the songs are original compositions from Ozaka. Track #1 “Introduction” starts strong and gets into a fun light swing that glows with positive energy. #2 “Poppin’” combines smooth and grit with an infectious rhythm and a nicely decorated arrangement. Next, “Stella By Starlight”, one of the two standards on the album, is a brief intermission-style piano solo, slow and ruminative. Track #4, “Serendipity”, glides through a waltz beat with beautiful, serious harmonies with graceful touches.

Track #5 is “Something Like That”, an upbeat and addictive highlight with a riff based on a Northeastern Brazilian Baião rhythm with syncopated melodic hits and harmonic whorls. #6 “My Old Grandad” is a tender ballad, soft and pretty. The sole vocal song is next, and “I Wanna Be a Duck!” rises as the liveliest voice in the cheering section that takes on a silly-seeming waltz with a pure sweetness at its core.

Another highlight is #8 “M’s Mark”, a song that leans toward the hard bop corner of piano trio jazz with nods towards the groovy Blue Note sounds of pianists like Sonny Clark and Horace Silver. The familiar jazz tune “Time After Time” follows with more light-fingered and crisp swing. Closing the set is Ozawa’s “Dear Gene”, full of the deep soul and jazzy blues of the with a style somewhere between Herbie Hancock and Oscar Peterson. This closer is dedicated to the highly regarded jazz pianist Gene Harris, who Ozawa draws inspiration from here as she digs in with bluesy power and obvious pleasure.

Online Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese online introduction to this album.)

This is the debut album from a young pianist of the classic jazz tradition who regularly plays at Blue Note Place in Tokyo!

This recording centers around her original material, rich in variety, and delivered by her usual trio with complete and reliable trust.

In addition to two famous jazz standards, the songs include her blues number “Poppin’” with its second-line rhythm, her charming “I Wanna Be a Duck!” featuring vividly imaginative lyrics and singer Ema’s bright and cheerful voice, and “Dear Gene” which is dedicated to the beloved pianist Gene Harris. The tradition of classic jazz is respected through all ten songs while presenting an authentic portrait of Saki Ozawa.

Audio and Video

• “Introduction” (track #1):

• “Poppin’” (track #2):

• “M’s Mark” (track #8) - live performance from 2023:

• “Time After Time” (track #9) - live performance from 2023:

• Full playlist (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #5: “Something Like That”

The jazz calendar features a recurring selection of popular local artists, young up-and-comers, occasional tourist artists from overseas, and even open jam sessions where owner Kotomi Sato may join in on the drums. As a musician herself, Kotomi-san has a keen ear and fine awareness of how to put together a small jazz room. Here, the music is clear, and the atmosphere is immersive. The front bar area often has spectacular live jazz videos playing as background ambience between live sets. On the back wall is a classic portrait of jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, whose jazz concert was the first live event Kotomi-san experienced, and it was one that moved her deeply and remained fixed in her memory. As a tribute, she took the name of her jazz venue from the title of one of Hargrove’s original songs.

As for the stage area in this small-sized jazz room, half of the floor space holds a grand piano, upright bass, and drum set. Any vocalists or front players will take the space in the middle, and (depending on the night’s arrangement), one row of tables, chairs, and couch seats face the musicians from the back wall and bar area. There’s no elevated staged, so the musicians are at the same level as the audience. With one row of tables and seats that wrap around the stage area, there are only a few places where seats are in front of each other, so most views are straight-on, although popular events may draw a crowd such and people may likely be sitting right next to or in front of you.

Velera’s menu contains a great selection of wine, whiskey, original cocktails, beer, and snacks. While there are no large meals served here, hungrier patrons can enjoy the few larger options such homemade pizza and a mixed sausage plate.

Originally opened in 2016, Velera has been at the current Akasaka-mitsuka location since 2019 after moving from the original location in Ginza.

Ochikochi, the Japanese word used as the band name and album title (オチコチ, oh-chee-koh-chee, 遠近), is an uncommon Japanese word that sounds like the more common, everyday word achikochi (あちこち) and shares a similar meaning. Ochikochi is apparently an old literary term with a mimetic repeated rhyming sound that means far and near, here and there, or even past and present. Written in Japanese kanji, the two characters 遠 and 近 literally represent the two distance words “far” and “near”, and together as 遠近 or ochikochi can also contain the nuance of perspective.

At 1:14 runtime, the album Ochikochi includes eight tracks lasting anywhere from six to twelve minutes apiece, long enough for the three musicians to settle into a mood and explore unhurried free improvisation. The songs were recorded by the trio at three different live concerts in 2011, two at Shinjuku Pit Inn (February 16 and August 29, 2011) and one at Yokohama Airegin (August 31, 2011).

With only three musicians, the sturdiness of the three-legged stool rests on the equal measure and coordination of the trio. With Kamimura on tenor and soprano saxophones as the main player up front, he is the de facto leader who captures attention visibly and audibly as the forefront melody and adlib player. Still, the songs (all composed by Kamimura) stand up firmly through the imaginatively constructed moods and the smart balance of free and locked-in patterns that the members generate. While there are some wild sections in the music (as in, some free jazz and wide-open improvisations), they rise from the groundwork of composed ideas, themes, harmonic structures, and frameworks that the trio uses to journey together. And through it all, there’s plenty of space for the three musicians to stretch out for extended improvisation, either out in front of the other two musicians, or in simultaneous soloing modes.

There is never the feeling that the musicians are lost or simply wandering without a map. These compositions are such that that the resulting music is fascinating but also dangerous and risky, as this kind of music can sometimes take a careful ear and deliberate attention to uncover the plan in the seeming chaos. Alternatively, just unplugging and letting the trip carry you along and wash through you is a completely enjoyable experience, too… maybe even the best way.

Track #1 “Action & Talk” seems complicated at first with a seemingly unsteady beat (or, one that is initially hiding) but the melody played by synchronized sax and bass is one that guides listeners through the opening chapter of a complex, interesting, but potentially confusing story. This dual- or triple-barreled sharing of the melody is something that the sax, bass, and drums enjoy throughout the album.

#2 “Autumn Song” (秋の歌, Aki no Uta) continues the adventure and pushes boundaries with freeish swing and vamp-like movements, that is, swing with its own thing that takes form out of a cauldron of potent musical chemicals and skill.

#3 “My Home” (マイ・ホーム) is an offbeat tune with a steady beat that seems to be easier listening but with unexpected angles, and some 4 over 3 polymeter moments to keep the edges sharp.

Track #4 “Dr & Bass & Sax” pulls a melody with staggered fenceposts of gaps and wires, one that is doubled, linked, and responded to Hashimoto’s drums. Forward motion and creative spontaneity move according to an unpredictable plan, as irregular patterns bubble up in the turbulent flow. It’s a entrancing conversation between the three players.

Track #5 “Meyu Meyu” (メユメユ) is another highlight with a variety of action based on loops of melody, rooted tones based on vamps and breaks, and a series of open sections. The musical complexity can be seen through a close counting reveals a 13-beat meter (3/4, 3/4, 3/4, 2/4/, 2/4?) that is surprisingly easy to follow based on the clear melody and harmony, and the tightness of the rhythm section.

Track #6 is titled “Waltz (Peace & Love)” and is a medium-paced 9-minute ballad that leans mostly towards a quiet jazz waltz that encourages good feelings and ease, doubtlessly. It’s an extended moment of repose and contentment.

Track #7 is “2009, Trio Song” (2009年トリオの歌, 2009 Nen Trio no Uta) is also calm and pretty played with a straight beat that walks through unfamiliar but comfortable changes.

Finally, the last song is track #8, “Igusanian Blue”, a meditative song that develops slowly and deeply. This song’s shifting tonal centers and straightly fashioned melody seems to share some ancient DNA with Herbie Hancock’s composition “Maiden Voyage” (could the mysterious title “Igusanian Blue” somehow be an undecipherable reference to Herbie’s prior album Empyrean Isles?) Be that as it may, this final statement on the album wraps up the lengthy and atmospheric journey into the distance, near and far, of Ochikochi’s layered concepts of near and far, here and there, simple and complex.

Obi Notes

Sound - Space - Resonance - Jazz

Three distant gazes intersect and unfold. Looking upwards, downwards, and far away - warmth emanates and dissipates.

A recording of the distance, far and near (ochikochi), that is the musical performance of Kamimura, Koreyasu, and Hashimoto. At Shinjuku Pit Inn and Yokohama Airegin. First album.

Audio and Video

• “Aki-no-uta (song of autumn)” (track #2) - 2009 live performance:

• Ochikochi 2012 live performance, another take on “Aki-no-uta (song of autumn)” (track #2):

• Excerpt from track #5: “メユメユ Meyu-meyu”

Along with Koketsu’s impressively dexterous sax improvisation is her embodiment of a real jazz sensibility. Although quite young when she made this album, her jazz language is authentic, filled with the spirit and tradition of influential jazz players. The giants of jazz sax players in particular are represented well, not only through Koketsu’s language but also by the songs she chose to record. The rousing excitement of Hank Mobley’s “This I Dig Of You” starts the set, and the band is off to the races from there. With similar associations to famous sax players, Sonny Rollins famously recorded track #2 “Without a Song” and #9 “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise”, track #3 “Kary’s Trance” brings in the cool mode of Lee Konitz, #6 “The Kicker” is Joe Henderson all over, #10 “Del Sasser” is for Cannonball Adderley, and #11 “Blues Connotation” screams Ornette Coleman. Other candidates for some of the remaining songs could be Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, and trumpeter Chet Baker. In any case, these songs are not only great vehicles for Koketsu and her band to interpret and improvise over, they must also serve as an homage to the renowned players that she listened to and learned from.

In addition to these choice jazz selections and some jazz standards, Koketsu also recorded an original song as track #4 “A Solar Eclipse,” a powerfully heavy tune in 5/4 time, and a hit pop song #8 “Orion” as a pretty ballad originally performed by Japanese singer Mika Nakashima.

After the long-awaited and popular release of Struttin’, Koketsu continued to release albums every few years with her own bands and with partners, such as the 2024 release Trust, a duo album with pianist Akane Matsumoto. Her tenth album, Echoes of 15 Years, is a double album that was released in 2025 as a retrospective, best-of album.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Naoko Shimada’s original Japanese liner notes.)

When you hear the word “jazz,” what immediately comes to mind are the leading wind instruments like sax and trumpet. Many works that are continuously called masterpieces often feature these wind instruments as main features. Also, the people that we refer to as jazz giants, like trumpeter Miles Davis and saxophonists Cannonball Adderley and Sonny Rollins, are all men. Was the reason for this a result of the times, or the assumptions and subjective impressions of listeners? I don’t know the truth of the matter, but there were almost no scenes were female players rose to prominence.

One player who did burst into the mainstream in the midst of that was Dutch saxophone player Candy Dulfer, who released her debut album Saxuality in 1990. She inherited the talent of her father who was also a saxophone player and continued the Dulfer bloodline with her boundless skill, ability, and beauty on top of all that. Highly praised, she received a Grammy nomination, became famous quickly, and started to perform as a supporting musician for Madonna and Prince.

Another woman that became famous is Carolyn Breuer, a hard-blowing player that could be likened to a female version of John Coltrane. There is also Tineke Postma from Holland, who ranges expertly from contemporary to challenging music. But, we can’t say there are many women like these.

If we look at Japan however, the rise of young female horn players in recent years has stood out. If you look at the schedules of jazz clubs in different parts of the country, you can always find groups led by female players many times each month. That content includes various styles including traditional jazz, bebop, smooth jazz, and Brazilian. Moreover, in an environment where young colleagues form jam session-type bands and are surrounded by veteran musicians at live performances, we can see a situation where female musicians don’t hesitate to take on different challenges just because they are women. And the fact that they are from younger generations makes it even more surprising.

Currently 21 years old, Ayumi Koketsu is another sax player who has performed in numerous live concerts since her teenage years. She is an artist whose name has already become known for performing alongside distinguished musicians. She is especially known at live spots in her hometown of Gifu and Nagoya, where several of the venues are always sold out when she plays. Those jazz fans who are in the known fill up the venues and the number of appearances seems to keep growing year after year. For people who have not heard of her, they may wonder what it is that attracts such a great amount of attention.

Of course, the best and obvious recommendation is to go experience her live concert in person. But listening to this album might be another way to discover her charm using just your ears.

Before jumping into the contents of the album, let’s introduce her profile briefly.

Koketsu was born in Gifu in 1988. She started piano lessons at three years of age. She became interested in jazz through her father’s influence and became attracted to the saxophone, joining the brass band in middle school. By this time her tonal approach was already geared towards jazz and made her adrift in a classical band setting. Likely due to this, she did not join the brass band in high school, joined the jazz orchestra studying under Kaoru Tsubakida, and began to study jazz in earnest under Kaoru Tsubakida who was active in jazz orchestra and other activities.

After graduating from high school, she attended the Nagoya branch of Koyo Music Academy and, while in school, began to perform live in clubs based around Gifu and Nagoya. Upon graduating, she joined Toshihiko Naya’s Quartet “f” and began to play in diverse sessions.

She has real skills, of course, but even just standing on stage with sweet and graceful looks creates a gorgeous appearance. This visual combined with the sound of musical notes that seem to fly around creates a magnetic charm.

Her popularity is on the rise. The number of people eagerly awaiting her debut release has been growing day by day, and at long last, this album now been completed.

The notable members include Yoshihiko Naya, a player with a dynamic tone who was introduced earlier as the leader of the Quartet “f” that Ayumi Koketsu is a member of. Naya also has his own trio, Samurai Bebop Trip, and is very active as a supporting musician with many other activities. On bass is Masayuki Tawarayama, a wonderful bassist who also plays in Samurai Bebop Trio and could be called Naya’s right-hand man and best partner, a craftsman who expresses freely with a cool style. On drums in Mark Turner, a versatile player who has performed countless times with Japan’s preeminent representative pianist Toshihiko Akiyoshi and sax player Lew Tabackin. These members form quite a powerful lineup.

It’s an album deliberately not made with players from the same generation as Koketsu, but with musicians with a certain composure who know how to let loose and have fun with the music.

There’s a very heartwarming feeling to the ease with which she freely seems to swim comfortably and confidently through the sounds, together with a natural flow together with her leading and conducting the music to some degree. And as if in response to that, the pure sounds she produces are very clear and direct. Even though there are no lyrics, she is communicating things. Plus, she has a very skillful style of blowing the horn, freely manipulating the degree of strength and intensity. The expressions that go along with each song are also considerably rich.

If you were to put this album in a category, broadly speaking, you could call it orthodox or traditional jazz. But its contents are filled with a refined sensibility and grace, while even not considering the label of female sax player, you could call it unaffectedly cool.

Those agile parts of her playing and the neutral atmosphere remind me of Tineke Postma from the Netherlands. As a fellow woman, I feel a great affection for them.

Also from the perspective of taste, the songs included on this recording were carefully selected and appeal to connoisseurs. It’s completely different from those debut albums that can sometimes be a collection of the usual jazz standards.

The first song is a great opening as the uptempo, invigorating tune “This I Dig Of You” from Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley. The nimble phrasing is immediate and exciting. Without spoiling the original composition, her beautifully fresh playing breaks for the sky. It’s a pleasant number that also feels perfect for an early summer drive.

Next is track #2, “Without a Song” by composer Vincent Youmans. It’s adorable from the first note, as if truly representing Koketsu’s outward appearance. Here and there, you can hear a coquettish charm surfacing, which is also original. The pop melody makes it a song that is very easy to listen to.

Track #3 completely changes things with a song that gives a very cool blue impression. It’s “Katy’s Trance” by Lee Konitz, a jazz sax giant in his seventies. What has to be said first is, this song selection is just too cool (ha ha). She continues her steady flow with composure all the way though to the end, with a jaunty lightness that is almost like playing a clarinet. You could say that this song fully showcases her ability.

The fourth song, starting with overwhelmingly powerful piano playing from Naya, is an original from Koketsu called “Solar Eclipse.” It’s a song that I personally interpret as wandering about while advancing forward, reflecting the mind of a 21-year-old woman. It’s a thrilling song that generates excitement while you listen and wonder what the next page will uncover.

In the middle of the album, the track #5 is “I Fall in Love Too Easily,” a melancholic song written by Frank Sinatra’s favorite popular songwriter, Jule Style. This song is played with a majestically sweet and beautiful tone. Hearing the song performed like this makes it hard to believe that such depth is expressed by a 21-year-old. Becoming absorbed in the listening brings the song to its conclusion before you know it.

The sixth track is Joe Henderson’s “The Kicker,” a pure hard bop song. While making active use of the original music for this take, Ayumi Koketsu expresses herself through her own vocabulary. You can feast on her bebop style, which is intense but also has a soft light shining through in places.

With another about-face, the seventh track is a modern version of “I’ve Never Been in Love Before.” It’s a relaxing number to listen to after the intensity of the previous song. Still, her detailed phrasing is brilliant, and Naya’s stylish and sophisticated piano played in response is lovely. It’s somehow all very gorgeous.

Track #8 is a beautiful jazz ballad arrangement of a hit song that Koketsu says she loves, “Orion” by pop singer Mika Nakashima. The poignant, delicate melody is wrapped up by Koketsu’s warm and gentle playing. It’s a number that she can play so well because she must understand that poetic sentiment.

Kicking off the final stretch of the album is track #9, “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise.” Yet, the song is definitely not played softly. It overflows with a sense of a mad dash, and as the song progresses, the groove intensifies and gets hotter and hotter. You can enjoy the musicians’ skillful coordination as they play with the contrast between refreshing softness and sweltering heat.

The tenth song is “Del Sasser” by modern jazz bassist Sam Jones. This is another fun piece that is very rhythmic. The melody is very cheerful and somehow feels like a song for summer. The way Koketsu’s sax moves through this bright melody so freely and full of spirit is really uplifting.

And finally, closing the album as the last track is “Blues Connotation” by the king of free jazz, Ornette Coleman. It’s so astonishing that a 21-year-old brings out this song at the end (ha ha). But it’s a fitting song to be played as the ending, as if there’s an announcement saying “Well, today’s concert is over!” You can hear intricate techniques shining all through this song. It’s easy on the listener, but it’s probably a difficult piece for the musicians to understand. The song has a substantial sound that lingers in mind even after it’s over. And after all the songs are finished, it makes you want to listen from track #1 again.

This debut album from Ayumi is sure to create even more buzz going forward. Listening to it creates the feeling of immediately wanting to go to her live concert. You’re sure to be astounded by her charm even more.

Naoko Shimada, Music Writer

Obi Notes

Her passion is jazz!

A talented woman makes her debut on the scene with her light yet intense performance at 21 years old!

Audio and Video

• “Kary’s Trance” - track #3:

• “Orion” - track #8:

• “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise” - track #9:

• “Del Sasser” - track #10:

• Ayumi Koketsu: Struttin’ - full playlist

• Excerpt from track #3: “Karys Trance”

This is her twelfth album spanning those many years, but her prior album Solo was released in 2018 so it’s been several years between that and this 2024 work. In her online notes for this album, she explains how the unsteady times for musicians during the coronavirus period sparked a period of reflection on her Tokyo-based musical life and introspection about her next musical statement. For this project, she choose nine new songs she had written during that period, and settled on the musical partners she would bring this new record to life with. The process involved thinking back over those formative years spent with these and other co-musicians, and especially her hometown of Kobe where it all began.

The songs are all originals by maiko, with one song co-written with Aya Kurosawa. Tied to the album’s theme, there is a sense of reflection overall, with a depth of feeling that could even be called a gentle moodiness to much of the music. Moodiness is not the best description as it’s not of a gloomy quality, but of a deeply connected awareness to the changes that time and situation bring, with both longing and hope in the memories.

The first half of the album ranges through maiko’s violin arranged with different combinations of duos and trios to paint images of haziness (“Mirage”), wisps of breeze (“Windmill”), and peaceable jauntiness (“Migratory Bird”). Track #4 “Futo,” features the duo of maiko on violin and Aya Kurosawa on piano and vocals unwinding an emotional ballad, a piece followed by the spinning complexity of “Rotating Sphere” where the ten strings of violin and guitar conjure up something exciting and mysterious.

From here, the album’s emotional directions turns further inward with slow to medium songs that embody the images conveyed by their titles: “Remininscence”, “Toi Kioku (Distant Memories)”, “Far away”, and “kiteki” all breathe with the feeling of nostalgic remembering and reflecting. As a final piece performed bravely alone and with a huge presence, Maiko plays track #9 “kiteki” as a violin solo, a heartfelt tribute to memories of her hometown shared intimately with her listeners.

Album Notes

(Translated from maiko’s online liner notes for this album.)

01.Mirage

A song created out of the pattern in the introduction. Feeling the haziness of a mirage, I wrote this song with the desire to express that sense of temperature and texture. Recorded as a trio of violin, piano, and bass, with guitar layered in.

02.Windmill

A song to represent something ever-turning and the wind. In the end, the image is one of wind power generation more than a windmill. Recorded with violin, piano, and voice.

03.Migratory Bird

This is a song I wrote for the trio with Shikou (piano) and Yuki (bass). I was inspired by Shikou Ito’s song “啼く鳥を探して” (Search for Singing Birds). This song developed through live performances, so this take is filled with that sense of playing a live concert.

04.ふと、 (Suddenly,)

Aya (piano/voice/vocals) and I wrote this song together. Initially I wrote a rough sketch of the song, and after that, Aya added poetry to the music. Aya and I started in May and continued with the season, a backdrop that is depicted in the music.

05.Rotating Sphere

A song I wrote for the duo with Kazuma (guitar). I was inspired by Kazuma’s song “Particle Dance”. As two different phrases ring out simultaneously like turning circles.

06.Reminiscence

This is a song I wrote when 20 years had passed since I came to Tokyo. It reflects back on the events that occurred during all that time and is filled with hope for the future.

07.遠い記憶 (Distant Memories)

The impression of pulling in memories from long ago. The duo with Shikou is two parts of a whole, recorded with the same sense of the wavering of time.

08.Far away

While thinking fondly of someplace remote, something far away…

09.kiteki (Steam Whistle)

This is a song that was originally expanded from a motif that was born during a violin improvisation solo concert. There is the sound of a boat’s steam whistle somewhere in my memories. I recorded this song at the end of this album as I thought about my hometown.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Aya Kurosawa’s lyrics for track #4 “ふと、 (Suddenly,)” printed on the CD cover.)

Suddenly, (lyrics: Aya Kurosawa)

May’s chilly spring weather, suddenly, overlapping
As if guided by a single melody
Forward in time

Until these flowers bloom, let’s walk together
Until this pain is gone
Just like this
The color of tomorrow’s sky… no one knows
Blurred, dimmed, tied together

September’s swift winds, suddenly, hearts race
Like holding hands for the first time
Heartbeats resonate

Until the blue night is gone, I want to be together
Until this prayer comes to an end, just like this
The color of tomorrow’s sky is someone’s
Confirming our linked memories

February’s snow flurries, suddenly, burst forth

Obi Notes

Arriving somewhere warm
And the journey continues

maiko’s 25th anniversary album!

This album was created upon a foundation of the many encounters that have shaped her musical perspective, and maiko’s own now-established personal style. It’s a gem-filled collection packed with maiko’s musical life itself.

Audio and Video

• Excerpts from “Mirage” (track #1), “Windmill” (track #2), and “Rotating Sphere” (track #5):

• “Reminiscence” (track #6) - excerpt:

• “Mirage” - live performance (track #1):

• “Windmill” - live performance (track #2):

• “Migratory Bird” - live performance (track #3):

• ふと、(Futo,) - live performance (track #4):

• “Rotating Sphere” - live performance (track #5):

• “Reminiscence” - live performance (track #6):

• “遠い記憶” (Toui Kioku) - live performance (track #7):

• “Far Away” - live performance (track #8):

• Behind the scenes: Recording “Far away” (track #8):

• Excerpt from track #1: “Mirage”

With an organically rooted acoustic sound true to the honored form, vocalist Osawa is joined by guitar on all six tracks, with additional wind instruments (sax, flute, harmonica), hand percussion, and occasional backup voices from the band adding call and response dialogue and accents to the music. The songs selected for this album are from four names recognizable as leading songwriters and producers of Brazilian music: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Roberto Menescal, Milton Nasciemento, and Caetano Veloso. Rio includes two songs each by Jobim and Menescal, and one each by Nasciemento and Veloso.

Starting off the short set is the song “Rio” by Menescal, and the reference to a gentle breeze on the obi sleeve immediately makes itself felt - it’s a comfortable groove from Osawa’s quartet of voice, guitar, sax, and percussion. Next is Jobim’s unmissable “O Morro Não Tem Vez” (“Favela”) with the slick upbeat of a dance feel and a sly smiling expressiveness in the singing.

Track #3 is Veloso’s “Desde Que O Samba É Samba”, with more of that sweet caress of a bossa swing beat. Next is Nascimento’s “Cravo e Canela”, invoking the spirit of a street party taken home to a calmer, controlled after-hours affair where the music doesn’t stop.

Track #5 is Menescal’s “Telefone” played with a vintage bossa feel that breathes with a swinging mod pop-ness, one that would fit nicely as a novelty tune in a humorous scene a la Austin Powers.

Finally, the last track is Jobim’s lovely “Sabiá”, played intimately by Osawa and Yuichiro Hiroaka as a vocals and guitar duet, and the saudade voice of longing and light sadness adds another dimension to the otherwise joyful album.

Obi Notes

やわらかな太陽の光の下で心地よく吹く風にきっと幸福感に包まれる!
ブラジル音楽を愛する大澤理央の待望の1stミニアルバム遂に発売!

Under the sun’s gentle rays and carried by a gentle breeze, you sure to be engulfed in a feeling of happiness!
Finally released, the long-awaited first album from Brazilian music lover Rio Osawa!

Audio and Video

• “Rio” from Rio Osawa: Rio (track #1):

• “O Morro Não Tem Vez” from Rio Osawa: Rio (track #2):

• “Cravo e Canela” (track #4) - live version:

• “Sabia” (track #6) - live version:

• “Corrida de Jangada” - live version:

• Excerpt from track #2: “O Morro Não Tem Vez”

The duo’s music is harmoniously beautiful with an understated personality projecting a calm confidence, one that supports a balance of bold strokes and playful trepidation delivered by patient hands. The duo takes its time with gentle moments as well as the elevated dramatic energy of dots and lines swirling together on a canvas to create colorful stories. When not flowing free in rubato intros and sections, the duo locks into implied deep grooves and looped time-based phrases that repeat over one another, sometimes in offsets that create a crisscross of overlapping motifs combining simplicity and complexity all at once. It’s more soothing waves than sharp corners, still the playing is expert and precise.

Ten to Sen includes ten songs, nine by Aikawa and one by Hayashi.

1. “Marigold” - an opening story where interlacing dots and lines dance in ray-filled grids
2. “Ambiguous” - naturally vague in dreamy wide-open spaces
3. “Empty Cages” - funky percussive mystery unveils an exciting plot
4. “Pulsating” - stimulation of bouncy upbeats and offbeats with a bright funky asymmetry
5. “Translucent” - quiet vibrant deep with cajón drum soul and creative flow
6. “Ten To Sen” (dots and lines) - up-and-down riffs as impressionistic connect-the-dots, a meditation of abstract flying and bouncing
7. “Benimidori” (紅碧, pale azure) - ambient colors floating with Debussy time and grace
8. “At the Boundary Between Green and Blue” - moving and invigorating storytelling and depth
9. “Ecosistema Representado por Cuentos Infatiles” (童話で書かれた生態系, ecosystem depicted in children’s fairy tales) - fun, folky, funky uplift with wild interplay
10. “Nichi-Nichi-Kore-Kou-Jitsu” (日日是好日, every day is a good day) - peaceful sincerity and a gentle exit

The album title Ten To Sen is written on the cover using the English alphabet, so interpreting the title without Japanese kanji characters can be ambiguous. (One creative translation could be 10 for ten in English, to in English, and 1000 for sen in Japanese, resulting in the title of “From 10 to 1000”). However, the most likely interpretation of the title is Dots and Lines. There is a 2019 video (included below) of Aikawa playing an early solo version of the title track where she calls it “TENTOSEN” (てんとせん, ten to sen, dots and lines). In a brief note for that video, she explains that she wrote this music for a special exhibit workshop titled “Dots and lines, colors, shapes” (てんとせん、いろ、かたち) at Iwami Art Museum in Shimane Prefecture in 2019.

Since the words in the title Ten To Sen are written in English letters rather than Japanese kanji, their meaning is interestingly ambiguous as each word could be interpreted in a few ways:

• ten - point (点), rotation (転), sky/heaven (天)…
• to - and, with, if/when (と)…
• sen - line (線), thousand (千), immortal/celestial being (仙)…

The album liner notes by Yoshihide Omoto also play on this flexibility of interpretation.

Considering the art museum workshop, a likely first translation of Ten To Sen would be Dots and Lines. Especially with the spirited soft wood sounds of marimba running through the music, it’s easy to imagine myriad dots bouncing and tracing long lines through space, interlaced and increased by the fullness and attack of the piano. The cover art, with its spatter of dots and curved lines, also adds to this visual imagery of dots and lines, an interpretation that becomes more obvious when taking the album images into account.

Liner Notes

点と点に転と天
線と線に千の仙
色彩の快楽と響き合うことの偕楽

わたしが愛する最高の音楽家二人による最高に幸せな47分間
– 音楽家 大友良英

The first two lines from the poetic liner notes play on the main words from the title, ten and sen, by repeating the rhyming sounds using differently words:

• ten to ten ni ten to ten (点と点に転と天)
  
• sen to sen ni sen no sen (線と線に千の仙)

Translated, the complete liner notes read:

From point to point, rotation and heaven
Between the lines, thousands of immortalities
The sublimity of color, the shared reverberations of pleasure
An incredibly pleasing 47 minutes from two brilliant musicians that I love
– Yoshihide Otomo, musician

Obi Notes

The obi notes for Ten to Sen are the same as the last two lines of the liner notes:

The sublimity of color, the shared reverberations of pleasure
An incredibly pleasing 47 minutes from two brilliant musicians that I love
– Yoshihide Otomo, musician

Audio and Video

• “Ten to Sen” (track #6) - Hitomi Aikawa solo marimba version from 2019:

• “Pulsating” (track #4):

• “日日是好日” (track #10):

• “Onomatopoeia” by Hitomi Aikawa ＆ Masaki Hayashi (live):

• “Cleanse” by Hitomi Aikawa ＆ Masaki Hayashi (live):

• Excerpt from track #1: “Marigold”

Just west of Tokyo and right along the Chuo line train station, Klavier is a great choice to listen to jazz in a cozy environment with a dark wood den-like atmosphere. In business since 1982, Klavier exudes a palpable sense of local jazz history and classic elegant touches in its comfortable environment, one that combines classy service levels with the friendly tone of a neighborhood hangout.

Inside Klavier, an impressive scotch and whiskey bottle collection are on display behind a beautiful wooden bar that extends toward the performance area. A nice selection of cocktails and mixed drinks is available, as well as a limited but dependably delicious selection of otoshi and small dishes - grilled chicken, pizzas, and other reasonably priced options (the menu changed with the 2026 reopening, and not all options are available). The dapper and friendly husband and wife team running the club (now retired from Klavier) makes the bar area very personal and quickly serviced.

2026 update: The original owners closed jazz bar Klavier last year with a final event on January 25, 2025. Fortunately, the location was quickly reopened again a few months later under new management connected to the annual Asagaya Jazz Street event. The venue’s name, location, signs, and layout remain mostly the same since the reopening.

New owner Chika Toyota is steeped in jazz, with both parents coming from the jazz music world, and with considerable musical experience herself in Japan and internationally. Toyota is a jazz vocalist and may sometimes sit in with the scheduled band for an impromptu performance when requested. Occasionally, she may even headline a night on piano and vocals, taking over the stage for her own scheduled events. Not limited to music and business talent, Toyota is also the artist who painted the portrait of Ron Carter seen at the end of the bar, and may have a story or two to tell about her jazz hero if the time is right.

On certain nights, new menu dishes are available (there was a much-ordered quesadilla option the last time I visited that seems popular). Since reopening, the food options and system may still be settling in, and any available options may be daily specials that are not reflected in the bar’s menu and current information. Until more detailed information is available, it may be safest to assume that food options at Klavier, if available, will be limited.

Klavier is right outside the southern exit of Asagaya station. As part of the chain of Chou-line jazz joints, it’s possible to hop on and off the line at different stations to visit other bars along Chuo, but this may be easiest done on successive nights rather than trying to bar hop to multiple jazz spots in one night. Bar-hopping that is dependent on short train rides is possible and fun, and is an exciting plan for those who are in the city for a few days and want to visit as many venues as possible during their limited time. It’s also not uncommon that local listeners want to attend more than one specific performance on the same night, truly fortunate conditions for music fans in the jazz abundant areas of Japan. But, this bar hopping does involve missing chunks of each set, or even entire sets, at the different venues, and sometimes it’s hard to pull yourself away from a good time spent at one venue where you can catch all the music from beginning to end.

The new Klavier celebrated its first anniversary last month in March 2026, and their current events calendar shows Friday and Saturday night live concerts set for at least several months out.

Best of luck to the new Klavier and long live Asagaya jazz!

There’s a feeling of unbounded youthful abandon balanced with technical precision on this recording, characteristics that were consistent parts of the fuse band and their live shows. Like atomic particles swirling, repelling, and attracting around a shared core and bound together in a tight form, the quartet’s energy was contained by Inoue’s modern compositions and leadership.

There are eight songs included on fuse, all original compositions by Inoue. The band is ablaze right out of the gate with the album opener “The last is the first”, with a group sound that recalls the loose tightness of some 1980s post bop jazz, like Wynton Marsalis’ Black Codes (From the Underground), with its forward-leaning sound. Track #2 “Breathe in-out” is a highlight of sustained moodiness, with a slow opening up during Inoue’s saxophone solo to a Kenny Kirkland-style bursting from Nobumasa Takana on piano.

Track #3 “Kuresaka” is a well-balanced construction in an odd-meter (partially in nine-beat time), where Inoue’s soprano sax shines in an exploratory mood rising from the wide foundation of a spiritual nature. #4 is “Nano Machine”, a very fast swinger over a modified minor blues pattern, where precisely meshed gears are driven towards their limits by the indefatigable propellants of Tsunoken’s drums and Sakai’s bass.

#5 “Apoptosis” is the album’s first of two shorter tunes (this and the last song are under four minutes long, while all other average seven to ten minutes apiece), and it is free jazz ambiance of a sparsely leapfrogging melody, tense folds of piano and bass, and roiling drums. Track #6 “I kin ye” is a jazz waltz played in as a straightforward jazz tune with a style somewhere between the neighborhoods of Bill Evans and Wayne Shorter.

Track #7, “Gratitude”, is one of Inoue’s most famous and adored compositions. The delicate beauty of the song’s melody captivated listeners and became a favorite at live shows. Played as a gentle ballad, Inoue’s tender sound foreshadows a “soft wind” tone that he developed more in later years, as on his solo sax album Vayu and with his Zephyr trio, a band that is itself named for a gentle breeze, poetically.

The last track is #8 “Flood”, another aggressively uptempo swinger like #4 “Nano Machine”. The intro and outro melody are spiral steps leading down to a subterranean maze of free chaos and hellfire where all four members of the quartet unleash their free jazz demons for one final rally before finding the way back out, unified on the melodic theme, and close the session.

Inoue and fuse followed up this album with their next album Grasshopper in 2002 and Live fuse in 2005. Besides fuse, Inoue explored other sides to his writing and playing styles with his other groups and collaborations, including with Clepsydra, Zephyr, a duo with the pianist Hitomi Nishiyama, and many others. He was a quiet but powerful giant in the Japanese jazz scene, and after Inoue’s passing in 2015, there are still “Toshihiko Inoue Songbook”-style tribute performances and occasional fuse live reunions with the remaining members.

Audio and Video

• Toshihiko Inoue Fuse playing “Breathe in-out” and “Zutto”:

• Toshihiko Inoue and Hitomi Nishiyama playing “Witchi-Tai-To”:

• Toshihiko Inoue playing “Giant Steps” at a 1984 jam session:

• Toshihiko Inoue plays ballads:

• Excerpt from track #1: “The last is the first”

The title Defune is a rendition in English of the Japanese word 出船 (デフネ, deh-foo-neh, setting sail, departing from port), which is a perfect fit for Komatsu. In addition to music and jazz trumpet, sea fishing is also a part of the leader’s lifestyle, and several of the songs are thematically linked to his hobby. There’s the opening track “Rising Sun” where the quartet’s live and present sound immediately tunes listeners into the group’s positive energy. Similar in theme, tracks #4 “Aketara (When It Comes to Dawn)” (a deeper groove), #6 “On the Sea” (a comfortable bossa), and #7 “Lucky Fish” (a boppy swinger) dip into his same source of oceanic inspiration also shared through photos throughout the CD.

His other songs are equally fun and convey a sense of someone who could not wait to get his new music out into listener’s players. There is a round cheeriness on songs like the bouncy #7 “Lucky Fish” and #5 “Peaceful Sound”, where the trumpeter’s buoyant mood evokes the fun of Louis Armstrong’s playing. Similarly, on songs like #3 “Brulee” his joyful playing recalls trumpet personalities like Clark Terry’s humor and good nature.

Rounding out the album are the smooth-grooved #2 “Urban Night View”, the melancholic #8 “Pine Wood”, and the blisteringly fast #9 “Burst”, racing to an high-energy close.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Yuto Komatsu’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Thank you for picking up this album.

It’s been seven years since my first album from 2018.

I will never forget that time, when the whole world was thrown into disarray by the coronavirus, and all of my work as a musician had stopped. But even during that time, music continued to sound out in my heart.

After a long period of isolation, there was an almost unbelievable sense that the ordinary life before Covid-19 was gradually beginning to return. I learned not to take the things we are accustomed to for granted, and that they are not always guaranteed to be considered what’s usual.

As work opportunities started to return, little by little, I began to have a strong desire to travel, to go on tour with my band, and to make a second album.

This album’s title of Defune relates to songs from the recording having to do with my hobby of fishing at sea. I came up with some titles like setting sail and leaving port (出船, 出港), but I chose to purposely use English characters for the title.

There are nine original compositions here. I aimed for a sound that is easy to understand and nice to listen to.

I really hope you enjoy this album.

Yuto Komatsu

1 Rising Sun

When I go to sea to fish, I begin to drive before dawn. When I arrive at the fishing spot, I see the rays of the rising sun. It always makes me feel excited. As with the earth, the sun’s energy is vital. This bright song was inspired by the sunrise.

2 Urban Night View

I always write songs using a keyboard, and I wrote this one thinking of the skyline of the city. In the chorus, I hope you enjoy the feel of the chord changes (how the harmonies transition) and the unison rhythm playing in the second half (all hitting the same note at the same time).

3 Brulee

During the coronavirus pandemic, I was at home with a lot of free time, so I got a little better at making coffee. One thing that goes well with coffee is crème brûlée (the dessert meaning “burnt cream” in French), which this song was inspired by. It’s a medium tempo tune, and I used a flugelhorn in the first half of the piece.

4 Aketara (明けたら)

At the time, I used to talk with my friends and say things like “When the pandemic ends, I really want to…”, yet there were days when I wondered whether it would ever really truly end. Still, even in the midst of all that, music was created. I hope you like how the dark atmosphere of this song’s theme suddenly brightens in the middle.

5 Peaceful Sound

One night, I was listening to the sounds of Louis Armstrong while happily strolling along the banks of the Sumida River with a drink in one hand. How much more peaceful would the world be if everyone could hear such wonderful music?

6 On the Sea

I wrote this song thinking of a fishing boat out at sea, on a day when the wind is strong but lulling and the boat is relatively steady. It’s so enjoyable to be fishing that the time seems to fly by, and it especially feels good when the weather is nice and the sea is calm. I used flugelhorn on this bossa nova.

7 Lucky Fish

Fishing is a serious competition between humans and fish. Once, there was a huge mackerel caught on my baited hook, and after a fierce struggle, the fish was finally brought into the boat. It was a win for the humans, or so I thought. Suddenly the fish raged and slipped from my hands, bounced once off the cooler, and returned to the sea.

In useless mode, a secret technique, to let a fish escape from the boat.

And, amazingly, a victory for the fish. Lucky Fish.

8 Pine Wood

When I returned home for a visit, I went for a walk at my old elementary school in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka. I was surprised at how the beautiful playground equipment had been so carefully maintained, as if it hadn’t changed at all, and I was filled with nostalgia. I remembered that there was a pine forest behind the schoolyard where I often played, so I went to go see it. But, the trees must have become diseased, as they had all been cut down and removed. I tried to write a song expressing my sadness for the pine trees that were gone.

9 Burst

I had thought that bursts were things that happened in the world of F1. Then, one day, I was driving on Japan National Route 6 from the Matsudo region to Tokyo when my tire burst at an uneven bridge junction. Fortunately, I wasn’t on the highway, and I managed to avoid an accident. But ever since then, I’ve tried to change my tires sooner rather than later. This song is explosively fast and ends before you know it, but I hope you enjoy the ensemble performance of the band.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for Defune:

• “On the Sea” (track #6) — live performance in 2024:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Rising Sun”

This latest album is the first time the two have released an album as a duo. Their duo format here neatly follows the intimate, two-musician approach patterned in Matsumoto’s recent recordings. While her early releases focused on the piano trio format (as jazz models, she’s a big fan of the piano styles of Oscar Peterson and Phineas Newborn Jr., with an addictively fascinating play solidly in that mold), her recent albums have explored solo and duo formats. And while Hamasaki’s power and fluency are on mighty display with his co-leader Hideaki Hori in that pair’s long-running Encounter group, his versatility extends to other emotionally rich duos such as with the amazing pianist Mayuko Katakura.

Speaking of versatility and variety, one special feature of this album that Hamasaki had in mind when planning the recording was to accomplish one of his persistent goals, that of using a wide range of instruments throughout the session. Spanning the whole sax family, he blows the baritone sax (track #1, “Listen to My Blues”), tenor sax (#2 “Black Orpheus” and #9 “Over the Rainbow”), alto sax (#6 “Hometown Blues”), and soprano sax (#8 “In a Mellow Tone” and *10 “Someday My Prince Will Come”), as well as two flutes (#3 “Sometime Ago”, #4 “On a Clear Day”, #5 “Sun Shower”, and #7 “How My Heart Sings”). All tracks but one were recorded in the studio, and the last song is a live bonus track recorded at the famous Osaka club Mister Kelly’s. This closer is included here as a tribute to that favorite jazz club and beloved owner Akira Sakurai, who passed away around the time that the album was being produced, and to whom this album is dedicated.

Listen to My Blues contains ten songs, eight great jazz standards and covers with two originals from Hamasaki, with a running time of about fifty minutes. The sax player’s two original compositions, #1 “Listen to My Blues” and #6 “Hometown Blues” are down-to-earth mid-tempo grooves, as bluesy as the titles indicate. Yet, much of the album switches in high gear, perhaps unusual for a duo recording, and a majority of the songs are taken at uptempo speeds: “Black Orpheus”, #4 “On a Clear Day”, #8 “In a Mellow Tone”, and others are all off to the races. The duo gets into a blue, deeply affecting mood on Kenny Barron’s beautiful song “Sunshower” (#5), and the romantic ballad “Over the Rainbow” (#9) becomes a lovely showcase for Matsumoto’s finely crafted piano intro and Hamasaki’s emotive tenor voice.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Akane Matsumoto’s and Wataru Hamasaki’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Thank you very much to everyone who got a hold of this album. From songs that are familiar to all listeners, to heart-stirringly beautiful tunes and soul blues (!), this work is fully packed with the enjoyment of jazz. It brings me so much pleasure to be able to deliver this music to you, unified into singular its form with Wataru-san as we traveled all over the country.

There’s no greater joy than sharing the happiness of jazz with you all, whether through CDs or at live performances. It would make me so happy if this album could result in thoughts like “Wow, jazz is great” and “I like jazz even more than before.”

I would like to thank the listeners, bar masters, and mama-sans at the live venues throughout the country for all your constant and kind support, and I’ll take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Akane Matsumoto

Thank you to everyone who listens to this album. This is also thanks to all those who continue to support us. Gratitude!!

One challenge that I’ve always wanted to try is to bring out the full saxophone family of soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone! There may be a strong impression of me as a tenor player, but I love soprano, alto, and especially baritone sax. Probably most people have not seen me playing those (I’m always hiding when I do so, ha ha).

For many years, I’ve been endorsing Woodstone soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones with the full support of Ishimura Wind Instruments. I am truly grateful.

The baritone sax is a Selmer Mark VI. It’s an excellent instrument that was entrusted to me by an old friend. The flutes include a Flute Masters handmade silver flute and a Brannen 14K handmade flute, both which I use depending on the song.

Of course, paying attention to the relentlessly explosive pianism of Akane’s playing is absolutely essential. I’m so happy that we are able to release an album from the duo that we’ve been cultivating for a long time.

Finally, the bonus track “Someday My Prince Will Come” is a performance from Osaka’s Mister Kelly’s, which regrettably has closed down. I am also greatly indebted to the recently deceased Sakurai-san of Mister Kelly’s, who supported us incredibly, and my fond memories of him and the diving and wine-drinking every month in Okinawa are endless. Dedicated to Sakurai-san.

Wataru Hamasaki

Obi Notes

An explosive pianist, a roaring horn. The mad rush of movement and rare presence of the full use of the saxophone family, from baritone to soprano, and even flute playing. An appetizing recording that fully expresses the allure of jazz and pulls listeners into a state of joy.

Audio and Video

• “Listen to My Blues” (duo live, version 1):

• “Black Orpheus” (duo live):

• “Listen to My Blues” (duo live, version 2):

• “In a Mellow Tone” (duo live):

• “What a Wonderful World” (duo live, aquarium version):

• “Like Sonny” (duo live):

• Excerpt from track #1: “Listen to my Blues”

As jazz standards go, the music is true to form without varying too much from the usual patterns. The musicians honor the music, stay true to the charts, and enhance the character of each song with their personalities without overdoing it or mishandling the music that jazz fans continue to appreciate throughout the years. It’s good-feeling music enjoyed by musicians who love that classic style and want to share it with similarly minded listeners, and it’s good to see and hear that this kind of devotion lives on.

Unaffected is a 47-minute album with 11 tracks, most in the short-and-sweet range of three to six minutes each. A few uptempo tunes are even shorter (the wild Annie Ross-inspired “Twisted” at 2:17 and a quick “Tea for Two” at 2:48), while the longest track is an instrumental version of “Will You Still Be Mine?” (7:11) where Watanabe steps aside as the piano trio performs this song in a bouncy, Red Garland-inspired version.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Yozo Iwanami’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Unaffected Asuka Watanabe

Asuka Watanabe, a fresh new singer who devotedly continues to sing old era standards

The debut album of up-and-coming singer Asuka Watanabe was about to be released, so I went to the jazz venue San Marino in Ebisu to listen to her sing. It seems that she sings there about three times a month, and the owner of San Marino, Mariko Kato, recognizes her talent and supports her enthusiastically. As a former singer, Mariko Kato has a discerning ear when it comes to singing, and that fact that Asuka Watanabe caught her attention is proof that she is a strong, distinctive singer. Also, drummer Yoshitaka Uematsu has performed in the US for many years with top American musicians, and he has listened to a great number of first-class singers, and being recognized by him is a great blessing as a vocalist.

I listened to all three sets that night, from the first to the last, as I didn’t feel like leaving my seat throughout. I was drawn in by the charm of her singing, and I kept wondering what standards she would bring out for the next set. With that sort of anticipation filling my chest, I ended up staying through to the end. She sang four to five songs for each set, by somehow none of those songs ended up being included in this album. I was surprised at how extensive her repertoire was, as she had only been singing for about seven years since starting out. I even caught of glance of the thick folder of music charts that she had brought. It was about 15 centimeters thick and must have contained hundreds of songs. The songs she sang on stage, as well as on this album, were all standards from the good old days of the 1950s and earlier. Not a single new song from the modern era was sung. Usually, when vocalists are singing standards, they may also include two or three newer songs in the mix. But Asuka Watanabe seems to have no interest in singing anything other than the old standards, and she is completely devoted to those songs. It’s wonderful that this has even become part of her distinctive personality. What’s more, she arranges all the songs that she sings to bring forth the beauty of the original melodies through her natural style of singing. Sometimes, singers intentionally pick beautiful standards and then fiddle with them by adding a novel style or a strange approach that ruins the allure of the original composition. Asuka Watanabe identifies resolutely with what it means to sing standards, and sings them with propriety. Somehow, she embodies a lovable singing style that exudes the atmosphere of a swing era big band singer combined with a subtly glamorous feminine presence and sexiness.

How does someone so young find a repertoire that impresses even seasoned vocalists? I was curious, and when I asked about this, she told me that she prefers listening to albums with instrumental performances more than vocal albums. When she listens to instrumental performances, she gets inspired and feels like singing those songs. It seems that she likes tenor saxophone in particular, and it would be nice someday to track down some tenor sax versions of the songs she sings. Come to think of it, regarding “Early Autumn” on this album, there was a famous version of this song performed by the Woody Herman Orchestra starring Stan Getz in a saxophone ensemble.

When Asuka is inspired by a song, it seems somehow as if the lyrics suddenly descended from heaven, and she begins to feel the urge to sing that song. So in that sense you could call her a vocalist with a mysterious sixth sense. At first, she tended to sing relatively newer songs like “The Days of Wine and Roses,” but she soon became enamored with older standards and became absorbed with those. Lately, the ability of Japanese singers has been rising. With an increase in the number of skillful vocalists comes a potential decrease in those fans of vocal jazz who support a particular singer, especially that singer lacks a distinctive personality or outstanding magnetism. I even noticed that in myself, when I don’t feel like going to hear someone sing at a jazz club if I can’t sense their special qualities or unique charm. On that point, Asuka Watanabe honors the songs intimately. She brings out the appeal of the original melody and lyrics without mangling them, sharing the pleasure of rediscovering how wonderful the original songs are after all.

By the way, usually when a vocalist performs at a live jazz club, it’s common for the band to play up to two instrumental songs first, after which the vocalist joins to sing about four to five songs. As for Asuka Watanabe, when the band is playing their last theme, or after she is done singing, she joins the band and sings the melody softly, creating a sense of oneness of the band and singer. This results in a good feeling all around that also envelops the listeners, and strengthens the impression of being a singer who pays attention to fine details.

As I was listening to her singing through the three sets, I gradually began to remember that I had heard her sing before. In 1998, when vocalist/trumpet player Hideo Kamimura recorded his album Million, he introduced a new young vocalist who sang one or two songs. That singer was Asuka Watanabe. I remembered because I was present at this recording. This was essentially the first time she had sung seriously. Then, I remembered that a few years before, a friend and I were at an Roppongi-area Azabu Italian restaurant with live music, and she was there singing some lovely songs. However, the reason I could hardly remember her from before was because the gap between that woman and this grown-up version was so tremendous. You could say that she transformed into a wonderful singer with an individuality so different from several years earlier.

Now, as this is her first album, I’ll briefly touch on her background. She was born Yokohama and started piano lessons at four years old. Throughout middle and high school in private girls school, she studied piano and received a classical music education. After graduating, she listened to jazz through cable broadcasting, and she became spiritually awoken by the jazz she heard. She switched from piano to vocals and studied singing and jazz theory.

Then, while she was working and singing at a Tokyo piano bar, an acquaintance introduced her to Hideo Kamimura, and this led to her being a guest singer in 1998 on the album mentioned above. Following that, she started singing professionally at several live music venues and quickly gained attention, appearing with top jazz musicians including Yuzuru Sera, Norio Maeda, Terumasa Hino, George Kawaguchi, and Tatsuya Takahashi.

In March 2001, she was introduced as a New Face [/up-and-coming talent/] in the jazz magazine Swing Journal. In August of the same year, the magazine published a feature interview with her and a radio personality, which also attracted attention. Then, in 2003 she was introduced as “a musician to watch” in the magazine Jazz Hihyou. In October of that year, she appeared at the National Culture Festival Jazz Festival produced by Tatsuya Takahashi. Now, starting in April of this year, she has been the main personality for the Music Bird satellite digital radio show Open Sesame. As a singer, she is an active in Tokyo and surrounding suburbs at live music venues and hotels, and is regarded as one of the top young singers deserving of attention even through now. Although it seemed she never had direct instruction from a vocal teacher, she received training from voice therapist Miyoko Fukuda and successfully recorded this album without any problems. By the way, Fukuda-san also coaches Ayako Hosokawa and others.

Here, I need to mention the excellent musicians costars.

You could call this album’s pianist, Hideaki Yoshioka, a player with the best swing in Japan. He has an innately good-feeling groove that causes listeners to absorb the essence of jazz whenever they hear it. There is a piano trio performance for one song on this album, “Will You Still Be Mine?”, that gives us a full serving of Yoshioka’s magnificent piano. Of course, when accompanying Asuka Watanabe’s vocal tunes, he is also a gentle and delicate back up player, fully demonstrating his superb musical sense.

Additionally, the heaviness and dynamics of well-known bassist Koji Yamashita’s supporting playing makes the music even more pleasurable to listen to. His warm tone is also great.

Drummer Yoshitaka Uematsu pushes his fellow musicians with drumming that is ideal for inspiration. His amazing stick and brush work has a great swing that seems to rise from the depths of the earth. I’d love for young players to regard him as a model.

As mentioned several times already, this performance consists of old standards, including many familiar songs. But there are also songs that ordinary vocalists rarely sing, selections that only someone like Asuka Watanabe would pick, impressively.

“Just a Gigolo” is one of those selections.

Originally from Austria, this song became famous in the United States when performed by the Vincent Lopez and his Orchestra. It was published in 1930. Her cute style of singing brings out the unaffected and nostalgic atmosphere, and it’s simply wonderful. This is a song that really shows her personality and style, and it’s one of my favorites.

The next song is “Once in a While.” Asuka’s vocals completely draw you in and invite you to leave reality behind to enter a dream world of romance. This 1937 song was also sung by Patti Page.

“Let’s Do It” swings stylishly. It brings back the delightful atmosphere of big band singers that were often heard in the 1930s and 40s. I couldn’t help but whisper “Yeah, nice…” This is an even earlier song from 1928, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. I remember Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine singing this in the movie Can Can.

The singing on “Don’t Blame Me” gracefully expresses the feeling of a woman’s heart saying “Don’t blame for me for loving with you one-sidedly.” Asuka may be young, but she expresses the subtle details of love skillfully with what could be a deep knowledge of the complications of love…

“Twisted” is a song composed by tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray that was sung by Annie Ross with her own lyrics. Asuka deftly sings the humorous lyrics filled with tongue twisters.

“You Go to My Head is a passionate love ballad. As I felt when I heard her sing on stage, Asuka is very good at ballads. It’s amazing how her expressions can completely grab listeners’ attention all the way through to the end.

After one piano trio song, she sings “Solitude.” Duke Ellington’s songs are distinctive in and of themselves with their characteristic moods. Asuka stretches out with her voice to vividly bring the Ellington mood to life, something I greatly appreciated as I listened.

“The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else” is an adorably light song where Asuka’s true self can be heard. This 1924 song is a distinguished standard written by Gus Khan (lyrics) and Isham Jones (music). The manner in which she sings, wavering with pathos, is perfect.

On “Tea for Two,” she shows us another side as she surprises us with bright and cheerful singing.

As mentioned above, “Early Autumn” is a song that was made famous by the performance of the saxophone section in the Woody Herman Orchestra featuring Stan Getz. These poetic expressions can steal your heart and offer a glimpse into the secret of her singing, which lies in being inspired by instrumental pieces.

岩浪洋三 Yozo Iwanami

Obi Notes

You’re invited to spend a sublime sophisticated time with mellow singing that is as smooth and gentle as silk and fragrant as a full-bodied wine! The debut album from a new jazz vocal star, Asuka Watanabe.

Audio and Video

• “Just a Gigolo” - track #1 from this album:

• “Sweet Georgia Brown” (live):

• “This Is No Laughing Matter” (live):

• “Sometimes I’m Happy” (live):

• “All The Things You Are” (live):

• Album playlist (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #3: “Let’s Do It”

The CD version of this album includes ten tracks running at 54 minutes of mostly original music from Yoshimoto. The popular jazz standard “Body and Soul” is the sole cover tune, played as duo of piano and sax as a gentle closing.

The music on Blending Tone is contemporary jazz with a modern, open feeling build on the confidence and closeness that the members of the quartet exhibit with one another.

Throughout, this is a finely attuned album that rewards paying attention to the details. The musician’s individual solos seem to positively search for new expressions, pushing their improvisations for creativity as much to satisfy their own voices as well as to connect with the other players. As leader, Akihiro gets most of the time in the spotlight for his extended solos, and pianist Aaron Choulai gets an almost equal share and solos on nearly every track. The two partners even have an back-and-forth trading session in the greater part of #7 “Dark Matter” before drummer Ishiwaka and bassist Sakazaki take over the music.

Through the themes and adlibs, the locked-in band seems to naturally push one another to heights of greater ambition and near abandon. For balance, tracks #3 “Pale Green” and #10 “Body and Soul” are two ballads that alight to ground during their slower moments, essential for the coming down to calmer settings within the journey though the adventurous terrain.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Toshihiko Hoshino’s original Japanese liner notes.)

The first time I heard Akihiro Yoshimoto was in late November 2009, at the live jazz club Apple Jump which had just opened. The quartet was built from the Jun Furuya Trio, with Kunpei Nakabayashi on bass and Ryo Shibuya on drums, and I was really impressed by the performance. The tenor produced a rolling groove that had nicely thick tone stacked with short phrases. My ears were completely tuned into their fresh contemporary sound that was centered on their unique originals. Then, a giant foreigner who was sitting alone at a corner table joined the band, sitting in for one song. That was Aaron Choulai, the pianist who plays on this album. With just one song, I was knocked out by his brilliant playing and novel ideas that overturned the usual stereotypes. I can still vividly remember the excitement I felt that night, as I walked back to Ikebukuro station, like witnessing the prenatal stirrings of something new as I thought “What I just heard was unbelievable.”

I’ll briefly introduce Akihiro Yoshimoto. He was born in Kobe in 1980. In 2004, he entered Boston’s Berklee College of Music. After graduating from Berklee, he moved to Tokyo and started performing. In 2007, he was awarded the grand prize in the band category at the Yokohama Jazz Promenade Competition. In autumn 2009, he first played with Aaron as a member of the Australian-Japanese crossover band the Aaron Choulai Sextet at an event called Tokyo JAZZ 2009 - Australian Jazz Night. In spring 2010 he played with Italian trumpeter Max Ionata who came to Japan. In fall of that year, he played as a member of the Aaron Choulai Quintet on an Australian tour. In 2001 he performed as leader of a sextet at the third Summer Jazz Revolution event. In summer of that year, his other activities including touring with the band of mainstay bassist Isao Suzuki’s band OMA SOUND and earning the strong trust of players including those from his generation through to veteran players.

It’s undeniable that contemporary jazz has the image of being difficult to understand. The dark, edgy sound can sometimes give a cold impression. I also very much agree with the inclination to wanting to hear hot jazz that simply says “yeah!” The allure of Yoshimoto’s tenor sound is that he can play modern contemporary jazz to deep blues without any sense of conflict. He creates a natural resonance with listeners through his throaty tone and cutting-edge phrases. His tenor captivates everyone from staunch hard bop elders to discriminating contemporary jazz enthusiasts.

When it comes to expressing his personal sound, there is probably no one more inspiring to Akihiro Yoshimoto than Aaron Choulai. At the same time as he formed his quartet with Aaron, they also began performing together as a duo. He had become an indispensable musical partner. Aaron Choulai was born in Papua New Guinea in 1982. He won a number of awards in Australia and was regarded as one of the most promising young players. In New York, he performed with musicians including Clarence Penn and James Genus, and released the albums Place (2004) and RANU (2009) on the Sunnyside label. He actively performs in Japan, New York, Australia, and in places all over the world. With his excellent time sense, sensitive harmonies, beautiful tone, and comping that can sometimes even seem wicked, he’s a pianist worthy of being called a rare genius.

With Blending Tone as the album title, it contains the meaning that each individual sound is blended into a single musical piece. The opening “di di” symbolizes this. As the theme is played by a trio [of sax, bass, drums], the moment Aaron’s piano enters, the sound’s landscape changes completely. Indeed, you can call it the moment that captures where the individual sounds mix together and change into a singular band sound. On the dreamy ballad “Pale Green”, the intertwining of the tenor’s melody and Aaron’s comping is breathtaking. “How About This Cat?” is outstanding, as Aaron’s piano and Ishiwaka’s aggressive drums back the strong and continuous blowing of the tenor as the theme completely changes from mysterious to thrilling. More highlights to listen for include Sakazaki’s foundation of solid bass lines that support the band, and 19-year-old drumming prodigy Shun Ishiwaka, whose playing is a combination of both aggression and finesse.

The prenatal stirrings that I felt in November 2009 developed over a period of two and a half years and was delivered to me in the form of this album. This recording retains that sense of impact I received at the time and captures an even deeper combination together with Aaron. This is an album that will become an important piece in the history of contemporary jazz in Japan.

Toshihiko Hoshino 星野利彦 / Music Writer

Obi Notes

Young, fierce tenor saxophonist Akihiro Yoshimoto with his quartet releases his long awaited debut album Blending Tone!

Audio and Video

• “How About This Cat?” (track #4) — live at Kamome quartet version (ts/p/b/d) #1:

• “How About This Cat?” (track #4) — live at Sometime quartet version (ts/p/b/d) #2:

• “di di” (track #1) — live duo version (ts/b):

• “Boston Subway” (track #2) — live solo version (ss):

• “Pale Green” (track #3) — live duo version (ts/ts):

• “Pale Green” (track #3) — live trio version (ts/b/d):

• “Enpitsu Hiko” (track #5) — live trio version (ss/ts/b):

• Streaming version of Blending Tone (Bandcamp digital album)

• Excerpt from track #1: “di di”

In addition to the great jazz performances performed in Swing’s elegant setting, their menu is touted as an equal draw, with not-your-average-jazz-bar-grub dishes that appeal to foodies and connoisseurs. In particular, lobster-based meals (using premium Ise ebi, or Japanese spiny lobster) are highlighted, and the sloganized phrase “Jazz & lobster” can be found on signs and menus. Past menu offerings have included lobster jambalaya, Lobster Thermidor, lobster & fruit herb salad, and lobster tomato cream pasta, and some dishes come with a presentation of the carapace on the plate to accompany the meal.

Walking into the dark club, you notice how the modestly sized room makes full use of the space for customers to feel immersed in the music. Not only that, but the chairs and tables literally surround the music: The performers’ stage area, at floor level, hugs the middle of one wall, and the customers’ tables line up against the other three walls to provide views from three different perspectives.

A beautiful wrap-around bar is also popular and may be the best place to sit, serving as a sort of front row location right up next to the performers and adjoining the stage. For a good idea of the layout, Ginza Swing’s website includes a 360-photo view of a virtual walkthrough of the club.

In the past, Ginza Swing offered a membership system that included discounts and special offers for repeat customers, but this may be slightly confusing to first timers and not necessarily useful for short-term visitors. A revised fan club system may be introduced later this year, but details are unknown at the moment.

Close to the station and located in small complex of bars and restaurants, Ginza Swing is a great place to go in this luxury district for a professional yet fun jazz-with-dinner option.

Much to the surprise of dedicated jazz fans and musicians, in 2025, Ginza Swing posted a note to social media about the planned closing of this historic jazz spot on May 12, 2026, exactly 50 years to their original opening day. This is translated below.

Fortunately, this difficult decision to close was reversed just recently, as a result of the outpouring of support and love from loyal fans and musicians. In an update from early March 2026, Ginza Swing stated that they have decided to remain open (or, reopen quickly after their planned closing). Along with the reopening, Ginza Swing will introduce some new ideas into the shop, perhaps including earlier opening hours as a jazz cafe, offering rental space for private events, an electronic reservation and ordering system, and other improvements. This good news was posted to social media as a video and as a note on their website, also translated below.

Here is that note translated to English:

Since opening on May 12 in 1976 (Showa year 51), Ginza Swing has been supported by many people.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation for your patronage through these many years.

Due to various circumstances, Ginza Swing will be closing on May 12, 2026, 50 years since opening.

There are innumerable reasons that are difficult to accurately explain in full, so please allow it to be left at “various circumstances”.

Han Fei said “Water conforms to the shape of the vessel.” While we don’t know what will happen in the next year, we continue to strive to offer exciting, thrilling music to as many people as possible through to the end.

Please understand that we cannot respond to inquiries about the closure by phone or email.

Hiroshi Iwamoto, Nijo Co., Ltd, President and CEO

An early March 2026 statement of the decision to keep Ginza Swing open delighted many jazz fans. Translated to English, the statement reads:

Important Announcement from Ginza Swing

“Ginza Swing” Keeping the flame of history lit

Announcement of Continuing Business

We are sincerely grateful for your continued support of Ginza Swing and the jazz scene in Japan. Last year, we announced with a heavy heart the closing of Ginza Swing. Since then, there has been an incredible outpouring of warm messages of support directed to us.

“It’s like the passing of my youth…”
“Let’s preserve this exemplar of the Showa-era Ginza jazz club!”

Each one of your words strengthened my trembling spine, reopening the door to my heart that had been firmly shut.

To get straight the point, Ginza Swing will remain open.

Although we had decided to “bring the curtains down,” your overflowing support has convinced us that we must not stop here. Our renewed mission is to maintain the intimate distance between the stage and the audience that Ginza Swing is known for, through the person to person interaction, and by bringing smiles to everyone, above all.

What’s planned for the future:

It’s not about just “remaining.” We are reborn in order to honor our tradition and to continue this culture for the next generation.

The theme is “New Heritage New Swing.”

Supporting young artists:
We will create a more dynamic live scene, featuring both veterans and up-and-comers.

Deepening the musical experience:
With improvements including the reinstallation of audio equipment, and the introduction of an easy-to-use reservation system, we will pursue the “pinnacle of time spent” worthy of a night in Ginza.

Strengthening the community:
We will introduce a new “Fan Club” system to further deepen the bond with our supporters.

It is precisely because the light had nearly gone out once before, that we exist to continue brightening your nights even more strongly and more warmly than ever.

“It Don’t Mean a Thing, If It Ain’t Got That Swing”

Ginza Swing will temporarily close on May 12th.

After that, we plan to reopen on June 1st. We will post information on our website and social media. (Please refrain from phone inquiries.)

Ginza Swing and all of our staff are counting the days until the reopening, when we can once again share the greatest swing with you all, together, here.

Thank you for your continued support.

Ginza Swing

Hiroshi Iwamoto, Nijo Co., Ltd, President and CEO

Note: After 50 years in operation, Ginza Swing was scheduled to close in May 2026, but later announced that their historic club will remain open, introducing some new changes to build on their many successful years. I’m happy to hear that this jazz spot will keep swinging and am eager to experience their new changes. With the closure of many old favorites in Japan during and after the pandemic, it is encouraging to see long-time jazz locales like Ginza Swing, with the support of their dedicated fans, doing all they can to stay open, keep looking forward, and welcome new generations of jazz fans.

Links

• Virtual walkthrough of Ginza Swing

• Promotional video (November 2022)

As the title reveals, the songs on this album are duets played by Sekiya with one other musician. That is, each song is performed by a duo of piano and bass, or piano and drums, or piano and sax, and so on. Sekiya plays two songs a piece with each of her eight guests, another link to the overall duality theme that references the number two. Her guests include three bassists (Michihiro Morisada, Megumi Otsuka, and Masaki Kai), two saxophonists (Taiichi Kamimura and Tsutomu Takei), a guitarist (Suomi Morishita), a vocalist (Yuzumi Tanimukai), and a drummer (Jin Mitsuda).

Along with the dual perspectives, a similar division can be found in Sekiya’s music itself. As pianist Akira Ishii’s introduction on the obi sleeve describes, Sekiya’s playing comfortably swings between composed themes and free jazz playing. The composed versus free division is not aligned by disc, but programmed into the track listing in different places. This porous boundary is arranged within certain songs on Duets as well.

Most of Sekiya’s compositions are just that: composed scores that the pianist and her guest read from and play to. As with jazz music, the players are not strictly bound to the written notes and chords and can ornament and transform the music, or play extended solos created through their musical skill, experience, and spontaneous feeling, all while coordinating in time with their musical partners. And, as with free jazz, the players are able to jump off of the score even more. It’s like floating in space with no tether save their individual self-controlled guidance and confidence in navigating an unknown territory together.

For instance, there are a few mostly freely played tracks. The first track “Nobody Is There” is a great patient introduction from piano and drums, a pre-workout stretch with specific harmonic statements embedded in the free-form movements. Similarly, #4 “Forest Valley” features a bass and piano dialogue that pings back and forth briefly before building to an intertwined sculpture of abstract sounds, a raw and improvised self-portrait of the duo’s musical personality. Sax player Sam Newsome’s recent article Embracing the Unscripted describes this type of improvised music from a first person point of view very well.

Other songs have free sections between arranged intro and outro themes, such as on disc one’s #5 “Happa” and disc two’s #2 “In Touch” and #7 “Octopus Blues”. These sections are wild and fun, as the musicians completely adlib and veer off the written score with unconstrained musical creation that is neither noise nor chaos.

Free playing aside, Sekiya leans strongly into her composer role for the most part. Much of the music is penned with detailed chords, melodies, and assigned sections that the pianist and her duet partners follow carefully. These songs run the gamut from suspenseful to peaceful, with doses of jaunty jazz, quirky oddness, and somber developments that extend the tonal variety in always interesting ways.

Liner Notes

As a duo, we can closely feel each other’s inner voice

Important sounds that I’ve cherished “till now”

Sounds that I want to deepen “from here”

A colorful time with eight musicians

Yukari Sekiya | pianist/composer

Born in Osaka. She is a musician with a unique performance style that utilizes swells and pauses, who creates vivid, original songs that practically sing themselves. She works nationwide focusing on collaborations across genres with performers and artists from both Japan and overseas, her solo project “Out of the Window” which includes improvisation and landscape, seamlessly connecting and deepening improvisation and composition — the abstract and the concrete. Her music is adored, not only by music fans, but also in various fields as “music that shakes your emotions”.

Obi Notes

There are no “thorns” in the piano she plays. That is not something with a hidden meaning. With accompanied tension, it is a pleasurable world that also contains a sense of “poison”. Through this album I want to keep an eye on the past and the future of this pianist who moves at will across the borders of free improvisation and coordinated, composed music.

— Jazz pianist Akira Ishii

Audio and Video

• Promotional video #1 (Disc 1 excerpts):

• Promotional video #2 (Disc 2 excerpts):

• Promotional video #3 (brief introduction):

• “Making Of” video, behind the scenes of the recording of this album:

• Live performance of “Room 401” (track #8):

• This album on streaming platforms

• Excerpt from track #107: “Canja”

This album is a live recording of seven of Sekiya’s original compositions, performed on one night in December 2010 at the jazz club Big Apple in Kobe. The four musicians all embrace spontaneous, simultaneous creation, and Sekiya’s music is wide open for creativity. Bounding several free jazz sections are the pianist’s composed musical themes and thoughts, written down on the page as clear melodies, structures, accents, and band signals that are coordinated parts of Sekiya’s musical design. At the same time, whole sections of several pieces are set free to allow the musicians to stretch out together. In those sections, the four members improvise freely but together as a group, reaching towards one musical mind, and building to wild crests of sound or subtle unified soundscapes as feelings and the moment dictate.

Voice artist Yuko Tanaka performs on six of the songs, switching between vocals and voice to match Sekiya’s music to her lyrics or voice effects. On about half the songs, Tanaka sings Japanese lyrics written by herself, and on other songs, she unites with the instrumentalists using all manner of unconstrained non-speech sounds, gibberish words, and nonsense syllables to dynamic effect.

Here’s a brief overview of the music. The absorbing opening track #1 “Stop call” unleashes a band that is energized and eager to flex their group improvisation muscles. #2 “Night lights” shifts down to a gentle ballad with light Japanese lyrics. #3 “floating” continues the graceful mood and lyrical singing with a soft waltz feel. #4 “KOSAME” (小雨, light rain) is an instrumental exploration, as the trio draws a scene that builds to a rousing climax. #5 “Ballerina at midnight” evolves from a vintage loose swing to the uncontrolled passion of a mad dance. #6 “In the Cave” stir up chaos with glazed fragments of multiscalar notes and intense free association. Finally, the closer #7 “Grampa’s Hand” features vocalist Tanaka returning to sweetly sung lyrics as the band holds steady and brings the intoxicating experience of this live set back to ground.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes.)

1. Stop call
2. Night lights
3. floating
4. KOSAME
5. Ballerina at midnight
6. In the Cave
7. Grampa’s Hand

Grampa’s Hand

１．I look down and see your shadow
A soft wind stirs

We gaze at momentary happiness
and laugh together

２．Troubled by lies
Everyday regrets
Even cruel words
Wrapped up in tenderness

３．Your evening shadow
Floats, overflowing
The time hasn’t come, yet
The wind has already gone
Suspended in the night
A soft, yellow-colored hand

Night lights

You, reflected softly,
Just for two alone

This feeling thinned out,
Quietly expanding

A feeling of closeness, but just that
With you who lights the way

As hair flows softly
Just for two alone

Obi Notes

it’s ordinary love and… Yukari Sekiya Trio with Yuko Tanaka

The heart pounds, begin to cry, begin to dance, betrayal… Long ago memories overflow

Dec. 14, 2010 A live recording on the final night of the tour The long-awaited debut album is completed

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• “Stop call ストップ・コール” (track #1) — excerpt:

• “Ballerina at midnight 真夜中のバレリーナ” (track #5) — excerpt:

• Yukari Sekiya Trio with Yuko Tanaka live excerpt:

• Excerpt from track #1: “ストップ・コール (Stop Call)”

Ito’s trio is a piano-bass-percussion combo, and their music is robust and detailed, soulfully rugged. The sounds from Gen Ogimi’s percussion kit are a change from the regular drum kit that is de rigueur for jazz piano trios, and the sounds of hand drums alongside the snare, toms, and cymbals add a lot of character and color to the music. Intuitively linked to the pulse and beat is bassist Benisuke Sakai, who enhances the rhythms through his firmly connected upright bass with both grounded and adventurous playing.

On top of everything is pianist Shikou Ito, whose unrestrained style reflects his professional technique and wide experience with many jazz, pop, and non-genre musicians, not to mention his captivating free solo improvisations on other albums and live performances. On Kakusareta Guwa, Ito’s nine original compositions are filled with atmosphere and mystery. He writes and plays as if he is pulling inspiration from ancient secrets and foreign cultures to fashion new sounds from ethnically rich legends.

For example, through his written melodies, Ito deftly plays twists, ornaments, and scales that, in certain places, seem to have characteristics of Middle Eastern melodies and Latin traditions. Uncommon time signatures with odd meters, extra measures, and interludes are written into his music as well, enhancing the storytelling effect and increasing the musical and rhythmic interest. Ito’s use of prepared piano and damping the piano strings using one hand while playing with the other, adds an extra timbre of metallic shimmering from the altered tones. All together, Trio Syncretia’s playing is rooted in jazz with a vibrant personality aligned towards the image of secret, hidden fables described by the title.

True to the ideal of artistic independence, Ito is uncompromising with his music. Although all his song titles here are in Japanese, just as with the album title, the song titles are also written with English translations on the back cover:

1. echoed under the hazy moon - 朧月に谺す (Oborozuki ni kodama su)
2. star reading dreamscape - 星読みの夢 (Hoshiyomi no yume)
3. the judge and the empress - 審判と女帝 (Shinpan to nyotei)
4. undine’s nocturnes - ウンディーネのノクターン (Undīne no nokutān)
5. sylphes’ rhapsody - シルフォのラプソディー (Shirufo no rapusodī)
6. alchemy fire place - アヌノル（錬金戸）(Anunoru (renkin to))
7. gnome’s elegy - グノームのエレジー (Gunōmu no erejī)
8. salamander’s dance - サラマンドルダンス (Saramandorudansu)
9. searching for tweeting birds - 鳴鳥を探して (Meichō o sagashite)

Themes from these titles include nature, fantasy, and musical ideas, but taken as a whole, the tales told through allegorical stories-shaded are evocative and, just like Trio Syncretia’s music, absorbing and thrilling.

Audio and Video

• Studio recording from Shikou Ito Trio Syncretia’s 2017 album 毒ある寓話 (Doku aru guwa) from 2018:

• A dance set to music by Trio Syncretia:

• “Take the A Train” (Shikou Ito solo piano):

• “Everything Happens to Me” (Shikou Ito solo piano):

• Excerpt from track #1: “朧月に谺す (Look at the Moon)”

The eight songs on Great Time are brawny but clear, and they hit with an impact. From quick uptempo 4/4 swing, bluesy grooves, graceful flights, and moody suspense, the music moves and dances. Like with a lot of excellent jazz, there’s a conversation happening between Karashima, Gress, and DeJohnette, one that is filled with a simple joy, but also a deep respect for each other and the seriousness of the music they are creating.

Karashima passed away in 2017 and leaves behind a lasting memory of incredible live concerts and jazz recordings, such as this one. A Great Time indeed.

Liner Notes

(Transcribed text of Jin Nakahara’s original English liner notes from the CD, with light editing for readability and minor correction of typos.)

Fumio Karashima released his first album in 1976, making this year (2006) the thirtieth anniversary of his debut release.

For 30 years he has remained a constant and active figure on the live scene. In the early 8o’s he was a member of Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine and in 2003 he has taken his trio on a tour of Central South America from Cuba to Argentina, leaving his mark all over the world.

An artist with a refined and precise touch Fumio Karashima’s outstanding technique and skill, whilst evident, does not overpower the warm-blooded spontaneity of his sound. Born in Kyushu, the southernmost main island of Japan, whose men are renowned for their determination, it is perhaps no surprise that he continues unperturbed by changes in fashion to head straight along the path he has cleaved for himself. He has a stable and unfaltering base to rest on which leaves listeners free to entrust their hearts to him without fear.

Nearly two years since the release of his last album, It’s Just Beginning, recorded with Yousuke Inoue (bass) and Shingo Okudaira (drums), Fumio Karashima’s new album, Great Time marks his first collaboration with Jack De Johnette and is an album more than worthy to celebrate his 30th anniversary.

Fumio Karashima spent 6 years as a regular member of Elvin Jones’ band, after, in 1978, Elvin participated in Karashima’s leader album, Moonflower, which he recorded as a trio. In 1993, he was joined by Tony Williams in the recording of Fumio Karashima San Francisco, once again a trio album. So after recording with Elvin and Tony, this is now the third album for Karashima to collaborate with a master jazz drummer.

After distinguishing himself as a member of the Miles Davis’ group in the late 60s during the “Bitches Brew” period, Jack De Johnette has as a member of Directions, New Directions, Special Directions continued to release influential and powerful pieces, and since the passing of Elvin Jones and Tony Williams, is without a doubt the most prominent drummer alive today. And, as the albums of the bands mentioned above show, his skills are not limited to drumming, but he is also a very talented producer. Before he began drumming he played the piano and his talent is such that he has also released several albums as a pianist.

For 20 years Jack De Johnette has with Keith Jarrett and Gary Peacock been a member of the well-known piano trio commonly known as “Standards Trio”. He recently appeared with John Patitucci in Hank Jones’ The Great Jazz Trio — whose first drummer was in fact Tony Williams — and has already released two albums. In 2002, he recorded with Hank’s younger brother, Elvin Jones. Whilst only a coincidence, the resemblance to Fumio Karashima’s history with costarring drummers is quite remarkable.

This new album Great Time is a collaboration between Fumio Karashima and Jack De Johnette bound together by bassist Drew Gress, recommended by Jack. As well as his leader albums 7 Black Butterflies and Spin & Drift, Gress has appeared on saxophonist-turned-pianist Mark Copland’s trio album Haunted Heart & Other Ballads, and Ravi Coltrane’s new album In Flux. A musician who can move effortlessly from mainstream to avant-garde, he continues to provide a reliable framework in all his recordings.

One look at the piece selections reveals the unrivaled enthusiasm with which Karashima has approached this recording with Jack De Johnette and Drew Gress. Unlike his last and most recent solo album, It’s Just Beginning, which concentrated on standard numbers, five of the eight tracks on this new album are Karashima’s original works, and we are once again reminded of Karashima’s genius as a composer. Through his performance Karashima expresses everything that he is now, confronting Jack head-on who in his turn gives as much as he gets. According to Shinagawa, who produced the album in New York with Karashima, the session break-time ping-pong matches were equally heated.

The first track is an original song dedicated to Jack “Like Blues For J.D.” and the unison of the trio makes it hard to believe that it is their first collaboration. What strikes the listener more than anything is the harmony of the sound that the three musicians’ performance creates, most evident perhaps in the second track, Karashima’s original piece, “Quiet Moment”. One by one the notes float crystalline from the piano, and the cymbal appears to sing as it retains enormous presence at even the smallest of volumes. Supporting all this is the crisp sound of the bass reply. The three musicians blend so seamlessly together that any listener would think that they were witnessing the three primary colors of music.

“Just Enough” is a Herbie Hancock piece which, amongst others, has been performed by Herbie with Grover Washington Jr. and also as a duet with Eliane Elias. Previous versions have been performed as slow ballads but here an up-tempo performance reveals a different side of the song.

With the forth track we return to Karashima’s original works: “Those Years” is a piece with a reminiscent flavor and is followed by “Brilliant Darkness” whose thrilling performance is matched by the perfect harmony of the three artists’ sound, and next is the impressive dry lyricism of “Stillness”. Listeners are likely to find this part of the album the most absorbing.

“I Fall In Love Too Easily” is the only standard number on the album and a song which Jack performed on Keith Jarrett’s Standards Vol. 2 (1983). Finally is Chick Corea’s early work “Straight Up And Down”. With a performance so immaculately timed that you can almost hear the musicians breathing in unison, this is perfect finale for the album.

A concert performance of this dream trio is something that we hope to look forward to in the future.

December 2005 Jin Nakahara

Audio and Video

• “Fumio Karashima: Great Time (full album audio):

• Excerpt from track #5: “Brilliant Darkness”

Descending the well-worn stairs leads to a lower landing and the inner door to Aketa no Mise. This leads to a dark and plain square of a room with a floor-level stage and instruments set against the back. As you step in and to the left, a simple handwritten menu is on the wall just to the side, making it convenient to order a drink or a snack (quickly scanning the handwritten Japanese menu) as you pay the admission fee to enter. Once done, take a seat from either the various low tables and basic chairs in the room or on the few bench-style seats against either side wall.

Take in the small room at a glance. A grand piano, drum set, and instruments at rest fill up the stage area before an expressively colorful wall mural with a funky beatnik vibe. Crates prop up speakers, cables are draped over and run where necessary, and threadbare carpet is repaired in patches with tape. Decorations may be hanging from some previous celebration. The walls are covered with papers, signs, and plastic CD cases that have absorbed decades of captive smoke. An independent spirit lives here in a genuine sanctuary for improvised music where artistic freedom is uncompromising.

As a mild caution, the initial ragtag impression that the bar exudes may be offputting, especially to those who avoid dark, dingy spaces. It may even seem intimidating, like a members-only spot where outsiders seldom go. While its may be true that the setup is spartan and some of the furnishings are improvised and frayed, Aketa no Mise is welcomes jazz lovers with a live and let live attitude. Those are come to listen and appreciate the art and edge of jazz will feel comfortable here.

This all results in a great sense of authenticity, history, and support through the generations of opened minded jazz fans and the musicians who play here. It is a jazz haven with deep roots and a tangible soul. The fact that Aketa no Mise has been in business for over 50 years (opened in 1974), and much loved by jazz musicians and dedicated listeners throughout, makes itself immediately felt. The musicians take their music seriously here, and the piano sounds great.

As an overview for the general jazz club goer who is deciding whether to try this spot, there are two things that make Aketa no Mise a unique spot among the many places in Tokyo. One is the shop’s support of and focus on diverse acts including avant-garde, experimental, and free jazz.

The other is Aketa’s spotlight on one particular instrument, the ocarina, which is a type of small, potato-shaped ceramic or clay flute with a lineage to vessel flutes going back 12,000 years.

Something that may put off some jazz bar seekers is the name of this jazz bar, written in Japanese as アケタの店 rather than the “Aketa no Mise” romanization used here. Unlike many other jazz spots in Japan, considering a shop name that is in Japanese among the abundance of English-named venues in Japan (many borrowed from the names of popular jazz songs or familiar jazz themes) could put up a hurdle that makes it an easy place to skip over and possibly look into later. Yet, the use of Japanese script should not be seen as an exclusive “Japanese speakers only” indication, and it does not mean to imply anything. It’s just an unpretentious name, clear and to the point.

The name “Aketa no Mise” literally means “Aketa’s Shop”, and Aketa is an abbreviated nickname for the owner Aketagawa (明田川) Shoji (荘之), or Aketa in short. Aketa’s full name is Shoji Aketagawa (明田川荘之) (discography).

The man Aketa is famous for being a performing pianist, ocarina player/instructor/maker/museum curator, writer, jazz bar owner, and an overall jazzy guy. He inherited and ran the original ocarina storefront passed down from his father, Takashi Aketagawa, who was widely known as the father of the Japanese ocarina, responsible for creating the 12-hole style of ocarina modified from the traditional 10-hole European model in 1928, and a fully chromatic ocarina in 1948.

Shop-owner Aketa also started his own independent record label Aketa’s Disc in 1975, and he also operated a storefront for those same instruments known worldwide as “Aketa ocarina” that were designed by his father Takashi Aketagawa.

Although ocarinas are not often played in jazz contexts , Aketa did a lot to promote the instrument in the world of Japanese jazz, being one of if not the central figures in the spheres of the country’s jazz and ocarina scenes. Popular knowledge of the instrument increased tremendously due to Nintendo’s popular 1998 ocarina-themed video game The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. In the jazz context, a superb ECM recording that features ocarina is Eberhard Weber The Colours of Chloë (full album, playlist) from 1974.

Ever dedicated to having a regular schedule with a great lineup of musicians, Aketa no Mise has nighttime shows on most nights, usually from 8:00pm to 11:00pm. In addition to these nighttime shows, there are also some daytime events (3-6pm) and occasional late-night after shows (12:00am to 1:30am).

One last aside about this bar’s name:When translated to English, “Aketa no Mise” simply means “Aketa’s shop”. But with some imagination, it could also be read as “The Open Store” through some playful wordplay.

Outside of written context, the spelling for “Aketa” can be both 明田, from his name Aketagawa, and 開けた, from aketa. Aketa is the past tense of the verb to open, akeru (あける). The middle word no is the possessive marker in Japanese, like ’s in English. Mise (店) is store or shop. So, with some imagination, Aketa no Mise (アケタの店) could be interpreted as “The Open Shop” or “The Store that Opened”, in a roughed-up grammar sort of way. Ok sure… but the letters for Aketa in the signage are written in katakana (アケタ) rather than hiragana (あけた) or even kanji (開けた, etc), reinforcing the impression that this is really a name rather than a common verb when used here. The spelling for “Aketa” can be both 明田, from his name Aketagawa, and 開けた, from aketa, opened.

For this release, two prominent jazz players from Australia join Kuribayashi and Ichino, yet Kuribayashi is no stranger to international connections. In addition to her frequent concerts in Japan, she’s performed with many non-Japanese musicians for overseas tours and recording sessions, including this album’s guest trumpeter Niran Dasika, who has recorded several of his past albums with Kuribayashi.

Naturally, Kuribayashi’s sense of cross-boundary collaborations in jazz extends to this album as well. Although the musicians span continents, and the title grants images of far-away orbiting bodies resonating grandly, their music here is firmly grounded with a warm hum. It conveys introspection, as if to encourage and reward inward meditation. The atmospheric music, at-times dark and intimate, sets the right mood for pulling true emotions out of the musicians, not to mention the listeners. Even the cover art seems to invite an infinite inward/outward gaze, as four planes narrow to a point bounded by distant clouds where a solitary bird explores the limits.

This jazz trio consists of piano, guitar, and drums (and quartet with trumpet for three songs), so this is a somewhat unconventional jazz combo format in terms of classic combo setups.

The so-named bass-less trio format has no low notes produced by an upright bass player. While, technically, the piano range covers the same low notes as an upright bass, the effect is audibly different. The large double bass instrument is not just visually imposing, but naturally creates its own distinctive thumps, slides, hits, and pulls, and all manner of dynamics that a player’s direct fingers on the strings can pull off, in addition to the occasional bowing and the unique personality and style of the individual playing the instrument.

Some say bass-less trios can open up the sound of the group, in so far as the harmonies can be more ambiguous with a floating feeling in the absence of expansive low bass notes that lock the musical roots in and set the pulse of time. Having no bassist can also influence the rest of the group as they adjust their playing to compensate or experiment with different styles of playing in the sonic space.

On Orbital Resonance, the musicians may be more conscious of their roles and their unique tones playing without a bass net. They interact closely and there is a heightened effect of their unified texture of interlaced sounds. The piano’s tender delicacy and steady riffs, the warmly organic guitar tone, and the drums’ kaleidoscopic shimmering, combine to produce a sound that is mellow but alive. This vibrancy is increased when evocatively whispered trumpet is added, and when those whispers grow to more intense effusion.

An emotional hue colors the album, with colors ranging from ethereal and gentle (#1 “Deep Breath”), soothing as a balm (#2 “Family”), moodily exciting and dramatic (#4 “Tanabata Song”, #6 “Road”, #7 “Green Sprout”), and mournful (#3 “Bittersweet”). There are also bright and positive moments (#5 “Yell”, #8 “Onaji Fune ni Noru” (riding on the same boat)) where hope rises and swells to orbit above the clouds, promising better days ahead.

This late 2025 release and the followup tour dates for Sumire Kuribayashi’s Orbital Resonance also marked a special anniversary for the pianist, as it has been a full decade since her debut album Toys (2014) came out. This CD was released in September 2025, and an LP release of Orbital Resonance is planned to be released in May 2026. More information on this album can be found at Orbital Resonance album/streaming links and the Sumire Kuribayashi Online Shop.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for Orbital Resonance:

• “Tanabata Song” from Orbital Resonance:

• Interview with Sumire Kuribayashi on the RoseLove’s Love Power Podcast about Orbital Resonance, with album excerpts and discussion:

• Excerpt from track #5: “Yell”

Although this is a slightly older album, Hirota announced recently that this album and her earlier release Flea Circus (2015) were now available on streaming platforms, making this a good time to refresh this short article about the album.

Magical Moonlight is a full release on the shorter side, a quick play-through of eight songs that runs for about 36 minutes. It’s an easy-going affair, a stroll through good old-fashioned sounding jazz. The nostalgia is enhanced by the group’s format, a quartet made up of Hirota on piano, Daisei Mii on violin and viola, Yusuke “Kilin” Sato on bass, and Gen Date on conga/percussion. A fifth musician, guitarist Yuichiro Hiraoka, joins as a special guest on three tracks, adding more close-up tangibility to the group’s grounded sweetness.

The eight songs are arranged by pianist Hirota, and three were composed by her. Overall the songs have a pleasantly throwback feel. Track #1 “Pepe le moko” is a languid start with a Parisian atmosphere that leads to a cute waltz with #2 “Furuhon-ya no Waltz”. #3 “C’est si bon” is that well-known French chanson, and #4 “Doggy Rhumba” is an uptempo rhumba version of Chopin’s “Minute Waltz” (aka “Waltz of the Puppy”).

For track #5, the Japanese min’yō folk song “Tanko Bushi” gets the “Ahmad Jamal ‘Poinciana’” treatment. The old classic #6 “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall” is simply cheerful. #7, Hirota’s “Ron Zaca Party” is played like a festive party arising from the wordplay of “Ron Zacapa”, a premium Guatamalan rum. Finally, the last track #8 “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” is a sentimental stride piano with a dusty saloon vibe, smoky, sultry, and comfortable.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Yuri Hirota’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Notes on a moonlit walk.

1.Pépé le Moko - Yuri Hirota

A port city in a distant foreign country. A soft serenade can be heard from an alleyway bar. You have a nostalgic scent of Paris about you. I wish we could walk together a little longer. A song from Jean Gabin’s Pépé le Moko, a French classic film that I saw.

2.Furuhon no Waltz (Waltz of the Secondhand Bookstore) - Yuri Hirota

We re-recorded songs from the “Kurofune Lady and the Ginsei Orchestra” [黒船レディと銀星楽団, /a swing-pop-retro band that Yuri Hirota was a member of/] period as instrumentals.

“That book is still half-read
Left behind, sometime, forgotten on a train
Time flows on
The days of my youth are distant and hazy”
— lyrics Fumi Mizubayashi (Kurofune Lady) from Furuhon-ya no Waltz

3.C’est si bon - Henri Betti

It’s soooo wonderful. It’s chanson.

4.Koinu no Rhumba (Doggy Rhumba) - Frédéric Chopin

I throw a ball and they run at full speed to go snatch it. I love the sound of their nails as they grab at the floor. Of course, the original song is a waltz.

5.Tanko Bushi (Coal-miner’s Song) - Japanese Traditional

An homage to Ahmad Jamal, a pianist I love. It seems as if exotic music and Japanese folk songs are compatible.

6.Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall - Doris Fisher

A great song by The Ink Spots, a chorus group active in the 1930s. As long as we live, there are sure to be some rainy days. It’s just a spring rain… So why not get wet?

7.Ron Zaka Party - Yuri Hirota

Dedicated to the great rum from Guatamala. Drink it, and it’ll make you want to stomp your feet in high spirits.

8.Can’t Take My Eyes off of You — Bob Crewe & Bob Gaudio

A killer tune from the 1980s disco era done with a vaudeville arrangement. Don’t skip the shocking finale!

Audio and Video

• Audio for “ぺぺ・ル・モコ”, track #1 on this album:

• Audio for “古本屋のワルツ”, track #2 on this album:

• Full playlist (YouTube)

• Full playlist (Spotify)

• Excerpt from track #5: “炭坑節(Tanko Bushi)”

The 45-minute album contains all original compositions from the pianist, eight new songs in her consistently original but true-to-jazz-roots style that incorporates different rhythms, influences, and cultures. The trio members — Harumi Nomoto on acoustic piano, Ryoji Orihara on fretless electric bass, and Sohnozuke Imaizumi on drums — are the same as 2014’s Virgo, and they gel perfectly as a fun, intuitive, and locked-in trio playing a variety of Nomoto’s compositions and great picks from the standard jazz canon.

The album starts with track #1 “Double Touch” with an immediate shift into Nomoto’s style of creative, straight-ahead piano trio jazz. Unexpected accents written into the melody pique curiosity with a feeling of near-imbalance that is rooted in the solid ground of unshakable groove. This sets the mood for a special loose-but-tight feeling in the music, one that displays the skill and excellence the musicians bring together through puzzle-piece coordination and trust.

#2 “Seiran” could be heard as a dichotomy of J-Jazz, where the intro and outro sections serve up a smooth club jazz/hip hop posture surrounding an inner core of medium-tempo good ol’ jazz blues.

#3 “Sudoku” is a song built on a musical challenge as Nomoto arranges twelve notes and twelve chords of the chromatic scale into a hopscotch framework of music. (This puzzle formulation is reminiscent in jazz of Bill Evans’ “T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune)” and, in Japanese jazz, Hitomi Nishiyama’s “T.C.T. (Twelve Chord Tune)”.) With Orihara and Imaizumi covering the foundation, Nomoto’s adlibs through most of the song with a wildly unconstrained yet carefully controlled solo. As with many of the moments on this album, the trio walks a tightrope of concentration and relaxation, where only their familiarity, intuition, and skills keep them aloft in the air as they improvise spontaneously.

Track #4 “Cucumber Man” is a happy groove jam in the direction of Herbie Hancock hard bop and New Orleans-style funk, filled with the brightness of three jazz musicians settling in for some fun.

#5 “Guitar no Yo Ni” is another smooth offering that brings laid-back comfort with a rock/hip-hop beat to the fore, similar to the intro and outro of #2 “Seiran”. Some sounds from Nomoto’s earlier releases and also in this style, particularly Belinda (2007) with its emotionally stirring loops of chords-to-chord wrinkles on certain progressions with deep groove drum beats.

Track #6 is the title track “Anitya”, a forward-learning modern jazz song that grabs the attention with its sharp writing and performance.

The last two tracks, #7 “Warm Winter” and #8 “Jacques”, work nicely together as a pair of songs to wrap things up, guiding the listener out gently and lovingly. As the album starts to close, the sounds are slower and more tranquil, as if luring us into a deeper state of peace, an extended goodbye. “Warm Winter” sets a lovely and sweet mood as Nomoto plays expressively throughout the song. The closing track “Jacques” dives even further for a darker feeling of intensity with peace, an immense tidal blue expanse that surrounds and supports everything.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Harumi Nomoto’s original Japanese liner notes.)

1.Double Touch

This is a blues-form song with accents set in certain places to shift the timing. The title comes from a soccer term related to footwork.

2.Seiran (青藍, indigo blue)

This song is an 8-bar blues progression. I love the color of indigo blue that is called seiran in Japanese.

3.Sudoku

I created a song that uses 12 notes for the melody and 12 chords. There was a time when I was hooked on sudoku (“number place”). The way the performance starts like a puzzle and gradually turns chaotic resembles the way that I feel when I am solving a sudoku.

4.Cucumber Man

There’s an anecdote about a person who was told “In a past life, you were a cucumber”. For some reason, I remembered this at a time when I wrote a cheerful-sounding tune. It’s a play on “Watermelon Man” by Herbie Hancock.

6.Guitar no Yo Ni (ギターのように)

I originally started writing this thinking about the soft strumming of a guitar. As I continued to work it, it became something completely different… but that’s alright, too.

6.Anitya

I wrote this song thinking of a Spanish 3-beat song that I happened to hear. Once again, the result turned out to be something completely different. Anitya is a Sankrit word that expresses the meaning of impermanence. Although it’s is unrelated to the song itself, I come to think more about these things as I grow older, so I chose this title.

7.Warm Winter

If I recall correctly, around the time the coronavirus had started spreading, there was a warm winter without any snowfall. This is a melody that came to me at the time, when I was feeling uneasy for some reason or another.

8.Jacques

I created this song while imagining waves coming in and going out. I borrowed the name from the legendary diver Jacques Mayol, who loved the sea around Tateyama in his later years.

Audio and Video

• “Cucumber Man” (track #4) — live at Bon Courage, Tokyo, in February 2025:

• “Guitar no Yo Ni” (track #5) — live at Pit Inn, Tokyo, in June 2024:

• “Warm Winter” (track #7) — live at Pit Inn, Tokyo:

• Harumi Nomoto Trio: Anitya promotional video with short excerpt from “Aniyta” (track #6):

• Harumi Nomoto Trio: Anitya promotional video with short excerpt from “Cucumber Man” (track #4)

• Full album (YouTube)

• Full album (Spotify)

• Full album (Apple)

• Excerpt from track #1: “Double touch”

Fukutomi’s debut album runs for 54 minutes and features seven original compositions, six from Fukutomi and one from saxophonist Yamamoto. The songs are composed by Fukutomi to be platforms for interplay, where the front-most instruments of guitar, sax, and piano merge and relay with an intimate immediacy, rather than each musician stepping back to make room for longer periods of singular adlibs. As with great jazz combos, there’s close collaboration where all five members listen closely to one another, pick their moments to step forward or back, and raise or relax the tension with the right-timed notes and rhythms.

The first six tracks are from leader Fukutomi and display a thoughtful sense of development. The opening songs, “Rings of Saturn” and “Lost and Found” are comfortable on the surface but potentially complex, with extra structures and ornaments added for increased interest, fun, and depth. For example, the latter offers odd-time meters (11/4 and others?) with changes and extra beats to offset regular expectations. Through the strength of the snappy rhythms, melodies, and progressions, it all works together to make elaborate yet catchy tunes.

Track #3 “Lotus” is a backing off from the fire, a relaxing meditation of hopeful optimism. The pretty lines filled with a spiritual, uplifting sound, mellow yet involved. #4 Sakasama-no-Tokei features a steady soft-rock pulse, flexible and full of life with time to breathe, relax, and be aware. #5 “The Place We Had” is patient as mild mysteries of memory are presented and unwrapped. #6 “New Moon” is another swinger with odd-beat measures to increase the journey’s adventure. These sounds recall some of Bungalow’s (with Yamamoto, Sato, and Ikejiri) original music and playing. In a similar mold, #7 “Chasing” is an exciting song written by saxophonist Yamamoto and is a mature and lyrical shapeshifter, swirling and folding time.

Incidentally, Masahiro Yamamoto, along with Sato and Ikejiri, was a founding member of Bungalow, a richly eclectic jazz quartet formed in 2010. They released two albums together with Yamamoto on sax and composing duties (2011’s Metropolitan Oasis and 2013’s Past Life) before Yamamoto left, after which Bungalow released three more albums with Australian saxophone player Mike Rivett. In the same jazz family sense and general time period, bassist Ikejiri also plays on Koichi Sato’s debut release Utopia (2011).

Liner Notes

(Translated from Masato Maedomari’s original Japanese liner notes.)

I can’t help but think that great jazz guitarists seem to have considerable craftsmanship in their approach to some extent. This is not limited to their outstanding performance skills. Even the distinctiveness of their atmosphere and presence can be noticed, perhaps moreso than guitarists of other genres. I sense that type of characteristic in Hiroshi Fukutomi. Despite this being his debut album, he has the courage to enter the ring with all original songs that he wrote, aside from one track. Further, for the one cover song, he did not simply choose a jazz standard, but he went so far as to pick a song by Masahiro Yamamoto, the band’s sax player. The degree of self-discipline is admirable. And it’s no wonder, since each song offers up a beautiful melody that compels you to whistle along.

The straightforward quintet form produces an attractive sound where both thrilling and relaxing sounds coexist. Guitar and soprano, alto sax, piano and sax…the balanced and unified ensemble is breathtaking. Similarly, their unison performance on the same note or melody can be astonishing. It feels like this is the pinnacle of the ensemble. It’s like a kaiseki meal at a traditional Japanese restaurant, with various rice dishes, boiled and stewed foods cooked with light soy sauce, and everything looks beautiful at first sight, with a delicate sensibility. The sounds of the instruments are carefully woven together like wickerwork, taking on a perfect harmony. All seven tracks on this album are filled with the smooth warmth of skin, pleasing to the ears. The synchronicity of the five musicians is perfected and brings out the full beauty of each song.

1.Rings of Saturn

The opening tune “Rings of Saturn” is the CD’s title track. This is a number with a refined transparency that symbolizes the essence of the album. An elegant guitar with a masculine bass. Comfortable yet stimulating. Bravo to the five musicians who pull off such difficult and complicated things with ease together in unison. According to the composer Fukutomi, the song is about this world that is made up of many different things mixed together, but something that may appear to be a unified thing when viewed from afar, like the rings of Saturn. That’s the reason for the title of this song.

2.Lost and Found

The melody is nostalgic, easy to remember. The literal translation is “the lost and found office” (遺失物取扱所, ishitsubutsu toriatsukaijo), but when you listen, you notice that it’s about the forgotten things of the ages. This is a time when we can get anything, but in reality, the things we have lost are innumerable. It’s dazzling, seeming to be saying, let’s restore in this busy world something, even just music at least, to the brilliance of the past. Sato’s piano is fascinating in the way he adds balance to the spacey progression. Fukutomi explained this song to me. It’s a story from his personal experience. It seems that just after arriving in Tokyo, he lost his wallet. While lost in the despair of losing his credit cards and drivers license, he expresses the sense of relief he felt when some kind person found the wallet and returned it to him. Nothing was missing.

3.Lotus

A beautiful and gentle introduction from Fukutomi’s guitar and Ikejiri’s bass. Yamamoto’s soprano sax is soothing and relaxing. The guitar tone almost resembles a recorder playing finely. It makes you feel the depth of the guitar. Lotus is the pedestal the Buddha sits upon, that is the “lotus flower” (蓮華, renge). It’s a pure and gentle song, filled with the tranquility that could perhaps be compared to a state of enlightenment, completely free of worldly desires. Fukutomi explained that in the middle of writing this song, he felt a mysterious moment where it seemed as if he could see a flower blooming.

4.Sakasama-no-Tokei (Upside-Down Clock)

While listening to “Sakasama-no-Tokei”, I was flipping through the magazine Agora (November 2009 issue), and there was a feature on live jazz in New York, written by the author Haruki Murakami. Quoting from the beginning: “If you were allowed to use a time machine in any way that you like just once, what would you want to do? My answer is decided. I would like to fly back to New York in 1943, to hear Clifford Brown and the Max Roach Quintet perform live at a jazz club there. That’s what I want.” It was an exciting piece. Around the 3-minute 10-second mark, Sato’s piano arouses a world of illusion, like going back to the past in a time machine. There was perfect synchronicity. Fukutomi explains that the title refers to time travel. The song itself is like a story with the feeling of traveling through time. Hmm. Be that as it may, it’s skillful expressed.

5.The Place We Had

And we come to this beautiful number. It feels like there is also a story being told through the sequence of songs. Yamamoto’s soprano sax is filled with translucence, and following that is an excellent bass solo from Ikejiri. A hero in the shadows. Nevertheless, it’s a heartwarming slow number, like a calm state of mind. Fukutomi confirmed that the “The Place We Had” contains the meaning of a secret base or hideout. He remembers experiences from childhood when “No Trespassing” signs were put up and caused him to suffer the loss of places that he used to go. The same thing happened to me. That’s why it’s so understandable, and I feel like almost everyone has had similar experiences: Back then, that place that I shared with my best friend. In any case, the naming of this song is exceptional.

6.New Moon

Regarding the somewhat mysterious song title “New Moon” (新月, shingetsu), Fukumori speaks of the image of the sun being hidden during a total solar eclipse, and how the song’s motif is like a premonition that something is about to happen. Fukumori’s guitar is graceful without any sense of hesitation. Shibata’s drums and Sato’s piano are also striking.

7.Chasing

This song is by saxophonist Yamamoto. Although Fukutomi had a wide repertoire of songs to choose from for the recording, he asked Masahiro Yamamoto to allow him to record one of Yamamoto’s songs. In the second half, the fierce battle of exchanges brings to mind an intensely competitive car chase. Yes, it’s a suitable last song to cap the album. After listening, there’s a satisfaction similar to the invigorating feeling that remains after reading a good book. By including a song at the end that is a change from those before, it adds more depth to the overall album. There is a sense of balance. Just as you would expect.

Hiroshi Fukutomi Quintet Profile

Following are profiles of these five musicians, leaders in the jazz scene in Japan, drawn mainly from their websites. For more details, check their respective websites or My Space pages.

Hiroshi Fukutomi (guitar)

Born in Osaka, Hiroshi Fukutomi started learning guitar on his own at age 14 and played rock and pop music. After graduation from high school, he entered Koyo Conservatory of Music and discovered jazz. He formed a group and began to perform his own music. Later, he was deeply influenced by Bill Frisell and decided to study at Berklee College of Music in order to take lessons from Jon Damian, who was Frisell’s teacher there. In 2006, he received the Guitar Department Achievement Award. After graduating, he returned permanently to Japan and has been actively performing around the Tokyo area with his own group and others. He offers the following artists, who he deeply respects, as influences: John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Monder, George Garzone, Paul Motion, Sting, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheney, aiko, etc.

Masahiro Yamamoto (alto, soprano sax)

Born in Kobe in 1980, Masahiro Yamamoto started playing alto saxophone when he entered Konan Junior High School. In the second year of high school, he served as section leader in the Student Jazz Festival and received the Kobe City Major’s Prize and the Individual Award. When he was 18 years old, he met Hiroshi Ozone, who he studied under for 5 years. After graduating from high school, he entered Konan University and became a member of the Newport Jazz Orchestra there. After entering university, he was active with performances with his own band and other musicians at local clubs and live venues around Osaka. After graduating, he performed at Blue Note and Dizzy’s Club with Rachel-Z’s band. He is currently active and performing with his own band.

Koichi Sato (piano)

Born in Yokohama in 1983, Koichi Sato started learning piano at age 5. At 16, he switched from classical to jazz piano. At 18, he enrolled in the jazz course at Senzoku Gakuen College University (now Senzoku Gakuen College of Music). In 2005, he was a member of the Yota Miyazato Quartet at the Asakusa Jazz Festival, who received the grand prize in the band category. In the summer of 2005 he moved to the United Stated to study as a student at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He received the Piano Department Achievement Award in 2006. In that same year, he was picked for Berklee’s select band of musicians to perform at the North Texas Jazz Festival, where he won the Outstanding Soloist Award. In the spring of 2007, he moved his base to New York to perform there. He returned to Japan in 2008, where he is vigorously active with his own band and various other groups. Starting with the jazz giants, he lists numerous people and groups that have influenced him. To avoid overlapping with other the members, he also offered the following influences as additional examples: Lars Jansson, Ahmad Jamal, Wayne Shorter, Aaron Goldberg, Kevin Hays, Miguel Zenon, Aaron Parks, David Binney, Tomonao Hara, Dairiki Hara, etc.

Hiroshi Ikejiri (bass)

Hiroshi Ikejiri was born in Chiba in 1979. He started learning the Electone (Yamaha electronic organ) from a young age and got interested in improvised music. He joined the band in junior high and high school where he gained the opportunity to play various instruments. After entering Chiba University, he joined the modern jazz study class. Drawn to the world of acoustic low notes, he aspired to become a jazz double-bass player. He honed his skills by actively playing at sessions and street performances, developing into performances at jazz spots. In an ensemble, he believes in being a stimulus at the center while also providing a solid foundation for the sound. He won the Grand Prize award in the 2007 Yokohama Jazz Promenade Competition and appeared on the NHK-FM Session-2008 the following year. His hobbies include swimming. The essence of his influences are not “people” but “music”, and include the music of the following seven artists: Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon, Ron Carter, Scott LaFaro, Larry Grenadier, etc.

Ryo Shibata (drums)

Born in Osaka in 1981, Ryo Shibata had a love for music at a young age and began learning drums at the age of 10. He entered the Koyo Conservatory of Music, and started to perform in jazz clubs in the Kansai region, accumulating experience by playing in various bands and genres. In early spring 2003, he entered Berklee College of Music. Starting in 2007 until graduation, he played in the select student band with tours in Oregon, California, and at the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City. In September of that same year, he played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2008 as part of the Berklee Monterey Quartet. Continuing his musical activity, in March 2008, he participated as first chair as part of the same group with the SF Jazz Collective led by Dave Douglas for a concert in Boston, and played at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art in August. He moved to Tokyo in September 2009 and began to actively perform around the Tokyo Metropolitan area. After returning to Japan, he performed twice with Simon Yu on tour in China, in 2008 and 2009. Also in 2009, he played at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Jeff Miles, winner of the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition 2008, in addition to other activities performing on the world stage. He is a drummer who continues to build on his reputation with this album and the previous release from D-musica, Jun Fuyura’s Exprimo.

Obi Notes

The resonance of five distinct personalities blossoms with a rich harmony.

Audio and Video

• “Rings of Saturn” (track #1):

• “Chasing” (track #7):

• “Lotus” (track #3) — solo guitar version

• Full album (YouTube)

• Full album (Spotify)

• Excerpt from track #2: “Lost And Found”

The sound of Nagatake’s jazz trio is compelling and modern, with a youthful style that is dynamic, energetic, and fun. Running at about 71 minutes, all ten tracks were composed by Nagatake and are bursting with her creative force, one that builds on the adventurous leanings of jazz pianists like Carla Bley and Cecil Taylor. Skillful and quick, Nagatake’s fingers can go from quiet and patient loveliness to a key-jabbing with barely contained energy, always in control but often peeking over the edge in risky provocation. Live audiences and album listeners cannot help but be drawn into her magnetic presence.

Here is a quick run through of the album flow. It starts with three highlights: #1 “Introduction -Breathe Beneath the Sun-” is Nagatake starting up the engines alone with a solo piano riff, deep and low on the keys with a rhythmically addictive pull and sharp lines coming in from above. The trio format begins with #2 “Not Even Heaven Knows”, a fiery and percussive fastball. #3 “Lucky You!” is another uptempo roller coaster with thrilling drops and bends, a frenetic Horace Silver-ish fever dream. #4 “Just Like He Sings” is a brushed ballad with the grace and sweetness of an Ellington/Strayhorn tune. #5 “Clover 9” is a wild and fast blues transmogrification, another album highlight (lots of these).

Track #6 “Teoribata” is a slower song written for bassist Orihara to shine peacefully in a long-form fairy tale. #7 “Say No More” has a classic hardcore dark jazz vibe with Chick Corea-esque Latin/straight waltz-time mix, grippingly edge-of-seat at a dangerous speed. #8 “I’ll Send You Good Vibes” is the first quartet track, as veteran saxophonist Kosuke Mine joins for a soulful and warm gospel/rock groove with his great playing. #9 “Nekokai no Ballad” continues the bluesy quartet atmosphere, gritty and genuine, with Eiichi Hayashi on sax, another distinctive and renowned Japanese jazz player. Finally, #10 “Get Ready to Say Goodbye” is a melodically beautiful and moving outro song with the elements of a hit pop song tenderly refracted through a Brad Melhdau-ish jazz prism.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes.)

Introduction

Before anything else, I would like to thank you very much for listening to this CD, Breathe Beneath the Sun. We’ve been fortunate to be able to able to release another trio recording in quick succession after the previous trio recording released in March 2021. I can’t express enough the appreciation I have for the label, Owl Wing Records, and Aratake-san. On this CD, all the songs are original compositions that I wrote over the past year, mainly, including two songs in the memory of people who have passed away.

When I am riding on the train and dazzling sunlight pours in from the train window and washes over me, I really feel alive. The sunlight permeates me just like soaking into French toast. Whether it’s morning, evening, or even if I’m still tipsy from the previous night, it’s always great. I realize how good it feels to be alive, and the motivation to do my best increases as I’m being treated with unconditional kindness.

I contemplated different album titles while thinking that it would be great for this CD to have that kind of presence of sunlight. I thought, Something like French toast or…, and so on. I tried to express my ramblings to a close female friend, a high-school classmate who returned from abroad, and she understood what I was trying to say perfectly. Ultimately, she gave me the wonderful title Breathe Beneath the Sun.

永武幹子
Mikiko Nagatake

Introducing the Musicians

In February 2020, this trio entered our third year together.

Ryoji Orihara, the trio’s senior member, supports the band on fretless bass. He’s active with his solo project “Invisible Furniture”, serves as a member and musical director of “Virtual Silence”, and plays with Lisa Ono’s band. He is a professional fretless bass player specialist.

After we finished recording this album, he went to perform in a concert in Taiwan with Lisa Ono’s band. This was at a time when coronavirus was spreading in Taiwan, and he was forced to stay quarantined in a hotel for two weeks. However, he wanted to keep working on this album even at that time. We made full of video conferencing and other specialized tools and finished the mixing (working on the sound balance of the recording)! I was so surprised at the modern technology that allowed us to do the mixing while being far apart, without any time lag.

After this album was recorded, our trio went on to perform at various locations. One thing I have to mention is Orihara-san’s lunch presentations. In the mornings, we would gather in the hotel lobby and be treated to his presentation of notable restaurants in the area, including their websites, business hours, distance, and travel time. There was a passion for food overflowing with hospitality. Kira-san is also passionate about food, and so all throughout the tour we would prepare for the evening concert by having delicious meals.

Drummer Sota Kira is active in a wide variety of musical acts, from Kei Akagi’s band and Junko Onishi’s band (that is to say, he started with jazz bands) to even STUTS’s band and others. Kira-san has been supportive of me ever since my student days. He also plays drums in “J.J.Soul”, another of our regular jazz trios. There, too, his incredibly energetic drumming always enriches the band’s sound and boosts the excitement of everyone present.

Recently Kira-san has been focusing his attention on the proper ways of body movement. Backstage, he has been sharing his techniques and instructing us on effective stretching methods. Even on the day of the recording, there was quite an odd scene when everyone was facing the same direction and doing stretches (ha ha).

At the live venue Nardis in Kashiwa, there was a three-day event where our trio was featured as the core band with special guests. At that performance, the masters Mine-san and Hayashi-san were each featured on a one-horn ballad. It was so intense that I absolutely wanted to capture that in some form, so I asked them to make a guest appearance on this recording.

Since my student days, I have often gone to hear tenor saxophonist Kosuke Mine play. I’ve listened to him with Mine-san’s Quartet, the Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra, and others. Recently I’ve been working consistently with him in live concerts as a duo, and as a trio with saxophonist Miyuki Moriya. I am always moved by his one-of-a-kind tone and phrasing, and his warm, charming personality.

As for alto saxophonist Eiichi Hayashi, it’s possible that I heard him on CD before seeing him play live. When I was a student, there were special listening sessions in the Waseda Danmo (Modern Jazz Research Group) study room between jam sessions. That’s where I heard CDs like the Eiichi Hayashi and Fumio Itabashi Duo, and Daidarabocchi with Shun Sakai. I was totally blown away. When I went to see him play live, I was even more amazed. I’m so grateful that I am able to play with Hayashi-san in duos and with Masayo Koketsu’s “Ataira no Ei-chan”.

This recording is a performance featuring these kinds of trio members and two special guests!

1.Introduction -Breathe Beneath the Sun-

In the same way that we can hear the chimes of nearby elementary schools, wouldn’t it be so interesting if we could hear the songs and sounds of foreign countries carried by the wind? I wrote this short motif with that kind of feeling in mind. I hope that the performance on this CD can also reach people in all kinds of countries and regions.

2.Not Even Heaven Knows

“God has six fingers on each hand and twelve fingers on both hands.”

“See, this is why the first perfect number is 6, time is divided into 12 parts, and the seasons also end with the 12th month.” This is what my private school principal taught me when I was in middle school.

I suddenly remembered this a few years ago and thought “I should write a song with a time signature that only God can count on his fingers!!” So I wrote a song titled “God Has 12 Fingers”.

Time passed, and the threat of the new coronavirus appeared in 2020. Conventional common sense changed in the blink of an eye, and the world was thrown into disorder. I couldn’t help but think that not even God could have predicted something like this. I wrote a 13-beat song with a theme that even Got could not count (but since 13 is an unlucky number, the improvisations are in a 7-beat meter. Lucky seven!).

3.Lucky You!

I wrote this song with Kira-san in mind. The image of Kira-san is happiness! Yet, around the time we first had met, no matter how many times we performed, drank, and hit it off together, the next time we met, it felt like we were meeting again for the first time. I tried to project a sense of that somewhat not-straightforward feeling into this song (ha ha). It feels as if 吉良(Kira)(-san) is taking on the meaning of “lucky” in the lingo of business buzzwords.

4.Just Like He Sings

I wrote this song inspired by Shinji Hashimoto, a guitarist I love who passed away in July 2020. One day, Shinji-san appeared in my dream. In the dream, Shinji-san was playing “Naima” by J. Coltrane, and his improvisational approach was melodious like a vocal jazz standard song. It made me realize the affinity between modal-style songs and vocal standard songs.

To be able to listen to Shinji-san’s guitar in my dreams was like a dream (well, it was a dream)!! That’s why I wrote this song. I would love it if Shinji-san would play this song in my dream someday.

5.Clover 9

The “deck of cards” series. The previous release Into the Forest included “Clover 2”, and this time it’s 9. There are currently eight songs in the “deck of cards” series. The goal is a complete 53!

6.Teoribata (手織り機, hand loom)

I wrote this song with Orihara-san in mind. The title is just a joke [/The title in Japanese is 手織り機, or hand loom, and Orihara is 織原, containing the same Kanji character 織/]. I spun the melody based on the image of Orihara-san’s sound. It’s really nice to play this kind of mellow song with such emotion, and I love Orihara-san’s simple style of singing.

7.Say No More

8.I’ll Send You Good Vibes

Sometimes I think that if I were close by, I could send some positive energy with just a single handshake. These days, when we live in a world where we can send messages immediately, it’s good to know that we can check on faraway friends’ safety when natural disasters and emergencies occur. On the other hand, it can feel stressful when there is just not enough time to reply.

It’s rare that the timing works out such that someone contacts you just at the right moment when you need encouragement. At time like those, I would love it if you suddenly remembered to play this song with a click as if it just came to mind, and to feel a sense of positivity. The strong emotions I felt when writing this song perfectly match Mine-san’s gentle yet powerful saxophone, and this makes it a song I cherish even more.

9.Nekokai no Ballad /(猫飼いのバラッド, Cat-keeping Ballad)/*

In the summer of 2021, there was a Mikiko Nagatake three-day event at Kashiwa Nardis. This is a song I wrote for that occasion while thinking of Eiichi Hayashi. I listened to Hayashi-san a lot in my student days. I wrote a melody for his kind of really cool Hayashi-san sound that stands out in all kinds of places, and the master was even more amazing than I expected!!

10.Get Ready to Say Goodbye

I wrote this song when I heard the news of the sudden passing of someone who always came to my shows with a smile. With the state of emergency and everything that began in 2020, it had felt as though time had stopped. But of course that wasn’t the case, and time passed moment by moment, and sometimes it was no longer possible to meet someone that you hadn’t seen in a while. Accepting a final farewell takes time, and I think it’s best to take it slowly and with a peaceful mind.

All Composed by Mikiko Nagatake

A Letter from Yoshiaki Masuo

Dear Mikiko Nagatake

I listened to the audio for your new recording. I apologize for the delay, later that the promised date. Although I was asked to write some liner notes, I decided to express my feelings in a letter to you after just listening to the music.

First, all the musicians beginning with you were fantastic. The songs are good and there’s lots of variety. I’m very impressed by how it sums up your current feelings and how it comes together as one story all the way through to the end. The music was inspiring, and there were many moments that touched my heart directly. I love that kind of music.

It’s been almost six years since we started performing together. But it’s true that, when I listened to this recording, I realized that I know nothing about you, despite our working so long together. We’ve been linked only through music during these six years, without even having a drink together after a concert (ha ha).

One reason that I don’t know much about you is because of your intuitive sense about music. Because you can pick up so much just from listening meant that there was not much need to talk about it. Of course, human interaction and communication is also important for many reasons, and I’m reflecting on that.

Six years ago, when I started to audition pianists for my new band, you happened to be the first person I called. By just hearing the music, you understood well without me having to say anything. You interpreted the songs with your own personal style a fresh sense and feeling. I remember how I instantly took to you, with your own free and delicate sensibilities, right from the start. I was planning to try out other people as well, but in the end it was just that one audition and it was over.

It may be quite impolite to put it this way, but when listening to this recording, I feel that I can truly understand your depth as a human being. Also, I’ve never thought too deeply about musicians being male or female before, but on this album I really get the sense of you as a women (with good meaning).

In the generation that I grew up in, there were almost no female jazz musicians, and in the midst of that male-dominated jazz world, I hadn’t really thought about female jazz musicians. Because of preconceived notions of women, there must have been very difficult situations, including sexual harassment, even unintentional in some cases.

However, when I listen to your music, I feel strongly that we have already transcended that era and progressed forward one or two steps. Long ago, back in my day, all the role model jazz musicians that we looked up to were men, and Americans. Now, there is a big difference in the way of thinking between that generation and environment that we grew up in, and those of the young people of today. It’s good that this young generation is free of those previous boundaries, and especially the women of this generation.

Men tend to use authority and power as a basis of comparison, but I think women may be resigned in those aspects from the start, or consider them to not be problems, perhaps. That’s why there is no unnecessary ego in the music. I think that purity is also good. In this sense, women are very cool and aware. I can say this confidently. A conclusion from this is that there is a great potential for the future development of music to be shaped by the sensibilities of female musicians.

For the future, the advancement of women is absolutely essential not just in music but also in the world. If the ones at the top are always power-hungry men, then, well, we are doomed.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent.

Anyway, thank you for the wonderful music. I want to keep listening to it more and more. Please continue to push forward.

June 12, 2020 MASUO

GUEST

track8
Kosuke Mine (tenor sax)

Born in Tokyo on February 6, 1944.

He began playing clarinet when he joined the brass band in middle school. He played clarinet in part-time bands when he was around 17 years old, when he also started to play alto sax. He first encountered jazz in his second year of high-school when he would listen to records at jazz kissas. In 1963, he joined a jazz band and started to play at jazz clubs. In 1969, he was noticed by pianist Masabumi Kikuchi and joined his band, where he remained until the band ended in 1973. He released his first leader album, Mine, in 1970. In that year, he ranked second in the magazine Swing Journal’s reader popularity poll in the alto saxophone category, right after Sadao Watanabe, and attracted attention as a new alto sax player. After Masabumi Kikuchi’s band ended in 1973, he moved to New York where he stayed for two years. During this period he also made brief trips to Japan to continue performing in concerts with Masabumi Kikuchi and to record his own albums. After playing with groups including Four Sound with Fumio Itabashi, Nobuyoshi Ino, Hiroshi Murakami, and Masahiko Togashi’s J.J.Spirits, he formed his group Mine Quartet in 1992 and released his long-awaited leader album Major to Minor in 1993, which won the grand prize for Japan Jazz in Swing Journal’s Jazz Disc Awards that year. Currently, in addition to playing with his own group, he participates in many sessions including with the Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra.

track9
Eiichi Hayashi (alto sax)

He became a professional musician at 17 years of age by training in big bands and R&B groups. In 1980, he joined the Yosuke Yamashita Trio as “Plus One”, and a concert recorded during their ‘83 European Tour was released as a live recording. In 1990, he formed his own band MAZURU and released an album under that name which was well received. To this day, he is active and widely recognized as one of Japan’s top alto players, and his inimitable sound is an essential part of groups including the Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra, Fumio Itabashi’s band, and Akihiro Ishiwatari’s Mull House. In 2012, he released GATOS Meeting’s self-titled album featuring his three-horn arrangements. In July 2015, in the culmination of his work as an arranger, he led the 13-piece Eiichi Hayashi MAZURU Hokkaido Orchestra where he was showered with applause from large crowds of free jazz fans who gathered all over Hokkaido. Among his numerous releases, his representative work includes de-ga-show, Monk’s Mood, Oto no Tsubu, MAZURU no Yume, Mori no Hito, Birds and Bees, and Tsuru.

Obi Notes

“The music was inspiring, and there were many moments that touched my heart directly. I love that kind of music.” Yoshiaki Masuo

Audio and Video

• “Not Even Heaven Knows” (track #2):

• “Lucky You!” (track #3) — live performance (2021):

• “Lucky You!” (track #3) — live performance (2021):

• “Just Like He Sings” (track #4) — live performance (2021):

• “Clover 9” (track #5):

• “Say No More” (track #7) — live performance (2021):

• Excerpt from track #1: “Introduction -Breathe Beneath the Sun-”

Part of the legendary jazz session scene in Tokyo, Cafe Cotton Club (or just “Cotton”) is a restaurant occupying several floors with a semi-secret speakeasy-fashioned jazz floor in the basement. Despite the humble image the simple label “cafe” may imply, the exterior hints at an above average atmosphere for a building located within the surrounding student populated neighborhood, a rough-and-tumble series of cheap eats and bars that can lean towards boisterous on weekends.

Also a bit out of the ordinary, Cafe Cotton Club’s warmly lit establishment makes use of four linked floors, from the jazz club in the basement to the third floor with an outdoor terrace. The three cafe and restaurant levels offer elegant yet friendly tables and kitchens, while a mysterious stairway on the ground floor leads down to a darker jazz level in the basement. There’s even a special annex on the 11th floor and an outdoor rooftop and beer garden section that is reserved for private events and opened seasonally.

Opened in 1984, Cafe Cotton Club’s basement level felt like an extension to the tiny bar Jazz Spot Intro across and down the street from Cotton. When sessions at Intro grew too busy or crowded, the party would migrate to Cotton’s basement, which was larger and had more seating and food options. A renovation to Cotton in 2019 opened up the basement level even more: The original bar counter was moved back and out of the way to make room for an elevated stage, with more tables and booths set closer up front. The new, remodeled feel also added a somewhat elevated jazz club stage performance (literally and figuratively), as the players are actually up on a stage, even if just a bit, compared to the original level. This created a subtle separation between the performers and the audience, more so than the original “All together, at the same level, and surprise! Who know who may join in at any time” sense of spontaneous happening.

Meanwhile, the ground floor and upper levels of Cafe Cotton Club are also quite popular as restaurant hangouts, appealing to students and the Takadanobaba general public. There’s a sense that the shop attracts guests with reservations as well as passerby’s, and is attractive as a destination even for non-jazz-oriented customers.

Cafe Cotton Club is related to the legendary Tokyo jazz destination Jazz Spot Intro as if it was the more sophisticated older sibling to the spunky, authentic hole in the wall that is Intro. Both clubs are within close bar-hopping distance, across the street and just a minute or two away on foot. And, much like Intro, Cotton also hosts fun jam sessions where professional jazz musicians, semi-professionals, amateurs, hobbyists, and listeners mingle and sit-in, playing tunes from the common repertoire as practice drills, and just for the fun of it.

Intro and Cotton are both run and overseen by manager Mogushi-san since their beginnings. His positive energy, big smile, and smooth dome brightly project his love and support of jazz in his professionally-run jazz room and the corresponding unforgettable experience.

Also a drummer who sometimes hits the skins at Cotton, proprietor Kuniaki Mogushi-san’s history is full of fascinating details. Some of his autobiographical articles and historically valuable photographs are available in the History section of the Cafe Cotton Club website. These artifacts detail his journey from high school to the world of jazz in 1960s Tokyo, and the opening of Jazz Spot Intro in 1975 and Cafe Cotton Club in 1984.

In the past, Cotton would hold all-night jazz jam sessions every week on Friday, like Intro’s Saturday night sessions. These party-like events would start around midnight and continue until the early morning, around the time that the first trains would start running at nearby Takadanobaba station. Jazz addicts would often come from gigs or other clubs, forego the last night train, and while away the hours in the basement drinking, eating pizza, listening to and chatting with friends and other jazz maniacs while local jazz musicians would trade space on stage all-night, plying their craft. (These sessions are still held but currently do not run overnight. And, if this is your thing, be sure to catch the sessions at the original branch Intro across the street, where jam sessions are held nearly every night of the week).

These days, Cotton’s jazz sessions are mainly on Friday nights, with occasional live concerts on special days, but may not continue all night until the morning. Usually local musicians will play a set of music, and the “all comers welcome” jazz jam sessions start from the second set. At those sessions, local and visiting musicians (sometimes including famous musicians as well, or touring musicians who stop by after gigs at other clubs) can join in the regular jazz jam session. These open sessions follow the usual jazz tradition of members rotating and sitting in, calling tunes, and playing together with strangers and old or new friends. And, if this is your thing, you can’t miss the sessions at Intro across the street, where jam sessions are held nearly every night of the week.

Beginning jazz amateurs may feel wary of joining in the session, as many of the players are quite good, if not professionals jazz musicians. However, musicians who are jazz beginners with passion for playing and learning jazz, including those hesitant to get on stage out of nervousness, have always been encouraged at both Cotton and Intro in the spirit of jazz brotherhood. That is, we all learn, play, and love jazz together — this was and is the inspiration for clubs and places such as these.

Note 1: Separate and apart from Cafe Cotton Club is another business called Cotton Club (or Marunouchi Cotton Club) located in central Tokyo next to Tokyo station. This other jazz spot is a grand concert space and bar and focuses on bigger names and international acts.

Note 2: The calendar of events available on Cafe Cotton Club’s website may not display the details of live events and jam sessions for users in countries outside Japan. Unfortunately, in what seems to be an unintentional limitation of certain technologies or website scripts, some sites include calendar functionality that only responds to browser requests originating from Japan. As a result, some clubs’ schedules may not by visible to users located in other locations. In case of problems viewing Cotton’s schedule, Geo-spoofing often helps: Use a VPN to connect to a Japanese server before loading the schedule.

Links

• Jazz Spot Intro’s website

• Layout of Cafe Cotton Club’s jazz floor

• Videos from Jazz Spot Intro and Cafe Cotton Club

In contrast to her signature Harumi Nomoto sound, this holiday release offers shorter, simpler, and sincerely played versions of traditional Christmas carols, hymns, pop Christmas tunes, classical whimsy, and modern pieces. Whereas her trio albums have been filled with Nomoto’s original material, only one of her original pieces appears here, tying up the album as a set closer like a ribbon on a wrapped present.

Nomoto’s piano performance fills the album with her sensitive solo playing. On a few songs, she overlays her acoustic piano with a synth: an Nord electric keyboard layers a soft choir-like organ on track #1 “O Little Town of Bethlehem” for a holy effect, and #4 “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker has synth organ bells taking center stage for a sweetly dark atmosphere. Patient, precise, yet flexible and full of feeling, it’s all as warm and comfortable as a tranquil holiday fireplace setting.

In addition to traditional carols and Christmas classics, Nomoto also plays a few pop- and jazz-aligned tunes. John Lennon’s #9 “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” is always popular in Japan at this time of year and gets a friendly, gospel-y solo piano treatment. Similarly, #6 “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” is another iconic and nostalgic instrumental theme in Japan, originating from the 1983 Japanese film and soundtrack of the same name, and it is often featured in Christmas playlists despite its not being written specifically as a holiday song. #2 “Blue Christmas” is a groovy rock-and-roll country song that Elvis sung and made more popular. Perhaps the song here with the deepest jazz credentials is track #8, “A Merrier Christmas”, a rare, unrecorded holiday piece written by Thelonious Monk for his family.

Cheery and cozy, the spirit of jazz piano comes through each song on this album. The relatively short takes make it a quick one, too, and even those who may normally avoid jazzy Christmas albums will sense that, while I’ll Be Home For Christmas promises that tender reunion, it humbly does not overstay its welcome. Finally, the last song, Nomoto’s original composition “Snow Melts”, is a bittersweet parting, and its introspective mood recalls the promised closeness at the end of the year, charming as a hug, and something to look forward to again, someday.

Audio and Video

• “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” (track #6) — live version:

• “White Christmas” — live version:

• Excerpt from track #1: “O little town of Bethlehem”

The music spans ten tracks over fifty minutes, mostly original compositions from the trio. It’s emotionally stimulating music where dramatic moments arise from the structure of the compositions brought to life through the many vibrating strings. In particular, the bowed notes of Maiko’s violin and Yasukagawa’s double bass are viscerally stirring and penetrating, and beautifully supported by the strings of the piano delicately percussed by felt hammers.

There are eight original songs, four from Nishiyama and two each from Yasukagawa and Maiko. These are mostly slow to medium pieces, audio paintings of romantically peaceful or melancholic scenes. Their music is adorned with various touches of classical and pop on a backdrop of jazz structures, like sturdy branches spreading out from a solidly rooted tree. Mostly patient explorations and ballads, there are also several upbeat moments with bright colors for contrast. In addition to the original music, two covers of traditional folk-hymn songs, “Shenandoah” and “What A Friend We Have in Jesus”, add soulful depth and are graceful additions to the program.

Audio and Video

• “A Day Before The Last Day Of Summer” (track #1):

• Full album (YouTube playlist)

• Excerpt from track #8: “飛び立つ水鳥 (Waterfowl Taking Flight)”

Of course, the title track, Takahashi’s own “Tokyo Groovin’ High”, leads the charge and captures the spirit of the original tune it is based on, the well-known bebop contrafact “Groovin’ High” by Dizzy Gillespie. It’s good straight-ahead jazz played by musicians who clearly love the music and are having fun playing it together.

Driven by Takahashi’s expert drumming, the ultra-in-the-pocket swing and groove continues with songs including “These are Soulful Days”, “Dear Old Stockholm”, and “When You Grow Too Old To Dream”. Some atmospheric departures are featured through Ellington’s Afro-Caribbean “Limbo Jazz”, the New Orleans parade-style (Poinciana) groove on “The April Fools”, and the beautiful ballad “I’m Traveling Light”.

The musicians’ love for classic jazz, decorated and fun arrangements, and jazz improvisation shine, as the bebop spirit lets loose as the temperature goes up on several songs as well. The band burns on Sonny Stitt’s Rhythm Changes “The Eternal Triangle”, with a alto vs. tenor sax battle. In the same vein, Thelonious Monk’s leaping “Shuffle Boil” and McCoy Tyner’s high-octane “Inception” are fiery highlights, both played in a raw chord-less trio formation to capture that lean, wild Sonny Rollins trio sound.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Toru Takahashi’s original Japanese liner notes.)

It’s been a quarter century and three years since I came to Tokyo at the age of 25 and it went by in a flash. I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of many live band experiences, and now I have finally decided to make my own album as a leader. Nothing has brought me more joy than being able to record with these musicians who I have been with so long, both professionally and personally.

These members are: Atsushi Ikeda, who helped with composition on one song and consulting with me on the arrangements. Kengo Nakamura, who supported me spiritually in many ways.

Keiichi Yoshida, who is my oldest friend since I moved to Tokyo. Masanori Okazaki, who has been fronting my band for such a long time. Yusuke Chigita, who has been playing with me the most over the last several years in various bands.

Jun Satsuma, who has the most beautiful tone.

The master Koyuza Sanyutei, my good friend from the TV variety program “Shoten” and leader of the Hanashika (rakugo) storyteller band, “New Oirans”, where I was allowed to occupy the drum seat for fifteen years, to my surprise.

The master Shota Shunputei, president of the Rakugo Arts Association, who granted our impossible request to join as a musician (ha ha!) on one song.

Most songs were recorded in one or two takes with a raw, unpolished sound, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Toru Takahashi

M1
Theme Of Tokyo Groovin’ High
(Toru Takahashi)

This is the theme song for Toru Takahashi and the “Tokyo Groovin’ High!” band. We’re all performing as jazz musicians born in the Showa era! When I asked Professor Ikeda to review my first idea, I received a score of 65 points…

M2
These Are Soulful Days
(Cal Massey)

Once upon a time, there was a live house called “Sonoca” in Meguro. This song was often played there during the days of the second owner. There was also a year when I had the most number of appearances in one year among all the instruments… Those were truly soulful days.

M3
Limbo Jazz
(Duke Ellington)

Backstage at Asakusa Engei Hall, I begged master Koyuza Sanyutei to record for me. And, I begged master Shota Shunputei to record while we were drinking at a soba shop in Asakusa! The original recording was also made by great masters of the jazz world, Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins. There’s a “Making Of” video on my YouTube channel.

M4
The Eternal Triangle
(Sonny Stitt)

We recorded this because I wanted a sax battle with Atsushi Ikeda and Masanori Okazaki. These two have played together in many bands. Although they do battle in the performance, they are honestly really good friends!

M5
The April Fools
(Burt Bacharach)

This is the title theme from the movie. Among Burt Bacharach’s songs, this one is rarely played in jazz. The song is just too good…

M6
Dear Old Stockholm
(Folk Song)

Keiichi Yoshida’s melodic sense and nuances are truly wonderful no matter what song he plays… so, I wanted to record one song as a piano trio. Kengo Nagamura is also explosive!

M7
Don’t Take Your Love From Me
(Henry Nemo)

A hidden gem. It’s often performed as a ballad, this here we play it medium tempo and entirely straight-ahead… The sax, piano, and bass give such a great performance!!! (Taking pride, if I can say so myself…)

M8
Forest Flower
(Charles Lloyd)

Over 10 years ago, I saw Charles Lloyd for the first time, and he left a deep impression on me. “Jazz is alive!” I thought. Since then, I’ve continued to play this song. Jun Satsuma does an amazing job on guitar!

M9
Travelin’ Light
(Jimmy Mundy/Trummy Young)

I like Shirley Scott’s take on this song. But, don’t you think this tenor take of this song is also great? It was decided in just one take.

M10
Shuffle Boil
(Thelonious Monk)

Monk’s songs have a unique feeling. Our sax trio is a long-running unit, but this song is a relatively recent addition to our repertoire. Yusuke Chigita supports the melody. Song selection 1 of “pianist’s songs that don’t include a pianist”.

M11
Inception
(McCoy Tyner)

When I was living in Niigata, the mama-san of the friendly shop “Parthia” really loved McCoy Tyner. She would say things like “I wonder if I should finally quit the shop and call McCoy…”. But, she ended up quitting before making that call. Song selection 2 of “Pianist’s songs that don’t include a pianist”.

M12
When You Grow Too Old To Dream
(Sigmund Romberg)

Honestly, I really love sax players that could be called “honkers”. Arnette Cobb, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, and so on… This song is originally a romantic tune, but it gets a little wild and fun here, serving as this album’s ending theme.

Notes by Toru Takahashi

Audio and Video

• “Tokyo Groovin’ High” (track #1 behind the scenes excerpt):

• “Limbo Jazz” (track #3 live performance):

• “When I Grow Too Old To Dream” (track #12 behind the scenes excerpt):

• Tokyo Groovin’ High! 2nd Set:

• Making of “Limbo Jazz”:

• Excerpt from track #7: “Don’t Take Your Love From Me”

And a nice welcome it is. Classic, low-volume jazz BGM plays from behind the bar, where Manhattan’s quietly friendly master waits. Yasutaka “JJ” Mochizuki (JJ for jazz爺, jazu jiji, or jazz geezer, affectionately) is a supremely pleasant older gentleman in a spiffy getup and sometimes a NY baseball cap, naturally. Some of his jazz writing, Jazz Never Sleeps, is published on the Manhattan website and describes his long history with the Japanese jazz scene.

Manhattan is another tiny and beloved Tokyo jazz bar with a long history. Opened in 1985, it’s been run for 40 years by the same jazz lover who runs it today, and is a favorite jazz spot among dedicated locals and curious travelers alike.

The atmosphere immediately reads easy and comfortable, if a little dated. It’s an old-fashioned jazz-lover’s nook, and possibly contends for a tie with Thelonious for Tokyo’s current smallest live jazz bar.

With it’s homespun entrance and simple setting, Manhattan feels like a secret hole-in-the-wall where an authentic jazz atmosphere is maintained and celebrated by in-the-know musicians and regular patrons. But this storied venue is more well known than it appears, with recommendations and references found in local and international guides such as Time Out Tokyo, Japan Travel Navitime, Experience Suginami, and others.

Additionally, Manhattan’s reputation is raised by being located in the “jazz town” Asagaya district, known for having great live spots, an annual jazz street festival, and as being another stop on the JR Chuo train “jazz line”. Although, this is the kind of place that would be sought out no matter where it was located, with its inimitable personality in a tiny hideaway jazz bar providing authentic, no-frills jazz.

Small and narrow, this spot may not be great for the claustrophobic, with its narrow seating space and a leaning-in window ceiling and curtain at an angle, making for slightly lower headroom on one side of the room. Taller customers may need to mind their heads if they are seated against the wall.

While things in tuhe room seem may crammed together, the small space is used to greatest effect. An upright piano and drum set are nestled closely together by the entrance. An upright bass rests in a small alcove right next to the door, where the bassist stands and plays when the music starts. Front players (horns, guitars, vocalists) are indeed right up front, standing in the space before the first table and seats. Despite the closeness of the audience, the piano and drums are not overly loud. Even when seated up close, the live music is at a comfortable level and not too noisy, just real and raw and right in front of your eyes and ears.

As a result of Manhattan’s cozy layout and the musicians playing near the entrance, customers arriving during the performance may need to hang out just inside the door at the entrance, next to the upright bass player, to wait for a song to end and the musicians to make room for passage into the heart of the bar.

Manhattan also provides support for up-and-coming young talents, featuring regular jam sessions as well. As the shop’s signs and website include “Jazz & Live | Manhattan | Jazz School” and “Manhattan jazz school”, generous attention is paid to providing learning opportunities for enthusiastic amateur musicians. Scheduled times for jazz jam sessions, where local amateurs and jazz students can play with and learn from experienced local and professional musicians, are on slotted on the calendar alongside events featuring professional jazz performances. For students and amateurs, practical playing experiences are the essential ingredients found at these frequent jam sessions, where experienced musicians mentor and play alongside younger generations, a new batch of players, and with whoever shows up. Manhattan can also be booked for private lessons with in-house teachers.

Although Manhattan has long been a venue with ‘no smoking’ signs indicating such, at times, the smell of tobacco occasionally seems to leak in from adjacent snack and karaoke bars, along with the faint sound of party music. But in general, neither this odor or noise distracts from the vibe of Manhattan, and is all part of the well-worn charm.

In November 2025, Manhattan already has Christmas decorations hung up here, and, in the far corner, a small Christmas tree with lights on. Even in humble settings, the love for the space shows in the attention to decor and changing the setting according to the season. The owner, who is getting up there in age, makes these decisions and cares for his bar, his personal slice of the Big Apple in Tokyo. It’s good to see a cheerful attention to details — to the decor, atmosphere, and seasonal changes all in order to delight the customers and enhance the Manhattan environment.

With its unpretentious charm, Asagaya’s Manhattan is also relatively inexpensive. A recent kyukanbi (休肝日, liver resting day) ended up totaling only 3300 yen for one, including the live charge, a ginger ale, and a grapefruit juice. Of course, the charges do add up quickly, once food and alcohol enter the picture, but overall the prices are surprisingly modest.

A last note on finding this spot: With a name like “Manhattan”, online searches may be trickier than normal: Typing “manhattan” or “jazz bar manhattan” into a maps app will likely lead to spots in New York City, but trying something like “manhattan asagaya jazz bar” will get you to the right place.

Azuma does something a little different from typical jazz vocal albums, selecting songs for Footprints in New York that are great modern jazz tunes known originally and primarily as instrumental compositions. She covers a nice sample of jazz genres — bebop, hard bop, classic, contemporary, and so on — in what could be called a “non-standards” vocal jazz album, or a vocal jazz album for instrumental jazz lovers. Through this selection she also pays homage to master instrumentalists and composers including Chick Corea, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans. And, of course, Wayne Shorter, through his composition “Yes or No” and the classic “Footprints” referenced in the album title.

Through these fresh choices, her singing voice is in constant control of the tight NY-based quartet, powerfully graceful and confident. On some songs, she sings lyrics associated with or written for the songs (Corea’s “High Wire”, Parker’s “Confirmation”, Strayhorn’s “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing”, and Bill Evans’ “Turn Out the Stars”). On other songs, she sings her original lyrics in English or Japanese. Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” becomes “Jungle City New York”, Shorter’s “Yes or No” is “Another Yes or No”, Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” is “Now’s the Time Giant Steps”, and Benny Golson’s “Along Came Betty” is “Along Came Memory”.

In addition to her singing of lyrics, Azuma’s oohs, ahhs, and scatting sections are also featured in parts of different songs and throughout Shorter’s “Footprints”. As for the rest of the band, Scott Reeves on alto flugelhorn and trombone, pianist Mike Holober, guitarist Jesse Forest, bassist Robinson Morse, and drummer Paolo Orlandi never waver and share the spotlight with the vocalist for plenty of improvisational solos, often doubling or trading with Azuma and her pinpoint scatting and crafted interludes on several songs.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Ryu Yamamoto’s original Japanese liner notes.)

This is a substantial debut album from Osaka-born jazz vocalist Kaoru Azuma. I was surprised to find that lyrics were added to Monk’s “Beshma Swing”. Plus, they are in Japanese. Using the title “Jungle City New York”, she sings about the five years she spent in New York and the various worries, thoughts, and real experiences in that period. Listening closely to the lyrics, it’s really relatable. Maybe it’s because the lyrics are in Japanese, but when I listened to this song, I thought of 1970’s Taeko Onuki (Japanese singer-songwriter) and tuned into a clear sense of single-mindedness. This may have not entirely been the intention, but I really like that kind of atmosphere.

Several minutes after first listening to this CD, I thought about Marlene Ver Planck’s A Breath of Fresh Air and Cybill Shepherd’s Mad About the Boy, for some reason. Of course, the songs are different. Marlene’s album has “Mr. Lucky”, and Cybill’s has “Triste”. The instrumentation is also different. I wondered why, and it may be because I felt something in her of that energetic feeling of iki iki or kito kito (which is Toyama regional dialect for that very fresh, full of life feeling). It’s not that I know anything thing about her, but it’s something in her stance towards singing and music for jazz. You can feel the enthusiasm and spirit of a Japanese singer. I realized this as I continued listening.

And wow, isn’t the song selection tasty! This refined sense impressed me most with the inclusion of an excellent tune featured on the great Art Blakey’s Moanin’, Benny Golson’s “Along Came Betty”. Jazz singers don’t usually take on this tune. I wouldn’t have thought that she would pick this song, not to mention adding lyrics in Japanese. Plus, on her first release! I would love to have this kind of sense.

It also really feels like autumn. And, another discovery was hearing the instrument called the alto flugelhorn that sound almost like a trombone. This instrument is used throughout the album in amazing ways, and it’s great.

Wayne Shorter’s “Yes or No”, Thelonious Monk’s “Bemsha Swing”, John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”, and Bill Evans’ “Turn Out the Stars” are more showcases for her skillful self-expression. In that sense, these choices are also examples of freshness. She expresses herself sometimes in English, sometimes in Japanese. It’s not Misora Hibari and Eri Chiemi from 50 years ago, it’s a modern feeling.

As the album was recorded in New York, the clear, bright sound of the musicians and recording team further elevates her performance. This is an album where you can experience the joy of immersion into a vocalist’s work.

Ryu Yamamoto

Obi Notes

“Tender and sophisticated” as not heard before, a jazz vocal album with a new sense.

Here is an ambitious release from up-and-coming vocalist Kaoru Azuma, joined by Mike Holober (piano) and others from the New York contemporary jazz scene, recording only songs primarily known for being instrumental pieces.

Audio and Video

• #1 “High Wire”:

• #1 “High Wire” (excerpt, alternative link):

• #2 “Confirmation”:

• #3 “Hana & A Flower is a Lovesome Thing”:

• #4 “Another Yes or No (Yes or No)”:

• #5 “Jungle City New York (Bemsha Swing)”:

• #6 “Footprints”:

• #7 “Now’s The Time Giant Steps (Giant Steps)”:

• #8 “Without a Trace”:

• #9 “Along Came Memory (Along Came Betty)”:

• #10: Turn Out the Stars”:

• Kaoru Azuma: Footprints in New York full album playlist

• Excerpt from track #4: “Another Yes Or No”

The nine tracks on Decision are entirely original songs from both Yamamoto and Kuribayashi, who contribute four and five compositions respectively. The paired sound of piano and vibraphone meshes well through their balanced playing, as the fingers, hammers, and strings of Kuribayashi’ piano innately bonds with the mallets, bars, and pipes of Yamamoto’s vibraphone.

Kuribayashi lends her voice to some of the songs as well, for an angelic effect that is sometimes layered multiple times in a fantastic chorus. This creates an elevated level of joyful beauty and depth to the music.

Decision was originally released online as a six-track digital album in the summer 2020, and later that year, was re-released on CD with three additional tracks.

The album opens with the slow burner “Lull in the Rain”, where Yamamoto and Kuribayashi take their time to set the scene, guiding listeners patiently into their world. #2 “Nobody There” is mysterious and moody, and brings to mind some of the Spanish, classical, and pop touches created by the great piano-vibes duo of Chick Corea and Gary Burton.

Track #3 “Look for the Almond Blossoms” lays out a straightforward jazz waltz, modern and contemplative. #4 “Déjà-vu” releases the beautiful chimes and reverberations of the two instruments with a grounded bluesy feel building to soaring emotions, with Kuribayashi’s voice adding another instrumental texture. #5 “With the Sound of Rain” is a pretty jazz ballad, gentle and refreshing.

The title track #6 “Decision” is a multi-part suite whose sections introduce dreamy rubato canvases, Joel/Jarrett/Folds-style piano rock, a multi-layered vocal choir, and dramatic developments as heavy and austere as a cathedral, magically conjuring images of medieval middle-earth ceremonies in misty forest glades. #7 “Piano Songs No. 5” is a chapter from Yamamoto’s collection of inspired songs, a peaceful, calming waltz interlude graced by vocal clouds drifting slowly above.

#8 “Mattina” as written by Kuribayashi, played as a vibraphone solo by Yamamoto, and is as innocent and nostalgic as the memory of carousel ride from childhood. Finally, the album wraps up with #9 “Mean a Lot to Me”, where the duo works together empathically to develop the same steady and composed musical feeling together, expressed in this finale as a complex mix of a gradually developing farewell suffused with the lingering reluctance to part.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Sumireiko: Decision (six-song digital album version on Bandcamp)

• Excerpt from track #1: “Lull In The Rain”

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes and commentary from Kazumi Ikenaga and Yoko Kobayashi.)

1.Waltz for Mars (Y. Kobayashi)

At our first rehearsal, Yoko Kobayashi said “These are communications with Martians.” I didn’t understand that at first, but after trying several times, I thought “Hmm, maybe this is that Martian feeling?” I headed into the recording with that in mind.

According to the composer, Martians and Earthlings (both children, apparently) are able to communicate well, and it’s pretty funny (laughs). For more details, certainly ask the author, please!

2.Kazekaoru (風薫る, Refreshing fragrant breeze in early summer) (Y. Kobayashi)

The two of use play roles where Yoko is a balmy summer breeze and I start as a gentle breeze that turns into a gust of wind like a bullet train speeding away at the end.

This soundscape revives distant memories. Once, on my way home from school, it was still a bit chilly and I started to hurry back on the road home, when a gust of wind seemed to respond and brush past my cheek.

3.Playground (Y. Kobayashi)

In the back room before our third live performance, Yoko gave me a freshly-written sheet music score and said “This is a song that I wrote with you in mind.” She even entrusted me to title the song. I felt the pressure, and I was thinking too hard on the first take of the recording, so I ended up going around in circles.

For the second take, I casually hit the drums with my bare hands, and I was just able to play as I returned to an innocent childlike state, thinking of nothing in particular.

4.Mrs.Hummingbird (Y. Kobayashi)

After Yoko’s comeback performance, a melody got stuck in my head during daily life. I thought, “Oh, what song is that, again?” I turned over some sheet music at home, and I noticed that it was that song. It’s exactly as if it were an old standard from long ago with a grand melody that evokes images of continents and oceans.

5.Konomedoki no (“Shimogaredoki no” no Urakyoku) (木の芽時の [“霜枯れ時の”の裏曲], Early spring [The opposite song of “Dry winter season”]) (Y. Kobayashi)

The trees are green, and the insects that have been living underground start to become active and make rustling sounds as spring approaches. The activities of living creatures begin in earnest. This song captures the light of their lives in the natural world as they support one another.

6.plastic moon (K. Ikenaga)

This is the title track of Plastic Moon, a 2010 album recorded in Denmark with the Magnus Hjorth Trio. We kept fine-tuning the song on an old beat up piano in the corner of a cafe in Copenhagen a few days before the recording, and it was included as the album closer. Every time I can play with these wonderful partners, my soul is enriched, I take further steps forward, and I continue to develop. This is the third album to record this song. Yoko’s lively sensitivity shines through.

7.Wind Song (K. Ikenaga)

Originally, this was an improvised part from an original song. There’s a thrilling sense of excitement for what’s going to happen, and a feeling of spring. There’s also a light, pop-style effect that adds further coloring to the album.

8.Danny Boy (Ireland folk song)

Once during my childhood, we were moving house during the chilly season. After we finished moving, we lit a bonfire in the vacant lot out front. My innocent child’s mind was absorbed in listening to the adults talking about the work combined with the sounds of the fire and of the music. The sounds of crackling…crackling…pop! from that time remain with me.

Once the conversations had ended, it was almost as if a lamp’s fire had been gently blown out… After the adults were gone and the fire had died, a certain loneliness lingered.

Here, the drums express the bonfire, and the piano represents the adults’ conversation.

9.Bonne yeah rit…..。 (Y. Kobayashi)

According to the composer, this does not have a sense of melancholy, but the feeling of looking out absentmindedly from a room’s window and watching the hustle and bustle going on outside (perhaps a big city, or somewhere next to a station in the suburbs?). It is just absently spending time listening to the city noise, such as the sounds of cars and motorcycles, and the voices of children coming home.

I have a memory from childhood when I would wait up late for my mother who worked night shifts. I kept myself entertained alone, feeling a little anxious and lonely while sitting at a window and watching the spotlight of a driving school across the way.

At a moment during the recording, I had the illusion that I had gone back in time to that memory, or maybe I was just daydreaming…

(Commentary: Kazumi Ikenaga)

Introduction

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those who have gotten this CD, Nearly Dusk / The Third Tribe (TTT).

On this album, I’ve been able to approach very closely a place that only this particular unit, Kazumi Ikenaga and myself, could imagine. This has became a very precious recording for me. At the same time, this is an album that offers a glimpse into some future evolution.

If I remember correctly, the first time I heard Ikenaga’s music was at Shinjuku Pit Inn before they moved, about 30 years ago. The cymbals were set very high, his long hair was pinned up on top of his head, he was filled with the energy of youth, and was having so much fun while playing very beautiful sounds. The image is still etched in my mind. (Note: Of course, I was also young at the time, and my bangs were precisely cut.)

At that moment, I selfishly thought to myself that I wanted to perform with this Ikenaga-san sometime in the future.

Since then, we’ve performed together many times during those long years, but it’s taken 30 years for this unit to officially begin in its concrete form.

I returned to playing live performances in July 2018, and it was something that took a lot of courage. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the music of drummer Kazumi Ikenaga supported me. Without him and his music, it may have been the case that I remained removed from music, shut away in my shell. I am also so grateful that he proposed the idea that we perform as a duo of drums and piano.

Fortunately, The Third Tribe (TTT) got started. I am convinced that the fact that were are a bass-less unit, and that the birth of this unit was 30 years in the making, are outcomes that were inevitable.

Yet, I think that this unit is just one small part of something, like a pillar. I feel that there is something profound about how this unit may expand, both in terms of composition and musicality.

Reflecting on it now, I think that the several years that I was separated from music were indispensable for me. If that had not been the case, I certainly would not have been able to reach the “point of departure” that led to me where I am now.

Last but not least, I would sincerely like to thank the engineer, Akihiko Goto, for his work with the recording and everything else, and Kei Sunayama for the jacket design.

Yoko Kobayashi

Yoko Kobayashi has been pursuing her own music since a time when there were far fewer people performing original jazz than there are now.

At first, her soft spoken style makes it hard to see the strength that is at her core as a pianist and her firmly established personal vision.

Her work depicts the poetic scenes of daily life, with wit and humor, and sometimes even fantastic illusions, in songs overflowing with charm that draw many people in.

It is this clear image that allows the performers to freely immerse themselves entirely in the performance.

There was a period a long time ago when we performed as a trio, and we shared a special connection every time.

Since then, there were many years that we spent where we each had many separate experiences. Now, this is where we meet again.

This time, it’s smallest configuration of a duo format where when one person rests, the other person performs solo. The canvas of open space allows for the fun of drawing a picture on a new piece of paper each time.

We play off each other’s sounds freely from our own positions. It’s like we’re constructing a building and decorating it together. Or, at other times, as if we’re back in childhood, running around the playground and making noise.

After being so absorbed in playing, the sun starts to set… This vision returned many times… It’s exactly Nearly Dusk!

Now, it’s our new unique culture not seen before, the start of The Third Tribe.

We hope that you will join us to watch how this duo evolves, and where we go from here.

Kazumi Ikenaga

Obi Notes

Here begins the history of a new musical tribe!!!
A prayer to the infinite universe, a completely new duo format and their shocking debut!!

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for Nearly Dusk:

• “Waltz for Mars” (track #1, alternate take):

• “Playground” (track #3, alternate take):

• The Third Tribe “Improvisation”:

• Live performance of “Waltz for Mars” (track 1)/“Full Full Company”:

• Excerpt from track #4: “Mrs.Hummingbird”

Echos follows her debut recording Tip of Dream (2009) and solidly establishes Chiba’s focus on original compositions evocative playing continued on her later albums Roguequeue (2015), Beautiful Days (2017), and Canvas (2022).

Liner Notes

(Translated from Fumie Chiba’s original Japanese liner notes.)

1.echo

Echo imagines a trio that reverberates and dissipates together and is often played at the beginning of our performances. This song received a finalist song award in the 2012 John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

2.dawn

As my train headed towards a place I was visiting for the first time, I had complex feelings of anticipation and anxiety mixed together. The dawn sky gradually moved from the east, overflowing with bright colors. I wrote about that time combined with my scenes from my imagination.

3.snow

I opened a window and, without realizing it, I saw the roundness of the sky’s ceiling through silently falling snow.

4.flow

Floating, the trio’s sound flows comfortably through space.

5.closer

In a distant foreign country, dancers step and clap their hands as they continue to dance on…

6.garden

A large green garden spreads out and brims with gentle feelings where a melody is played through warm bass tones.

7.parabola

Just as an athlete’s thrown javelin seems to go on forever drawing a parabolic path in the sky, this song also goes.

8.memai

This was originally a song I wrote thinking that it would be played by string or wind instruments. I perform this as a classically arranged solo carried on the clear notes of a Bechstein piano.

9.trinity

With a simple theme based on a trinity, the trio’s performance goes on to change kaleidoscopically.

10.H.M.

One song, recorded as a piano solo, was added as a epilogue to the album.

千葉史絵/Fumie Chiba/Piano

From Saitama Prefecture. Started classical piano at 6 years old. After graduating from Shizuoka University Graduate School, studied under Manabu Oishi and Yukiko Nishi. Studied composition with contemporary music composer Satoru Ikeda. Currently active in the metropolitan Tokyo and Yokohama areas.

Released her trio album Tip of Dream on June 27, 2009.

Her trio performed at the 2009 Yokohama Jazz Promenade Competition and won the Jazz Club Award.

In September 2012, her original song “Echo” received a finalist award in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. She likes rabbits. She also likes curry. She is blood type A and bad at organization.

铁井孝司/Tetsui Koji/Bass

Born in 1974. From Tokyo. With a father who was a woodblock artist and who loved jazz and classical music, he became familiar with various types of music by listening from a young age. Majored in jazz music at the University of North Texas College of Music. Studied bass under John Adams and Lynn Seaton.

Currently performing as a regular member of Shimpei Ruike’s band as well as with popular jazz diva Karen Aoki on the recording of her album Voyage and as touring support bassist, in addition to various live recording sessions in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area​. Received accolades as an arranger and composer, and supplied original songs and direction for singer-songwriter Yurika Ohishi’s third album gleaming line.

鈴木カヲル/Kaoru Suzuki/Drums

Started drums at a young age as a member of the Kawasaki Boys and Girls Choir. Received a scholarship in 1997 to attend the Boston Berklee College of Music. Obtained an artist visa and performed at events including a reception party for former American Vice-President Al Gore and as the opening act for Ray Charles. Returned to Japan in 2001 and is currently active in the Tokyo area as a member of groups including the instrumental band RF and Takeshi Nakatsuka’s support band.

Audio and Video

• “Echo” (track #1):

• “Flow” (track #4):

• Excerpt from track #2: “dawn”

The result is a boundary-pushing and vividly realized album centered around a six-part suite from Nishiyama, brought to life through electric guitar and acoustic piano. The two voices juggle dynamic changes and odd meters, novel structures, and riff-based comping rhythms that push the duo around edges as they race swiftly along paths in the fluid and melodic compositions. The musical story told in the suite seems to be filled with elements of fantasy, classical flourishes, and the energy of jazz fusion.

This is an album originating from two musicians who have a fondness for guitar-based bands like Dream Theater and Yngwie Malmsteen. The idea of the concept album that was popular in the 80s and 90s with groups like these, including Queensrÿche, Iron Maiden, and others, must too be a factor in the creation of this suite.

Nishiyama spent over a year composing Astrolabe and she wrote, edited, adapted, and performed the songs at intervals with Baba. Through it all, she maintained the goal of joining the separate songs in the suite’s tapestry of interweaving themes and patterns to tell a story where the plot moves through changes in tempos, meters, harmonies, and emotional moods.

Released in 2012, Astrolabe roughly falls in Nishiyama’s early-to-middle period between her first debut release I’m Missing You from 2004 and her current latest Songs from 2025. Up to 2012, she had already released several jazz piano trio albums as a leader of the Hitomi Nishiyama Trio and her Hitomi Nishiyama “Parallax” jazz piano trio. Her personal style has always blended smooth European modernism, classical pianist roots, and deep jazz studies. Add to that her equally recognizable compositional style that is filled with sublime melodies and beautifully intricate harmonies and rhythms.

The first six tracks on this album make up the “Astrolabe Suite”. In the liner notes (translated below), Nishiyama explains how the idea of writing a suite came to her, and the storytelling-like process she took with guitarist Baba in developing the chapters of the story over time.

No notes are provided about what the story’s concept is concretely, or if there is a fleshed-out plot with characters, scenes, and story arc, but listeners’ imaginations can be driven by what is gleaned from the song titles and how the music unfolds.

Track #1 “Aviator” flows at an uptempo pace with odd-meter measures and ornate syncopation decorating the piece. With some complex pieces, focusing too hard about what’s going on musically can interfere with the enjoyment of listening listening, such as when trying to identify and categorize the structural parts and how they connect like puzzle pieces. Yet “Aviator”’s opening flows along, rapidly and easily carrying listeners forward through beautiful melodies and mature, symphonic songwriting and playing.

The second movement is titled “Island”. This is a mid-tempo piece with the personality of a sentimental heavy rock ballad. A mysterious feeling arises from the shifting harmonies and close melodies, maintaining the sense of flying that was created on the previous track. The destination hinted at in the story (one possibly interpretation) moves from the perspective of the aviator to some remote island their aircraft landed upon. It seems that the melody and solos are also buffeted smoothly by the waves and glide over the terrain of the island like wind.

The next chapter, #3 “Voices in the Wind”, returns to a faster rhythm based pattern, where Nishiyama’s left hand pins down the rhythms like the chugging of a guitar riff. Still, harmonic grace bloom with refined filigrees of notes as classical, jazz, and rock root meld and the two musicians play with abandon. This part of the story increases the mystery with pulse-racing developments in plot as an unexpected phenomenon appears.

The suite’s fourth movement is “Underwater”. Strict time-keeping starts to dissolve and makes room for the duo’s rubato and flexible synchronicity. The guitar and piano both lead and follow indistinguishably as they stretch out for an interlude-like reflection in the peace and safety of aquatic submersion.

#5 “Dancer” frames an angular up-and-down march of folk-style joy as the music transforms into dreamy classical arpeggios with a touch of Ghilbi-esque fantasy. The elaborate spell of the dance provides a solution to the mystery or dilemma, but one that must be executed perfectly and step-wise like a dance, with all notes correct in place and in order.

The last movement, “Frontier”, shifts between free and solid time with several inner developments in meter and structure. Precise angles and curves are taken by the piano and guitar together, then piano alone in a solo break, then back together as the five-beat meter and rock-heavy rhythms build to a climax for the story’s satisfying conclusion.

Two more songs follow the six-part suite. #7 “Something I Can Do for You” is a lovely ballad that seems to relate indirectly some themes developed in the suite like memories of a dream. The last track, #8 “Still Moving…” revisits the oceanic tides implied in parts of the suite through a steady pulse and a double-note question of a melodic theme, alternatively comfortable and potentially threatening in its immense embrace.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hitomi Nishiyama’s original Japanese liner notes.)

I want to make a suite. This was something I had been thinking about ever since I wrote the song “Invisible World”, included on my 2008 album Parallax.

There was a time when I was in high school that I was addicted to guitar-based music like Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, and Dream Theater. It was just undeniably cool. There was a perfectly constructed beauty that was filled with respect for its roots in classical music and rock music, and I was fascinated by the large-scale compositions and the playing.

As fate would have it, now I’m playing jazz. With jazz music, both the piano and the guitar are chordal instruments, so it’s nice to have either one in a band.

I met guitarist Takayoshi Baba one time at a jam session during my student days, but we didn’t meet again after that, despite the fact that we both often performed in the Kansai region. However, on the very same day as the final round selection of the 2005 Yokohama Jazz Promenade Competition, there was a Gibson Jazz Guitar Contest finals competition. I later heard from many people in Kansai that he also won the grand prize, and what’s more, we ended up playing the same selection of standards at our respective competitions! Just as I was wondering about what kind of player he had become, he showed up at one of my live shows to listen to my performance for some reason.

It was then that we talked about doing something together, and so I wrote the first song “Changing” (included on Parallax). We initially performed this as a duo. Since one aspect of Parallax itself contained the image of a pop guitar trio, we later invited Baba Takayoshi to join as a guest for Parallax concerts. I wrote “Invisible World” for our first performance together. That was when I started to feel that I wanted to write more music in this direction.

At that time, however, drummer Takehiro Shimizu was going to be moving to the United States, so the Parallax trio would be on hiatus following that. That was the beginning of this duo suite project.

This suite consists of six movements. Each movement took considerable time to compose, and the entire suite took one year and three months to complete. I rewrote it and unraveled it many times, but it was a very fun process. It was like I was writing a story about a place, thinking about where to head for the next adventure, while talking to Takayoshi Baba about this and that and searching for a way to perform what I’ve written. One thing we had in common was we had both been listening to the same guitar music at around the same time, so it was easy to share the same vision. Additionally, as a jazz player he’s extremely quick-witted. Of course, I was making a lot of parts for ad-libs all over, so while I included the elements of improvisation, there was also the enjoyment of “creating something”.

After completing the story, naturally I wanted to make it a book. Like a bookbinding process at the end, this album represents the final packaging of this recording.

During that one year and three months, at our live shows we were presenting in order the work that had just been completed. The listeners who came to those events were also witnessing the creation of this story in the same way. We thought to ourselves, wouldn’t it also be great to have listeners present in the final recording process as well? During a short one week period, we recruited supporters at our performances and invited them to observe at the recording studio.

For this album, the suite is concluded in six movements. Personally, I feel that the story is not over yet, and I have a sense that the time will come for a sequel someday.

The act of making music is nothing more than growing and traveling together with companions, with all the worries, struggles, discoveries, and joy encountered along the way. Along the journey, you can also make new friends as well.

As long as I am making music, the journey continues.

Much appreciation and thanks go out to everyone involved in the production of this album.

西山瞳 Hitomi Nishiyama

Obi Notes

A collection of songs crafted with overwhelming compositional sense.
A sublime duo of guitar and piano create and expand a magical sound space of two interweaving instruments!

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Excerpt from track #6: “Frontier”

The large beast of the Hammond organ system includes the famous Leslie speaker system enclosed in a wooden cabinet next to the organ. This heavy box contains an upper and lower horn rotating at different speeds controlled by the player by increasing or decreasing their different rotational speeds.

As they play the keys, the musician can adjust the controls to create different three-dimensional effects: Doppler, chorus, tremolo, and phase modulations filter through layers of organ tones to change the vocal-like vibrato and breath-like fluctuations in the sounds spreading out through the room. Watching the organist manipulate the various dials, pedals, and switches, and hearing the resulting variety of amazingly different textures produced, is also a lot of fun, in addition to just enjoying the grit, groove, and beauty of the music they are playing.

In the past, for an extra viewing perspective, an angled, wall-hung mirror behind the organ allowed customers to watch the organist play the substantial instrument, which involves mastery of several keyboards using both hands and both feet operating different controls and bass note pedals.

Jazz organ is the name of the game here, yet on certain nights, the organ rests to make room for a variety of other instruments, including the grand piano that is usually nestled away to the side of the organ.

From first track, Omura’s “Sheep Wash”, you can immediately sense the great balance of dynamic energy and relaxed sweetness. The song’s bright swing and memorable melody initially seems simple but contains the subtle complexity of unexpected turns and rhythmic shifts. These qualities are found in all the superb writing and playing from Omura and Mooney, and the songs end up being finely crafted realizations of straight singable melodies that also act as reference ground for solo improvisations. While Omura plays drums on this first track, his devoted study to Indian tabla and music seem to be ingrained in his musical thinking as well, more so when he plays tabla and picks titles from Sanskrit words and concepts. (A different version of Omura’s “Sheep Wash” can be heard on Fe: Live at Virtuoso.)

While co-leaders Mooney and Omura showcase guitar and drums respectively and write all the music, solos from the other musicians on sax, piano, and bass are also highlighted. The sound and playing of these members’ improvised solos are rounded more than acute, pervading more than intruding, and elevate the entire group to a higher level. Mooney’s electric guitar sound in particular is pure warmth and glows with the clear sound of strings and wood as he channels his introspective ideas fluidly with an easy confidence through his fingers.

On track #2, Mooney’s “Wormcast” thickly threads an earworm melody through a modified blues, crawling up and down a repeated riff of mellow hopscotching harmony chords.

“The Word” (track #3) is also one of Mooney’s, where sliding guitar arpeggios and chords providing another back-and-forth harmonic backdrop for curious melodies to unfold and stimulate with a tinge of blues and groove.

Omura’s “Purusha” (#4) is next, a front-pushing astral journey, suspended with brief drum pauses transformed to a steadiness to keep attention pinned, looking to the adventure ahead as the melody searches for and leads the way forward over the cliffhanging music.

Track #5 is “Groove for Clyde” from Mooney, where John Ellis’ heavy bass clarinet riff locks down a deep groove to steady the polyrhythmic cycles, all producing the effect of a floating-yet-grounded contradiction for heightened interest.

#6 is “K.I. (Kaida Inspired)” from Omura, and it starts with an abstract chain, a single note pattern that quickly turns into a rhythmically intricate lattice of melody, drums, engaging chords, and wide-spanning solos.

This is another great example of how Mooney and Omura’s complex rhythms and repeated riffs are alive with interesting structures that are fine-tuned to gently challenge listeners without confusing them. In their music, crafted rhythms inhabit a large part of the musical structure and increase the creativity of each improvisers’ ad-libbed solos.

Track #7 is Omura’s “Ektaal”, where a repeated riff and tabla drums are surrounded by shakers, and delicate notes from the bass clarinet, piano, bass, and guitar. Ambient touches develop slowly as tabla becomes brushed drums, and the solos fade into and out of a lush background texture.

“Lord is Master” (#8) is from Mooney, where a deep hook of a bass clarinet riff and solid drum playing balance a difficult rhythmic construction for the most down-and-groovy style on the album.

Tabla returns on #9 “Dattatreya” from Omura, where open ambiance and free jamming gel into a intricate puzzle-box of an arranged-but-flexible medium tempo composition. This is perhaps the most striking take on the album, like a signal originating from the universe of Wayne Shorter.

The final track is Mooney’s “Maybe” (#10), a softly swaying tune with rich harmonies played in a comfortable bossa nova style with excellent improv spotlights, light brushes, and dashing drums for a lingering pleasant memory.

Liner Notes

(Excerpt of Davy Mooney’s words from the CD liner notes.)

This is the second project Ko and I have done together, a sort of sequel to 2018’s Benign Strangers. The pandemic put a monkey-wrench into our collaboration for a few years there, and I’m glad we’re back with The Word. Most of the five tunes of mine that we recorded are new; “Groove for Clyde” goes back a few years though, and is a tribute to the late Clyde Kerr, Jr., the man who led me into this jazz musician’s life, back in New Orleans. I wrote the opening riff of “The Word” noodling around during a wedding ceremony (I had to play very quietly). “Maybe” reflects my Brazilian influence, and my desire to write at least one Chico Buarque song. “Lord and Master” and “Wormcast” are fun with triplet subdivisions. 🪶 I really enjoy the juxtapositions of my tunes with Ko’s on this project. His are more positive and open, in contrast to my meticulous darkness. 🪶 Here’s to many more collaborations. This is the latest word, but it won’t be the last! — Davy Mooney

More album notes and song explanations for The Word are available on Mooney’s Bandcamp page for this album.

Audio and Video

• “Sheep Wash” (track #1):

• Album page with audio and detailed description (Bandcamp)

• Full album playlist (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #5: “Groove for Clyde”

While Abe’s band name “Life Memory Project” sounds as if it could be a type of memorial service product that adjoins death and melancholy (the mistaken assumption I originally had), it has a completely different meaning centered around life. The concept represents his goal of capturing and directing the daily events and life changes through his music. It’s similar to how a dairy is used to record the days’ happenings, but instead of capturing the past in notes, Abe directs his music and life forward by intention through his compositions, recorded music, and live events. It’s like a forward-looking planning system specifically constructed to pay attention to the immeasurably special value of each day.

The Simplicity is a 44-minute album contains seven tracks, five originals from Abe and two jazz covers. Right from the start and through to the last track, you can sense the fun the musicians are having on with medium- and up-tempo modern organ-flavored hybrid of jazz and rock with elements of funk. It swings with a solid beat generated by the bubbling-over drums, heavy organ bass lines, and warmly dense organ harmonies. Through it all, Abe’s good-natured slippery and screaming sax adds fire to the mix.

From the foundation of the type of jazz organ music that creates a living-room party atmosphere (visions of Jimmy Smith’s House Party are embedded in me, no doubt), the music is straightforwardly simple and enjoyable. Yet, as Abe’s roots come from funk, he adds freshness by incorporating additional arranged inserts, curves, and synchronized band hits. The immense sound of the jazz organ, with its different chunky riffs and percussive and expressive vibrato, is a big part of the music, as is the consistently nimble and active drums rhythms that knit and surround the music. Still, Abe handily controls the scene with his fluid and unrestrained long lines of quick improvisation over it all.

In addition to Abe’s five original compositions, two jazz covers are included as jazz touchstones: “I Remember You” (Victor Schertzinger/Johnny Mercer) and “Caravan” (Juan Tizol/Duke Ellington) are handled in a standard way to frame sax, organ, and drum solos, also with enough slight rearrangements and vamps to add Abe’s personalty, and that of his Life Memory Project trio’s sound, to the classic songs.

The songs stay immersed in that fun and funky swing jazz zone, sometimes alternating with the occasional Latin sections and interludes, on most of the music: #1 “The Simplicity”, #2 “I Remember You”, #3 “Believe in Yourself”, #5 “New Beginning”, and #7 “Caravan” are all cut from that mode. The two slower songs, #4 “Utsukushiki Hibi e” (To the Beautiful Days) and #6 “See You Around”, at slower church and ballad tempos respectively, add some healthy bluesy repose. Throughout the album the music moves forward and engages, and nothing distracts from Toshiki Abe Life Memory Project’s concentrated fun and positive energy. Perhaps that is the simple, singular, and satisfying concept expressed by the album title.

I recently asked Toshiki Abe his about the memories he had of Life Memory Project’s first album. Without hesitation, he responded about how fast they formed and recorded their first album, almost as one continuous action. The style and content of response reinforced the themes I had picked up on, that of forward-thinking, positive energy, and a hands-on, can-do attitude, all of which no doubt resulted in an instant simplicity of purpose.

Audio and Video

• Video of the recording of track #1 “The Simplicity”:

• Video of the recording of track #5 “New Beginning”:

• Live version of #4 “Utsukushiki Hibi e”:

• Excerpt from track #7: “Caravan”

There are some common impressions of hurdles that newcomers need to overcome with live jazz performances, and challenges with jazz in general for beginners. Jazz bars and clubs can seem hard to enter, especially on your own, and for the first time. What is the payment system? What music, and from which albums, is being played? Is it written down music, pure improvisation, noise? What’s a performance versus a jam session? When do I clap?

This article is aimed to help first timers navigate the world of jazz spots in Japan, with Tokyo as a base example. I hope it is also interesting for anyone who wants to know more about what it’s like to be experience live jazz music in Japan.

The topics in this article include glossaries of useful terms used in the Japanese jazz universe, what preparations to make and know about before going, and what happens at the venues. Finally, the last section of this article presents a descriptive example in narrative form of what it is like to go to a jazz club in Japan for the first time.

Basic Lingo

For some helpful terms that appear in Japanese jazz, here is a brief list of common words and phrases. Japanese translations are included to help when searching for or looking at venue websites and online information.

Useful Terms:

• Jazz: ジャズ (jazu)
• Musician: ミュージシャン (myūjishan)
• J Jazz: J・ジャズ (j jazu) Japanese jazz: What’s J Jazz?
• Live: ライブ (raibu) or ライヴ (raivu) Live music, often shortened to just “live” in Japan. Live performance concerts and events.
• Stage: ステージ (sutēji) A set, as in “1st stage” and “2nd stage” used to show the starting times for each set
• Leader live: リーダーライブ (rīdā raibu) A performance with the specified musician as the leader, the main artist, the key musician, or the star for the night’s event. Jazz musicians often perform with many groups concurrently, in many group formats such as duos and trios, and can be side-musicians or co-stars just as often as leaders. Using the term leader live for certain concerts highlights their main, signature performances as recommended and helps to elevate the visibility of those events.
• Jam session: ジャムセッション (jamu sesshon) A relaxed gathering of community musicians made up of amateurs, students, and professional musicians who gather together to practice jazz songs and improvisation using common jazz standards. Informal but organized. Also called jazz session. ジャズセッション (jazu sesshon).
• Session: セッション (sesshon) Usually means jam session, but sometimes used for an informal jazz performance centered around a leader or theme.
• Vocal session: ボーカルセッション (bōkaru sesshon) A jam session that is oriented for singers to join, as opposed to a jam session primarily for non-vocal instrumentalists.
• Open mic: オーペン・マイク (ōpun maiku) Commonly audience participation showcase for singer-songwriters and other genres besides jazz.
• Workshop: ワークショップ (wākushoppu) A class, lecture, or guided hands-on sessions for students of jazz.
• Regular customer: 常連 (jōren) or 常連客 (jōrenkyaku) or 常連さん (jōrensan) A regular customer at a certain venue, someone who is recognized for going there frequently.

About the Venues

The phrases jazz club, jazz bar, jazz spot, and others are mostly used interchangeably to mean any place that jazz music is featured, usually through live concerts, and sometimes through recorded music with a high-end stereo system and a fanatic’s personal collection of jazz CDs and LPs. However, perceptive customers may notice subtle differences between how the terms are used, briefly explained here.

Useful Terms:

• Jazz club: ジャズクラブ (jazu kurabu) Usually a venue for live performances. Club is sometimes also written 倶楽部, as with Tokyo Club / 東京倶楽部. Clubs may be more motivated to offer a “performance venue” or “listening” experience, sometimes with a pre-pay system, or even pre-sale tickets offered. Reservations are not necessarily required but sold-out events are possible. Some examples are Blue Note Tokyo, Pit Inn and JZ Brat. Sometimes include a restaurant-style menu.
• Jazz bar: ジャズバー (jazu bā) Usually a venue for live or recorded music and drinking. Some bars are more motivated to sell drinks, thus the use of the word “bar” with a similar bar atmosphere. Bars may offer snacks and light dishes, but generally not restaurant-style meals or complicated/cooked dishes.
• Jazz cafe: ジャズカフェー (jazu kafe) A jazz spot with good coffee or in a coffeehouse setting.
• Jazz kissa: ジャズ喫茶 (jazu kissa) A listening bar with recorded music. Usually a small bar for appreciating a curated selection of jazz while drinking. The atmosphere can be dimly-lit, authentic, and personal. (Kissa comes from the word kissaten 喫茶店, meaning coffee/tea shop, though alcohol is much more common now.)
• Jazz spot: ジャズスポット (jazu supotto) Any type of place for jazz, useful as an umbrella term to cover a wide variety of jazz-related spots. One famous Tokyo jazz club was named Jazzspot J.
• Live house: ライブハウス (raibu hausu) Live venues for jazz, differentiated from kissas, bars, and listening rooms by emphasizing live performances.
• Jazz joint: ジャズジョイント (jazu jointo) Another umbrella term, an older slang term made even more popular in the context of Japan with the success of the Tokyo Jazz Joints project and published book.
• Jazz fes: ジャズフェス (jazu fesu) Jazz festivals, like Yokohama Jazz Promenade, Sumida Street Jazz Festival, and Sapporo City Jazz.
• Performance space: (pāfōmansu supēsu) Usually a general-purpose venue which can be used for concerts, plays, and similar non-genre events.
• Listening room: (リスニング ルーム) A little vague, but can indicate a place for straightforward listening and music appreciation.

Before You Go

Understanding the System (システム)

Useful Terms:

• Daytime show: 昼の部 (or 昼 (hiru no bu, or hiru)
• Nighttime show: 夜の部 (or 夜) (yoru no bu, or yoru)
• Non-reserved seating: 自由席 (jiyūseki)
• Reserved/assigned seating: 指定席 (shiteiseki)
• All seats unreserved: 全席自由 (zenseki jiyū)
• No replacement/changeover: 入れ替えなし, 入れ替え無し, 入替なし, and 入替無し (irekae nashi) No audience replacement during the intermission. Customers may stay for both sets with one admission fee.
• Reservation: 予約 (yoyaku) There will be an online form, email address, or phone number for reservations.
• Same day (as the event): 当日 (tōjitsu) Same-day entry/reservation price, or price without advance reservations. The price may be higher than advance reservations made more than one day in advance.
• Few seats remaining: 残りわずか (nokori wazuka), also called zanseki wazuka: 残席わずか (zanseki wazuka)
• Full house: 満席 (manseki) Fully booked, sold-out shows (no tickets available).
• Sold out: ソルド・アウト (sorudo auto) Fully booked, sold-out shows (no tickets available).
• Waiting list: キャンセル待ち (cancel machi) A waiting list may be offered in case seats become available due to cancellations.

Some jazz venues include a System, or システム (shisutemu), or general information page on their websites, menus, cards, and signs. The system briefly explains their house rules, business hours, showtimes, reservations, and prices.

Most important is the establishment’s business hours. Most places open at night, about 30 minutes to an hour before the first show. Some places are also open during the daytime on certain days or holidays, to serve lunch or host daytime performances. There also places that are open all day, and a few places that are open all night for jam sessions and late night events.

Just as important when going to jazz bars are the live showtimes, or the start times for each set of a performance. Each set, or stage, constitutes about an hour’s worth of songs, usually about four to five tunes that may be a mix of original songs, covers, and jazz standards. For newcomers to jazz, this may seem different from some other genres, as many jazz performances are not always runthroughs of the group’s recent hits or albums. Many times, experienced jazz performers may not even decide what they are going to play until the day of, or minutes before the show begins.

The first stage is the set before the intermission, followed by the second stage. The listings for the stage start and end times are often fairly closely observed (although perhaps not as closely as Japan’s famously accurate and impeccably timed train schedules).

At most places, there are two sets of music per night separated by an intermission. There may also be one longer set, three sets, or different systems based on the venue and the event. This details will usually be described on their website.

For example, a schedule may show the calendar of events including business hours and live showtimes in a list, like these two days for example:

• MON 17: OPEN: 18:00 LIVE: 19:00~ & 21:30~ CLOSE: 23:00
• TUE 18: OPEN: 18:00 LIVE: 19:00~ & 21:30~ CLOSE: 23:00

This shows the venue opening at 6:00pm, the first set starting at 7:00pm, the second set starting at 9:30pm, and a closing time of 11:00pm.

As another example:

• 夜の部 1st 19:00〜20:00 2nd 20:30〜21:30
• 昼の部（土日祝） 1st 13:00〜14:00 2nd 14:30〜15:30

The first line shows that for evening performances (夜の部), the first set is from 7:00pm to 8:00pm, and the second set is from 8:30pm to 9:30pm

The second line shows that for daytime performances (昼の部) on weekends and holidays (土日祝), the first set is from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, and the second set from 2:30pm to 3:30pm.

Understanding the Costs

Useful Terms:

• Music charge (MC): ミュージック・チャージ (myūjikku chāji) Admission fee, per person. May also be called Live charge ライヴ・チャージ (raivu chāji) or Admission fee 入場料 (nyūjōryō).
• Table charge (TC): テーブル・チャージ (tēburu chāji) Seating charge, per person. Sometimes waived for bar seats (depends on the place, and may be rare).
• Minimum order: - ミニマム・オーダー (minimamu ōdā) Usually one drink/food order per customer per set (depends on the venue). For example, ドリンク類 500円〜 means that drinks cost 500 yen and up.
• Minimum charge: ミニマム・チャージ (minimamu chāji) or ミニマム料金 (minimamu ryōkin) A minimum amount spent (total bill) per customer.
• Service charge (SC): サービス・チャージ (sābisu chāji) or サービス料 (sābisu ryō) A final percentage charge (5-10%, for example) applied to the total bill. More typical at higher-end places (similar to a luxury cost), but not exclusively.
• Consumption tax: The current consumption tax rate in Japan (generally 10%). For prices including tax, you’ll see 税込 or 税込み (zeikomi). For prices that do not include tax, you’ll see 税抜 or 税抜き (zeinuki), 税別 (zeibetsu), or 外税 (gai-zei).
• Otoshi: おとし (otoshi) A small appetizer, a seasonal or curated “dish of the day” starter that comes automatically with a small charge added. A “table charge appetizer” served at certain bars.
• Otsumami: おつまみ (otsumami) Small plates, finger foods, or snacks typically eaten with alcoholic drinks. Listed on the menu for optional purchase when available.
• Other charges: Any other miscellaneous charges. For example, in some cases, if a customer does not order the required minimum number of drinks, then the supplemental cost of drink(s) required to meet the minimum may be added. One considerate Tokyo jazz bar, The Deep, has started offering take-home cans of juice or tea, in cases where the customer needs to fulfill the two-drink minimum, but only ordered one drink before leaving.

The venue’s system will usually list their prices clearly. This is specific guidance about what customers should to expect to pay for any given night’s performance.

The price system at jazz venues is made up of some combination of the following: table charge, music charge, and minimum orders/charges. Other possible charges are listed in the Useful Terms section above.

At first, it seems like there are a lot of possible extra fees to worry about, but this is really just information that the venue provides to make their price system transparent and clear from the start. Usually the presented bill boils down to music charge, table charge, and the cost of all drinks/food ordered, taking in to account the minimum order requirement (or minimum charge) to meet the rules.

This amount of detail regarding the various costs seems like a lot to understand at first, and you may be tempted to examine the final check to see how it was all calculated. However, usually just the grand total is presented on a simple customer receipt, a single slip of paper, in the end. You don’t need to worry too much about the breakdown or if you are being treated unfairly, such as with surprise fees or additional surcharges, which is why the system goes into price details up front.

What is the Music Charge?

Music charge (MC) is the basic admission fee for the live concert performance.

This term can be confusing when appearing just as MC and alongside other fees like table charge, minimum charge, and the rest. One jazz bar, Izumi, helpfully explains the charges in English for foreigners, as follows:

To first-time customers

What is Music Charge? Apart from food and drink, the fee paid for music. (Please refer to the ticket prices for concerts, etc)

Basically, it will be the performance fee of the performer. In general, like our venue playing live jazz music, it is not a ticket system but a charge fee.

• The music charge according to the musicians who perform each day. You pay the same price for music at any stage of the live
• There is a 10% consumption tax and 10% service charge.

What is the Service Charge?

Service Charge (SC) can be an unclear addition. What service are you getting? This additional charge may be added at higher-end restaurants or bars with well-mannered staff in nice uniforms, for example, similar to a luxury surcharge at a five-star hotel or casino.

Some venues explain their rules on calculating service charges. Here are some recent examples from September 2025 for a few venues (always check venues’ official websites for the latest accurate information).

• Velera jazz club has a 10% service charge plus consumption tax.
• Independence jazz club introduced a 5% service charge + 10% consumption tax.
• The Moment jazz club lists a 1,100 yen service charge

This additional fee is just another way that certain venues break down their fees for clarity. Many clubs do not have an explicit service charge, and just roll up all their fees into music charge and table charge to keep things simple.

When and How to Pay

Most of the time, payment is made when you are ready to leave, but some places use a pay on entry system: Pit Inn, Velvet Sun, Zimagine, and Bon Courage for example. In these cases, the admission fee is paid at first, before taking your seat. The fee may include one drink order taken at the time, while additional orders will be pay on delivery. This makes exiting easy, as you can leave without having to settle a final bill.

For pay on exit places, the admission fees, table charges, orders, and any other costs are calculated and presented for payment when you are ready to leave. This is usually not presented in an itemized invoice, and can actually be as simple as one single figure, the total cost in yen, written down on a simple customer slip.

In these case, special payment requests like splitting a check, or asking for an itemized receipt on demand, is possible, but may be a frustrating experience — for example, if many customers are filing out at once and there is only one person collecting payments. If a detailed receipt, split checks for a group, or other special payment situations are a concern, it’s best to mention this first.

Regarding payment methods, some jazz clubs accept credit cards or electronic payments, and a few clubs even have a pre-ticketing system to allow ticket purchases when reservations are made.

But still, there are still many jazz spots that only accept cash (in yen, of course). It’s usually stated on their entry sign or website information page. It’s not uncommon to see customers surprised when they pull out a credit card and are told that only cash is accepted. In those cases, if the customer does not have enough currency, they will usually be pointed to the nearest ATM or a convenience story with a cash machine.

Reservations

Making reservations before going to go a jazz club is often a good idea, but not an absolute requirement. If you are flexible with your plans and like to roll the dice, showing up without a reservation, especially as a single guest, usually works out fine. The downsides are possibly having a poor seat in the back, or being told that all seats were sold out. Sometimes leaving it up to fate is fun, but other times, making reservations is the smart thing to do.

Some places offer reservation forms on their websites (e.g., Blue Note Tokyo, Body & Soul, Pit Inn), or phone numbers to call to reserve a seat. Same-day reservations are often only available by phone.

On the other hand, making reservations shouldn’t be made lightly. Be committed to going, as it’s a nuisance to the owners to deal with no-shows, not to mention for other customers who could use those seats.

Sold out shows are not uncommon at both large clubs with popular events and small clubs where seats are limited. For nights where the musicians are known to be popular, or for clubs that you want to be sure to visit without any problems, making reservations ahead of time is recommended.

On the other hand, arriving early at jazz bars without a reservation, alone or in a two-person group, usually works out at most places on most nights.

Also keep in mind that many jazz spots in Japan are pretty tiny, and sharing a table with other customers is common. This can be the case with or without reservations. Rather than being an inconvenience, serendipitous meetings at shared tables can turn into highlights when friendly conversations become authentic, local experiences.

Snacks, Bar Food, and Dinner

When preparing to head to a jazz spot in Japan, you should consider whether you will want to eat there or to eat before you go. Since many nighttime concerts take place around dinnertime, it is convenient to decide to eat and drink while listening to the music, but not all jazz venues are equipped with food order kitchens.

There are certainly some great places with full menus, but the range of dinner options at different jazz spots can vary significantly. Some places have nice, full menus prepared in back kitchens, while others have simple home-cooking style Japanese dishes prepared right at the bar.

Other places may only offer bar food, snacks, and appetizers that come straight out of grocery or convenience store packages. Many of the simpler, smaller places for live jazz only offer lights snacks like dried fruits, beef jerky, a cheese plate, and the almost ever-present dish of mixed nuts and kaki-pi. Thin individually-sized pizzas, prepared simply and cooked quickly in toaster-ovens, are also common.

The best advice is to check the venue’s website beforehand to see what kind of menu is available. If you don’t know if the place you are going to has a full menu, then try to avoid arriving hungry. Bringing your own food in is never allowed (although there are one or two exceptions, allowing outside food/drinks is very rare). Check the venue’s online information for their menu and look at reviews and photos of the menu or food options to know what to expect.

If there is no other information, then the best assumption to make when going to a jazz bar for the first time is that there may not be a full menu, but snacks, light appetizers, and plenty of alcohol, should be available.

The Moment jazz club includes this advice on their event calendar (translated to English):

This restaurant’s menu centers around alcoholic beverages, so meal preparations are limited to appetizers and light snacks. We recommend that you have dinner before arriving.

Alcohol

It can seem that jazz venues specialize as much in alcohol as they do in jazz music. The amount of different bottles and varieties of whiskeys, scotches, liquors can be impressively stunning. And similar to wine, the different regional varieties of shochu (焼酎 shōchū, Japanese distilled spirits from sweet potatoes, barley, and other ingredients) and sake/nihonshu (日本酒 nihonshu, Japanese rice wine) can pack a delicious punch, and they make quite an impression when poured from their large and beautifully decorative bottles.

Many venues even implement a bottle keep system, whereby customers can purchase personal bottles of alcohol directly from the venue and identify them by name-tags, special straps and badges. With this system, the customer keeps their personal purchased bottle at the venue and can drink from it, with additional mixers, ice, or chasers, whenever they return.

While getting tipsy or liquored up once in a while can certainly add to the musical experience, it can sometimes be too much of a distraction, or even an unhealthy one. Everyone needs an alcohol-free day, a liver-resting day (the pun 休肝日 kyūkanbi), from time to time. There are also those jazz fans who don’t drink alcohol, but want to go to jazz bars without feeling the pressure of having to order alcoholic drinks.

Luckily, every jazz venue offers a small selection of non-alcoholic drinks, usually called soft drinks on the menu. Normally you can choose from ginger ale (dry, 辛口 karakuchi, or sweet, 甘口 amaguchi), oolong tea (ūroncha), orange juice, grapefruit juice, coffee, tea, non-alcoholic beer, and alcohol-free beer. There’s no shame in ordering from the soft drink menu, and ginger ale, oolongcha, and coffee are popular orders for many customers.

Smoking

The allure of a smoky, dimly-lit jazz bar filled with happy customers focused on passionate performers is an attractive one, and fits with the popular jazz image. Collectors of jazz records can no doubt easily bring to mind famous album covers with smoke-filled portraits or featuring players with lit cigarettes in their photos.

In the past, some Tokyo jazz bars were so small and smoke-filled that it was a guarantee that customers would return home with clothes, skin, and hair permeated with the smell of cigarettes. This was just part of the environment. I’ve even heard stories of places where the smoke was so thick, the audience could barely see the musicians on stage, and vice-versa.

These days, the rules and changes and the atmosphere has cleaned up a lot — as in, the air in jazz venues — and there don’t seem to be any establishments left where smoking is allowed inside. There may be a smoking corner or an area near the outdoor door where smoking is allowed, and it’s common to see customers go outside during the intermission for a smoke break. But, for customers who are allergic to smoke, you need not worry, as it’s no longer a part of the scene.

Going Alone

Some solo travelers or listeners may want to try visiting a jazz club but worry about going alone. However, many customers in Japan do go to jazz venues alone, men and women alike, so this should not be a concern. In addition, many regular patrons of jazz clubs begin to recognize one another from unplanned meetings at various venues, and it’s often easier to strike up a conversation as a solo customer as opposed to being engaged in a couple or group conversation that other customers may not want to interrupt.

Of course, like any other place, going to jazz clubs in couples and groups is also common, but large groups (more than four-five people, say) is not as common, as most venues are small with layouts that do not accommodate well large groups to always be able to sit and talk together. Even worse is the rare case that a large group makes a reservation and then doesn’t show up, making the bar owner worry over a large section of seating that was never filled, the money that was lost, and the other customers that were turned away due to no unreserved seats being available.

As for bringing children to a jazz venue, the audiences at jazz venues are mostly made up of adults, but I have seen parents bring their kids to jazz concerts a few times. Different venues may have their own rules about this, but as long as the kids are well-behaved and quiet, and not disturbing any other customers, it shouldn’t be a problem.

At the Venue

Walking In

How the venue handles entering customers depends a lot on their pay system, described earlier.

For places with post-pay systems, you usually just walk in, make contact with the bar owner or an employee, and then you will be directed to a seat, or be invited to choose any seats from those available.

With a pre-pay system, you will likely pass through a reception area to pay your entry fee. Then, you will be guided to your seat, if seats are reserved/pre-assigned. If not, you may be told that all seats are unassigned and you can sit where you like.

Note that in many small jazz clubs, it’s common to be seated next to or at the same table with other customers, with or without reservations.

If you have bags, coats, or small items that you would like to remove, there are usually baskets under the seats or close by that you can use to store your things, instead of on nearby chairs or tables.

Arriving Late or Leaving Early

Regarding the opening and start times, customers may arrive and leave at any time, but most people try to follow the schedule. That is, they try to arrive before the start time, and leave after the end time, to avoid disturbing the musicians and audience, and to be able to enjoy the entire show.

Of course, Japan is a busy place where working overtime is common, which may cause late arrivals. Plus, when returning home after a show, there can be long transit times for some out-of-city dwellers. Also, there are unpredictable events like trains being affected by weather and accidents. Late arrivals and early departures are sometimes unavoidable for totally justified reasons. At those times, customers will usually go out of their way to politely enter or disappear with a minimum of fuss.

Having said that, there are some places that are so small that arriving, leaving, or going to the restroom during a performance basically requires walking through the stage area, and the musicians may have to physically move or reposition their instruments to allow customers to pass. (Asagaya’s Manhattan [web, map] and Kita-Senju’s Birdland [web, map], for example). At these places, customers will usually try to time their entrance or exit to take place between songs, at least, for a minimum of disruption.)

Audience Replacement

Most jazz bars have a “no replacement” or “no changeover” system, meaning customers can stay for both sets for one price, in a two-set system, for example.

The term for this was listed in the terms section earlier: 入れ替えなし (with spelling variations such as 入れ替え無し, 入替なし, and 入替無し ) irekae nashi, literally meaning no replacement/changing.

This means no audience turnover/changeover during the intermission. With few exceptions, it is the norm to pay one admission price to be able to stay for the entire night, which usually includes two sets of music by one band.

While most places allow customers to stay for both sets when paying one admission price, some places do turnover the audience during the intermission. These are usually higher-end venues like Blue Note Tokyo, especially when particularly popular or famous acts are featured and demand is high. In these cases, the system should be clearly stated, and the venue will ask that customers leave or purchase a separate admission ticket for each stage. The standard rule regarding audience replacement for any particular venue is usually indicated on their website. Fortunately, most of the time, it is it 入れ替え無し (no audience replacement).

Talking and Conversation

Like any other place, conversational talking at your table is normal and allowed before the music starts, during the intermission, and after the music concludes. In fact, it’s not uncommon for strangers seated at the same table to strike up a conversation and make small talk.

In almost every case, however, talking during the performance is not allowed. Many jazz fanatics come to live events to listen closely to the music, and jazz venue owners will sometimes politely ask that any loud customers hold their conversations until the end. Plus, the performing musicians (listening to one another with especially attenuated ears) strive for inspiration and energy as they improvise on stage, and, unfortunately, random voices and other noises from the audience can negatively impact their concentration.

That said, it’s also common for the tuned-in audience members to regularly clap, or even whoop and exclaim, after an improviser’s particularly impressive solo section during the songs. This can be another big part of the fun and a way to become one with the event and the music.

Musician and Song Introductions

During the concert and between songs, the leader will often use the mic to take a few minutes to introduce the band and thank the audience for coming. Many times, they also will announce upcoming concert or tour dates, promote their new album, or tell an anecdote or two about the origin or meaning of some of their songs.

I was initially surprised at how much MC-ing (‘Master of Ceremonies’ mic-work, not ‘Music Charge (MC)’ from earlier) there was at some concerts. Some musicians can be as skilled as minutes-long monologues as they are on their instruments, telling funny stories about recent tours, the origins of their songs, or their on-stage partners. This is all part of the fun, and it’s an extra benefit to be able to get to know the people behind the music as part of the show. Even if you don’t understand Japanese, a lot of personality comes through their way of speaking, which can be a lot like the way they play music.

Taking Photos

While taking a few photos politely and discreetly is usually not a problem at a jazz venue, in general, taking photos in overt or distracting ways during performances is frowned upon. Most places have their own rules about this, clearly stated or otherwise understood.

Some places have signs declaring “photography not allowed.” That’s right, some clubs have a strict “no photographs during the performance” rule, sometimes more softly phrased in Japanese as “Please refrain from taking photos during the performance.” The rule may not be clear at first, but a staff member may ask customers directly if they see them taking photos in a no-photos venue.

However, there are many jazz spots where taking photos is allowed during performances, although the rules may change based on specific performers or events.

The manner of taking photos is also important. Using flash or auto-focus spotlights is a no-no, and loud, audible camera sounds are distracting. Restraint is also key, and if a customer is taking too many photos, and holding up a bright screen in front of other customers, they may be asked to stop.

Even in a venue that typically does not allow photos, the rules can be flexible, depending on the situation. Some customers will quickly snap a photo or two, without flash or shutter noises, at the end, during an encore, or after the last song has stopped and the musicians stand for final introductions during applause.

When unsure of the rule, it’s usually smart to first watch what others are doing, try not to stand out, and to follow the behavior of other customers. If you don’t see anyone else taking photos, then it is probably because this venue doesn’t allow it. To be sure, customers can also politely ask the staff or musicians beforehand if taking one or two photos is okay.

For clarity, some places have recently begun to set specific rules for photography. For example, photos may be allowed only during the last song of a set, or maybe just the encore. Sometimes, photos are not allowed at all during the music, but the musicians will stay for group photos on stage after the performance. Interested customers may also be invited to take photos with the musicians after the performance if time allows.

The reason that taking photos is often prohibited is in consideration for other customers and the musicians. Shutter sounds, bright flashes, and the glow of screens can be a distraction to all and lessen the impact of the music or even disturb the performers to the point that the music suffers. The musicians may also have a harder time concentrating, improvising, connecting with their band mates, and reading the music in front of them, when auto-focus lights, flashes, or camera lenses are pointed towards them.

Lastly, taking videos and audio recordings is almost never allowed, unless it is organized and approved by the shop owner and musicians beforehand.

Tipping

Tipping is not a common custom in Japan, and similarly, tipping jazz musicians is pretty much never done at jazz clubs in Japan (there are some rare exceptions). Also, tip jars are almost never seen. In general, tipping is not something that you ever need to think about at jazz spots in Japan.

Having said that, there are some places that hold free performances, and at these events, tips may be requested for the musicians. For example, the jazz spot A-Train lists many events on their calendar with the fee is listed as “Tipping”, instead of more common admission fees of around 3000 yen. In such cases, for figuring out what to tip, tipping with bills (1000, 2000, 3000 yen, for example) is the norm, and not with coins. As always, use your judgment with consideration for the musicians and the establishment.

In general, tipping is never expected or required, but in those rare cases with a tipping system, it will be stated or otherwise made obvious when it is in use. As with the A-Train example, it may be stated explicitly on the schedule, or on a sign near the entrance. At those times, a tip jar or bucket may even be passed around at the end of each set.

Encores

As the music progresses from the first set, the intermission, and the second set, the leader will often announce when they are about to play the last song for the night. After the last song ends, the final applause from the audiences may start to gel into one unified, steadily repeating slow clap that is a request for one more song.

Performing an encore is fairly common, and many musicians will come to their gig with a chosen song in mind as part of their set list. That is, those band leaders that do prepare a set list in some form may have also thought about the encore. Some leaders will improvise and decide what to play based on what feels right in the moment. Sometimes the leader will think for a few seconds and start to play any song that comes to mind, trusting that their experienced partners know all the standard material and can handle anything that comes their way.

After the Show

Many jazz bars will continue to play background music and sell drinks for a while after the live performance is over. Other places will start to close down the shop, and perhaps play a few songs as customers pay and exit.

This post-concert time is also an opportunity for customers to buy any CDs that the musicians brought to sell and sign. Sometimes, customers will also take photos of the musicians together on stage, or even join them for a photo together and for some brief conversation. The musicians may also have brought fliers and printed-out schedules to distribute during the intermission and after the gig.

A Typical Scenario: First Time at Salt Peanuts

Although the experience of visiting a jazz club is not like a movie with surprises or critical developments that could be given away prematurely, some visitors like to be surprised and enter with an open mind. So, in the spirit of “no spoilers”, I recommend skipping this last story-like section if you’d rather go in without a preconceived image of what it will be like to visit a jazz club in Japan for the first time.

Scene: About 7:00 pm on a cool fall night in Tokyo.

You’re a solo traveler in search of live jazz and heard about this place called Salt Peanuts in Tokyo. You get off the train at Ekoda station and walk through a few winding streets when you spot an illuminated sign that says “JAZZ BAR” with some Japanese that you can’t quite read… but this must be the right place.

You take the stairs straight down and open the heavy steel door to find a dark space with half-a-dozen tables spread from the front stage area towards the back. Since you arrived without a reservation, you hesitate by the door and look around for the owner, the barmaster Nanako-san, who is the sole staff member and who works here every night.

You stand near the entrance, make eye-contact with the man, and hold up a single index finger to indicate that you are looking for a seat for one person. (Of course, you know it’s not the done thing to look around and immediately head to a seat, unless you are invited to do so.) The barmaster points to an empty seat and says douzo, walks to the back, and returns with a hard plastic menu listing a lot of different drinks. It’s all in Japanese, but you know the basic words for beer bīru, Asahi Super Dry asahi sūpā dorai, and scotch sukotchī… or ginger ale jinjā ēru.

You look around and see that the musicians are sitting at the back table, thumbing through music sheets, and talking about arrangements. One is eating a small snack for energy before they play.

The front of the bar has a stage area where a grand piano, upright bass, and drums are set up. A back brick wall is painted pink and illuminated, and used as a display showcase for what seems to be a vintage racing bicycle. You remember reading somewhere that this was a bicycle-friendly bar, and that the owner used to occasionally change the decoration by rotating through his collection of bicycles.

The first set is scheduled to start at 7:30pm, so you check your watch and see you have about fifteen minutes to settle in and get comfortable. You have a table to yourself, but you notice another coaster with a slip of paper with a name on it nearby, and you figure that another customer has reserved that seat and will be sitting here when they arrive.

The barmaster asks if it is your first time here, and you say yes. He apologizes for not speaking English well and explains the basic rules of the bar (prices based on September 2025 system):

• The music charge is 1500 yen per person.
• The table charge is 500 yen per person.
• The minimum order is 500 yen per person and up, based on the drink(s) ordered.
• Adding it up, the minimum total charge is 1500+500+500 = 2500 yen per person, collected at the end.
• The snack system is explained: Using your personal dish with the variety of snack jars spread throughout the bar, you gently shake and pour snacks from jars into dishes.
• Other varieties of snacks are in the jars on the bar. You can take your dish to the bar, but should not move the jars between the bar and the tables.
• No talking during the performance, please.
• Taking photos is allowed, but video/audio recording is prohibited.
• Wi-fi code is available.

After listening to all that, at first you think, wow, this place seems strict… But then you realize that it’s a good faith effort to communicate across language barriers and make the customs as clear as possible, to avoid common misunderstandings or embarrassing problems later. The constant goal of venue proprietors seems to be to create a place for everyone to enjoy the music and have a good time, while selling drinks and/or food of course, but mainly to create an ideal live concert environment with a smooth experience for everyone.

Right before the music starts, the last few customers fill in, and someone takes a seat at your table. They seem to be a regular customer (jōrenkyaku) who exchanges friendly greetings with the barmaster. Soon thereafter, the barmaster brings that customer’s personal bottle of whiskey to the table with a bucket of ice and mixers to drink throughout the night (the bottle-keep system). Seems interesting, you think, I wonder how this works…

Several customers finish topping up their small plates with nuts from the jars on the bar and return to their seats. A few minutes later, three musicians make their way from the back of the room through the audience to the stage area, and take their positions at the piano, bass, and drums.

The music starts… and in a flash, it’s over. You were so immersed that the time flew by, and the next thing you knew, it was over. You remember the energy, the clapping, the song introductions and storytelling (longer and with more laughter than you’ve experienced at other concerts). You remember ordering another drink or two, and finding the bathroom all the way in the back. You remember seeing some people taking photos from their seats using their phones, and so you quickly snapped a few too, and you remind yourself to look at them later to see how they came out. You remember how, after the last song was played, the audience kept clapping together in rhythm, to convince the band to play an encore, which they did with in good spirits and with appreciation for the very receptive audience.

The intermission between the two sets of music also few by. The barmaster continued to play music from his selection of personal CD and LPs, some on display on the back wall above regular customer’s reserved bottles. You see a few titles you recognize as newer releases from local Tokyo jazz musicians that had come up recently.

Also during the intermission, your table mate struck up a conversation with you in English. After asking about where you were from and how long you were going to be in Japan, you both enjoyed a pleasant conversation about the musicians and jazz music. You even got some tips about other jazz spots that sound really interesting.

On the way out, you see a small pile of new CDs on the bar near the jars of snacks, and realize that these must be the new releases from the musicians that played here tonight. You immediately decide to get one, as both a souvenir of this night and also a tangible way to help support the musicians who played here and the live jazz scene in Japan. The musicians are very pleased to hear that you’re interested in their music, and after letting you know the price, you agree to buy one. They ask if you would like to have it signed, and you do, so they carefully open the plastic wrap, pull out an autograph marker pen, and ask you your name as they sign and date the CD for you.

Finally, you ask the barmaster how much your bill comes to. He tells you while holding up some fingers to represent the amount. No formalities of itemized paper bills or breakdowns here, but I’m sure if you needed one… You happily pay for a night of great music and drinks and plenty of snacks, and you leave in a good mood with irreplaceable memories of a fun first time out at a jazz bar in Japan.

Lastly

This covers some of the common patterns and information that I’ve collected over years of absorbing Japanese jazz culture. Let me know what you think, if I missed anything, or whatever you have to add. Is there anything you would like to know more about? Send me a message or leave a comment, and I will try to cover what I can in future articles. In the meantime, the next article will go into more detail about how to choose the right jazz spot to suit your taste.

As for the instruments Hitomi Aikawa is using on each track, the details are not listed on the CD or in the liner notes. However, clues can be found on her website, where a list of her percussion collection is displayed, and it can be fun to use your ear to try and figure out which instruments are producing the sounds you hear as you listen to Sweet. Her large percussion collection numbers in the dozens and ranges from mallet instruments (vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel), hand drums (djembe, cajón, congas, bongos, timbales), tambourines, castanets, triangle, cymbals, chimes, blocks, Afro-Latin instruments, and many others.

The track listing lays the songs out in an interesting sequence. There are a number of tracks were Aikawa plays alone, using different drum and percussion instruments for brief interstitial-style episodes lasting anywhere from seventeen seconds to just over a minute. In this way, tracks #1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 act as brief intermissions, like scenes changes between her longer songs. In these brief sketches, Aikawa creates rhythmic ambiance in an effective and transitionally interesting way.

Most of the album consists of her other, longer composed songs, averaging about four to five minutes each. It is on these songs where Aikawa has her special guests join her to make up a different format from song to song — not only do the guests change, but she herself switches between different instruments, like Afro-Peruvian cajón, hand drums, cymbals, chimes and bells, and marimba, vibraphone, and xylophone. Aikawa and her guests combine duo and trio forms such as Aikawa plus piano (Masaki Hayashi and Eri Uenoyama), Aikawa plus alto sax/soprano sax/clarinet (Hiroshi Suzuki), and Aikawa plus vibraphone (Megumi Hattori). Some of these group-based highlights are found on track #2 “Silver Children” with its ancient folk style melody with subtle jazz elements, the exciting 11-beat meter #4 “Basilisk” with its tricky shapes and lines, the refreshing early morning sound of #6 “Earth-colored Gem” (where Aikawa plays mallets, piano, and all other instruments alone), the dramatic and adventurous #8 “elk”, and the entrancing #9 “I’m good more.”

The final four short songs make up a suite starting with track #11. Here, the wordplay hidden in the album title finally clicks: suite/sweet. In addition, the title of each short song in the suite (“Choice” [チョイス], “Alfort” [アルフォート], “Marie” [マリー], and “Galbo” [ガルボ]) is also cleverly chosen, as each song names a famous Japanese sweet, a brand of chocolate or butter cookies and biscuits commonly seen in supermarkets and Japanese convenience stores. Inspired by the sweets, Aikawa uses them as appetizing musical ingredients for creating musical visions out of them. #11 “Choice” is straight-laced with bubbling heat, #12 “Alfort” is a folky up-and-down march, #13 “Marie” is dreamy and melancholy, and #14 “Galbo” is a swift jazz-classical quickstep to the exit.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hitomi Aikawa’s original Japanese liner notes.)

01. Sand (砂, suna)

A gray town.
Children are running around in a cloud of dust.

02. Silver Children (銀色の子供たち, gin’iro no kodomotachi)

Ever since the day I saw a certain image, there are some “eyes” that I can’t forget. Iron can be used in many ways, right? It can be made into musical instruments, or weapons.

03. Moon (月, tsuki)

Whether we are looking up at the moon, or when it’s hidden behind clouds, the moon keeps glowing. It’s amazing that it keeps shining even when no one’s looking.

04. Basilisk

It’s not that I wanted to write a song with an 11-beat meter. It was that, when I was writing, one eighth-note was missing.
Come to think of it, it seems that the world is filled with things that we must pretend not to see, or that we mustn’t look at.

05. Play (遊, asobu)

I’ve recently come to think that when adults use the word “play”, it may actually mean taking a break.

06. Earth-colored Gem (地球色の宝石, chikyū-iro no hōseki)

I’ve been alive in this world for 34 years.
The earth is 4.6 billion years old.
It’s such a small and insignificant thing, the self.

07. Ice (氷, kōri)

I really want to try to see an actual aurora.

08. elk

The story of the elk, the king of the forest.

09. I’m good more

It’s often said that as long as you’re living, things are good.
In the past, I didn’t really believe that, but now I truly do.

10. Dance (舞, mai)

I’ve been told that in a past life, I was a gypsy with a tambourine.

Sweet Suite

11. Choice (チョイス)

Life is always a game of options, like a ladder lottery where you can choose where to draw your own lines. In my case, many others have taught me the method of how to draw the lines.

12. Alfort (アルフォート)

Tranquil scenes of a pastoral song, sheep, mountains, blue skies, delicious air, and meadows.

13. Marie (マリー)

The profile of a woman.

14. Galbo (ガルボ)

No matter how much I chase, I just can’t reach it.

It’s only because of the people who support me that I can spend my life in music.

Being able to meet wonderful people, and to converse with them

is the same as encountering wonderful sounds and playing music.

I cherish the sounds that were delivered to me by Masaki Hayashi, Hiroshi Suzuki, Eri Uenoyama, and Megumi Hattori.

And I would like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who got this CD.

Thank you very much.

Hitomi Aikawa

Audio and Video

• Hitomi Aikawa playing “Basilisk” (track #4) on piano, marimba, and percussion:

• Hitomi Aikawa playing “Elk” (track #8) on marimba, piano, and percussion:

• Excerpt from Hitomi Aikawa on djembe and cajón (solo performance):

• Excerpt from track #1: “砂 (Sand)”

On Mowna, the returning members from Yamaguchi’s sextet are Hiroko Mase on soprano sax, Hinata Ishii on tenor sax, and bassist Yamaguchi, and newly added members for this release are pianist Toshihiko Kohno and drummer Tomoyuki Okabe.

The word used as the title of the album is an unfamiliar one in both English and Japanese, but an explanation surfaces in small lettering on the front cover:

In Hindu philosophy, MOWNA (Silence), which has a voice of its own, refers to peace of mind, inner quietude, Samadhi and the Absolute Reality.

As Yamaguchi goes on to explain in the liner notes, the music he writes centers around a concept of inclusion and harmony, of welcoming in new listeners while satisfying the already jazz-acquainted. As a result, the music is nice straight-ahead jazz, relaxed and to-the-point frameworks that include pleasing two-horn harmonies (soprano and tenor sax) and plenty of room for uninhibited improvisation from the soloists.

Listening to the hard bop and walking beat of the band brings to mind the music of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the sounds of Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean (esp. track #6, “The Puzzle”), and the modern touch of Benny Golson compositions. There’s sophistication and elegance in the grounded approach. And, once you read the liner notes and the subtitle, a deeper vibration begins to appear: Yamaguchi’s search for peace and truth, inner calm and wisdom, while observing what’s around you, and reacting with confidence as the plan adjusts but control is maintained.

Yamaguchi’s nine songs are steadfast in their fulfillment of his concept. Track #1 “For George” is immediately easy to listen to and to understand, bringing outsiders into the fold quickly. Yamaguchi’s straight-ahead bass walking and Okabe’s pinpoint drumming anchors the good vibes and twin saxophone melodies that ornament the prologues and epilogues to the bulk of the songs, that is, the jazz solos. Also straightforwardly done, most of the improvisation space is allowed to soprano sax Mase and tenor sax Ishii. Pianist Kohno takes his fair share, as well, captivating and swinging. Yamaguchi features his own bass solos just a few times, composed while keeping the music solid and rooted throughout.

The next track #2 “The Search For Wholeness” lays out a calmer melody of peaceful stabilization over smooth Latin downbeats. #3 “Mowna” follows suit like a teacher guiding the calm melody over calm changes. #4 “Reaching The Peak” increases the tempo for elevated excitement, and #5 “You Know Something?” brings the pace back down for a breather, allowing time for pondering questions and considering answers… maybe as a prelude to the next track.

#6 “The Puzzle” is slightly aggressively tinged in order to stimulate the senses, where the composing is more Jackie McLean than Benny Golson. #7 “What Are You Seeking For?” bring further good-feeling swing moments, with swing/Latin switch-offs that pop up in several of the tunes on the album a la the Horace Silver or Jazz Messengers style. #8 “Daphne Odora” is another Latin-beat tune with a locked-in pulse and energetic solos from the two saxes. Finally, #9 is a peaceful final word, a piano feature that Kohno beautifully paints from start to end, while the horns provide soft harmonies and the steady bass and drums reassure us, on the way out, that everything is in good hands and will be fine.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hiroyuki Yamaguchi’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Yamaguchi Hiroyuki Quintet

Formed during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and held their first performance in December of that year. Played songs from the previous release Inner Perception/Thursday Night Sextet (What’s New Records, ) as a quintet. Received positive feedback and started composing new songs for the quintet immediately. Performed a live concert on April 24, 2021, from a repertoire of all new songs.

We continue to play concerts to realize the concept introduced in the previous release: To make melodies that linger in the hearts of those don’t normally listen to jazz, as well being appreciated by jazz fans.

The Musicians

紅野智彦 Toshihiko Kohno
(piano)

We first performed together in 2003 at Takadanobaba Intro. He has innumerable points that are wonderful, such as his gracefully swung eighth notes, finely controlled accompaniment, and tasteful backing chords. We performed together as part of Hiroshi Murata & The Bop Band, and at Asagaya Manhattan as jam session hosts. Since 2015, he’s been a steadfast pianist in my Thursday Night Sextet (TNS). He’s active as a leader of his own trio and as one of the most dependable sideman musicians.

ませひろこ Hiroko Mase
(soprano saxophone)

We first performed together at Asagaya Manhattan in 2015. I was amazed by her great technique, tone, poeticism, and rhythmic precision. She’s been a member of TNS since 2018. Despite having only a short preparation time before we recorded our previous album, she gave an incredible performance. She possesses a talent for deeply understanding the band’s repertoire and turning what is written on the page into gorgeous music. She has also released her original work with her “Multiverse Suite” project, and is involved in a diverse range of activities.

岡部朋幸 Tomoyuki Okabe
(drums)

We first performed together in 2020 at Odawara Spats. His tone is beautiful, and there’s a spring in the combination of his ride cymbal and hi-hat that gives a superb liveliness to the music as it pushes it forward. He immediately became a part of the quintet. His personality can be sensed in his how listens closely to the sounds around him and elevates the music to a conversation with ideas that fit the situation. He has experience studying abroad in Detroit and has recorded with the world-renowned bassist Rodney Whitaker.

石井ひなた Hinata Ishii
(tenor saxophone)

We first performed together in 2022 at Akasaka Bflat. I was impressed by his solid technique, poeticism, can-do spirit, and heartfelt performance. He joined the quintet in January 2024. He has the genius and ability to learn the repertoire in a short time and improvise high-quality solos. He started piano at four years old and released his piano solo album in 2022. Aside from jazz, he exhibits a versatile range as a member of a rock band and participation in overseas performances. He was 22 years old when we recorded this album.

山口裕之 Hiroyuki Yamaguchi
(bass)

Debuted with leading Japanese pianist Sadayasu Fujii’s trio. Moved to Tokyo in 2003. With experience drawn from being a part of many bands and sessions, currently serving as a regular bassist for groups including guitarist Yoshiaki Miyanoue’s band, trumpeter Hiroshi Murata & The Bop Band, and guitarist Jun Satsuma’s quintet. Acclaimed for his steady beat and rich tone. Released his first leader album Inner Perception in 2018. Working on making his own music from the heart.

Performance Notes

#1. For George

A piece for alto saxophonist George Robert. I was inspired by the performances of his double-leader band with Tom Harrell. In 2016, he passed away due to leukemia in his home of Switzerland. (He was 55 years old.)

#2. The Search For Wholeness

A quote from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, an author who influenced me. The book asks, if by being captured by the past or future concerns, are you overlooking the present moment?

#3. Mowna

From the Sanskrit word for silence, maunam. A quote from the Indian philosopher Ramana Maharshi.

#4. Reaching The Peak

A song to describe the feeling of “We’re almost at the summit, let’s go for it!”

#5. You Know Something?

“Hey, listen to this…” Try to imagine the content of the story that follows.

#6. The Puzzle

Not about a puzzle game, but about someone who bewilders those around them. The song itself also strikes a confusing atmosphere.

#7. What Are You Seeing For?

From The Power Of Now, mentioned above. The words speak for themselves.

#8. Daphne Odora

The scientific Latin name for winter daphne. The song describes the fragrance of spring.

#9. Daydreaming

The image of being lost in thought in those intervals of free time.

Lastly

At a time when CDs that do not include famous songs may not sell well, and when subscription services are so popular that many people don’t own CD players, it may seem reckless to release an album of all original songs on compact disc. But, even if just one person likes a song on this album, I’ll be happy. I am grateful to everyone who bought this album, those who support us at our live shows, the band members, and the recording engineer.

山口裕之 Hiroyuki Yamaguchi

Obi Notes

Refined two-horn arrangements of melodies that will linger in the hearts of anyone who hears them

The long-awaited new album from bassist Hiroyuki Yamaguchi

Mowna

Hiroyuki Yamaguchi Quintet

Audio and Video

• “The Search For Wholeness” (track #2) — live performance:

• “Mowna” (track #3) — live performance:

• “Daphne Odora” (track #8) — live performance:

• Excerpt from track #1: “For George”

Many jazz spots in Japan take their names from familiar songs, jazz standards, and album titles, and this custom becomes a sort of a secret code that jazz fans can use to recognize places that draw them in. This can also be a reliable way to know where a shop’s mind and heart are directed.

On A Slow Boat To… (aka SLWBT2) is a small cafe offering coffee and jazz in the Jimbocho district of Tokyo. While the name of this cafe references the well-known song and its descendant old-timey catch-phrase, the cafe’s introduction also cites an early short story by Harumi Murakami with the same title. Like the song’s meaning of taking a lengthy journey, the shop explains that their setting aims to be a place where time slips away, yet where there is plenty of time to relax and listen to music. The trailing off nature with its ellipses … indicates that the destination, unplanned or unfinished, can be up to you, and you can take your time getting there.

This shop operates during the day as a coffee shop and offers occasional workshops, events, and live performances on certain nights. The owners take care to offer hand-drip coffee from a selection of their hand-roasted coffee beans. Lunch options include keema curry, pasta, and similar dishes, and sweets include scones, rare cheesecake, and carrot cake.

While customers enjoy their coffee or meals, jazz BGM (background music) fills up the room. Big wooden speakers are set at the inner wall and set for great sound, faithfully reproducing with mellow, rich, and warm sounds of music played through LPs and CDs. Once I noticed some customers (regulars, or friends of the owners?) bringing in their just-purchased CDs from the nearby Disk Union shop to request a spin on Slow Boat’s system as they enjoyed their coffee and conversation.

The hot coffee here uses a nel drip technique, a hand-drip style that uses a flannel cloth filter to improve the taste. It’s all handmade: hand-roasted, hand-selected beans, and hand-drip pour-over coffee. The owner takes coffee seriously, and it tastes seriously good. For food, the keema curry is also popular. It’s a house specialty made with up to 17 spices and no water, just daikon radish and tomato. It looks, smells, and tastes delicious, and is a perfect partner to some strong coffee.

The atmosphere at On A Slow Boat To… is very friendly, just like a modest and honest family-run business should be. Every detail, from the menu, music, and decor, has been carefully considered by the owners. Customers can immediately notice that it is a nice comfortable place overall where you can relax with good music and good people.

Live performances at On A Slow Boat To… are irregular but savored, and advance reservations fill up quickly. At these events, customers pay first upon entry, receive a printed menu slip to pick orders from, and take a seat at a table or counter. As live events here are popular, and space is limited (there are only 16-20 seats available), fully sold out nights are common. It’s best to make a reservation ahead of time. Alternatively, stop by On A Slow Boat To… during normal business hours a stop on your way to the nearby jazz club Naru near Ochanomizu station, a classic and must-do stop for live jazz in Tokyo.

Printed on the cover of this album is the subtitle Plays Standards. It’s not unusual to see jazz album titles or groups that include the word standards — see Keith Jarrett’s great standards trio and set of albums — and it’s a smooth way to introduce the concept for the collection. As a result, fans of jazz piano trio albums will find familiar material in this latest album from the Takako Yamada Trio. Naturally, these song choices have been heard on other jazz albums in recorded history.

In particular with this tracklist, four of the selections are songs that the legendary pianist Bill Evans was known for and recorded famous versions of. Track #1 “I Should Care” (on Evans’ How My Heart Sings, Bill Evans at Town Hall, other live albums), track #2 “How Deep is the Ocean” (Evans’ Explorations, Jazzhouse, live albums), track #3 “Yesterdays” (Live at Ronnie Scott’s), and track #6 “All of You” (Sunday at the Village Vanguard, and many others). In fact, all four of these jazz standards could be said to be frequent picks of Evans and appear on his most popular trio and live albums.

Of course, being standards, other famous jazz pianists have covered these songs. These are tunes that can be often heard today in jazz student classrooms and community jam sessions. Yet, the fact that four of the six standards were also favorites of pianist Bill Evans gives a good indication as to the influences and style that Yamada’s trio is playing at The Moment.

It’s not just songs associated with the jazz piano of Bill Evans on this album, though. Track #4 is “When Summer Comes” by grandmaster pianist Oscar Peterson, a pretty ballad inserted mid-set for a relaxing daydreaming delight. Following that, track #5 is bassist Charlie Haden’s signature tune “Waltz for Ruth”, a highlight of Haden’s duet with guitarist Pat Metheny, and its lightly descending melody and drifting quality lend itself nicely to Takako Yamada Trio’s graceful style.

The last song is one of Yamada’s original compositions, played as an encore for the live set. The open chords and patient melody traverse the shifting major and minor harmonies as drummer Ko Omura taps out soul-deep rhythms on tabla drums, and the album’s final three minutes wind down in a vamp, fading away from these live moments.

As for the long-lasting power and admiration of jazz standards, pianist/writer Ethan Iverson’s recent article on standards (and today’s part 3), explains the term and provides many examples of how jazz musicians throughout history absorbed and transformed the original music and transformed the templates. His invaluable analysis includes four of the songs on this album: How the original sheet music for “I Should Care” landed with Thelonious Monk. The impact of “How Deep is the Ocean” on Bill Evans (and vice versa) and Chick Corea. The reinvention of “Yesterdays” by Art Tatum and John Scofield. How “All of You” touched Ahmad Jamal, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, Wynton Kelly, and Herbie Hancock. Like all masterful jazz musicians, they left their individual stamps on the standards, using the medium of the compositions as launchpads for their explorations.

Obi Notes

Live at The Moment

A special album recorded with an audience who was invited to wear headphones and compare the high-quality recorded audio with the live sound.

Takako Yamada Trio

Audio and Video

• Audio for “I Should Care” (track #1):

• Audio for “How Deep Is the Ocean” (track #2):

• Audio for “All of You” (track #6):

• Full playlist for this album

• Excerpt from track #7: “Hill Road-坂道- (Hill Road-Sakamichi-)”

The album brims with brilliant acoustic music full of clear harmonies and patiently developed melodies. The music reflects abstract themes represented by words in the song titles like movement (ways, roads), water (blue, dew, tides), and belonging and comfort (home, let me). The music is not abstract, however, but pinned down with the strength of conviction and personality that each player brings to the music. Each’s player’s identity does not dissolve in the trio but combines to create a new sound that is the sum of the parts. While there is, at first brush, a seemingly slow-moving surface that may describe meditative music as with a yoga playlist or a quiet church setting, there is an undertow of jazz, pop, blues, classical, free, and folk influences throughout. (It’s may be a high bar, but as a sound reference, think of concepts like Keith Jarrett’s Koln Concert…). There is depth and nuance in the confident calm, in the ebb and flow. Quietness and patience allow for the trio’s delicate touches to be more noticable and emotionally powerful. It’s not overwhelming, not sparse, but comfortingly present, familiar, pervasive.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Akiomi Hirano’s original Japanese liner notes.)

A day spent surrendering ourselves to making music as a trio.

We are grateful to be able to share this one-day, once-only performance with you.

Kazuma Fujimoto

I wish for the music to accompany the subtle lyricism hidden in fleeting everyday moments and memories.

Takashi Sugawa

For example, a deep shining ultramarine, a glittering emerald green swaying in a gentle breeze, a violet or azure blue that changes expression with every glance. Waves of multiple sounds coexist and overlap and expand like tides before they return to being calm. I imagined such a scene while listening to the finished recording. With love and gratitude to the wonderful team who assisted with this project, and to everyone who is listening.

Sumire Kuribayashi

A divine combination

It can be described only as a divine combination.

It’s a happy moment particularly encountered in live jazz.
A phenomenon where a special sound emerges only by the combination of certain players, a matter of chemistry that can’t be predicted or planned in advance. Even when it does happen, it’s a delicate configuration where the magic could be lost if one member is absent or substituted with another musician.

Although the mechanism of creation may not be understood, it’s clear that it does not happen through top-down commands or orders. Rather, it’s the opposite of having too strong a direction. The basis is formed by equality and a mutually inspirational relationship between the members.

Strong personalities to inspire each performer, advanced skills to protect the music no matter what happens, creative ambition to expand individual musical potential… Perhaps only musicians who possess these three qualities meet the requirements for a divine combination.

However, assembling musicians who meet these requirements does not necessarily guarantee that the magic will happen. You won’t know unless you try, and the success rate is not very high. To put it plainly, it’s almost like winning the lottery, and not something that is created deliberately through intention.

I recently had the good fortune to witness this special unit, this divine combination. It was this drumless trio that I saw at Shibuya’s long-running jazz bar Body & Soul in June 2023.

I was very familiar with the three musicians, Sumire Kuribayashi, Kazuma Fujimoto, and Takashi Sugawa. But this was the first time I had seen them together. As it turned out, this wasn’t surprising, since this was their first gig together.

The music from these three musicians, filled with unique nuances, resembled nothing else I knew of. Without any hesitation, I proposed an offer to record them.

Following that, they played three gigs in preparation for the recording. With each one, they improved the precision of their sound and increased their level of sophistication even further.

Strong-willed yet elegant, natural yet meticulous. The result is that it’s beautiful without being cluttered.

These three know the virtues of acoustic music well, and their sound is gracefully shaped in an open space with lots of room for expression.

Their sound is worthy of special mention, as although it is tightly bound together for a cohesive sound as a mass feeling, each person’s individuality distinctly stands out as well. This unified yet multi-faceted aspect allows the sound of each to be heard clearly.

I wanted many jazz fans to be able to experience this irreplaceable sound. That was the wish that led me to produce this work.

Each of the three musicians works with their own bands made up of first-class musicians of different styles to expand the possibilities of expressing themselves.

Apart from her jazz influences, Sumire Kuribayashi was raised in a musically rich environment that included a koto master for a father, and she was blessed to hear a variety of music in her youth. While still young, she released her debut album in 2014, and after that she continued to release original records as a front-line pianist. What’s particularly noteworthy is that her traits and characteristics are unlike anyone else. Her individual style and underlying foundation are powerfully flexible yet unshakable.

Kazuma Fujimoto was also influenced by his father, who was a guitarist and singer-songwriter. He took up the guitar and formed the band Orange Pekoe in 1998. While gaining accolades for a unique sound that transforms diverse musical elements through his own interpretations, he is also active in the jazz scene and expanding his solo activities. Along with his radiant and beautiful personal tone, his lyrical and melodious original songs have also received high praise.

Takashi Sugawa has had close ties with Days of Delight starting with the recording of his band Banksia Trio. He is a renowned top bassist in the jazz world both in name and substance. He receives continuous requests to perform with musicians of all types, not only due to how he expands the band sound with his creative playing style, but also through the high-quality stimulation that his musical intelligence provides to his co-performers. To hear his sound is to immediately recognize it as his inherent texture.

The biggest effect of the sound that these three create is that it is not a simple sum or mathematical average, but an amalgamation of the whole into one body of mass. Figuratively speaking, it is more like a derived compound rather than building blocks.

However, this does not mean that their personalities are buried within the whole. As mentioned before, their individual identities are firmly noticeable. That is the crucial point.

While the three maintain their strong individuality (that is, each keeping their musical presence), they create a new overall picture. That is exactly the grounds for the truly divine combination that is a unique virtue of this band.

At the rehearsal before the recording, what impressed me was how everyone was refining their sound while sharing ideas without compromising themselves to match the others. Their thoughts were along the lines of “What should we do to make the group sound good,” and the approach of “Let’s constrain ourselves to avoid making waves” was not entertained.

The music recorded here by these three is the result of a conscious choice to preserve their individual personalities. It may be a paradox, but their organic connection is realized as the three reject musical interdependence and reliance and avoid easy harmony.

Why does this combination produce a special effect? Naturally, they have no awareness of it, so it cannot be explained.

It’s interesting that, despite the musicians being old friends who hold mutual respect for one another, for some reason, they didn’t have the opportunity to play together until now.

Each knows the other’s virtues and respects their musicianship. They had experiences as pairs [duos] but had none as a trio. These were the circumstances when I saw them on their first gig. This was the situation that sparked my sudden decision to record them.

When a jazz insider is gathering musicians for a live event or recording, there are two basic approaches. Should you channel the power of the musicians to express your desired musical vision? Or, conversely, should you leave everything up to the musicians and see what happens?

“But, this time it was a little different, you know.” This is how Sumire Kuribayashi described it, as she was the one who first considered this combination of players. For example, the songwriting process was different from usual.

“When I am songwriting, I always concentrate on bringing the music out of myself. Before thinking about the instrumentation or which musicians to partner with, I write to express myself purely. But this time, I was thinking of these two musicians from the start. Listening intently to their music, I had reactions like “Oh, this phrase is so pretty!” and “I like this intro!”, and I began to write songs filled with these ideas.

It’s not about shaping the music to one’s own vision, or about simply enjoying a carefree jam session. In other words, it is a third path. What can be discerned behind her words is the joy of making music as a trio and her respect for the other two members.

What types of musical perspective and musicianship do they have in common?

Kazuma Fujimoto’s words hint at this.

“My ideal is that the music lets you hear the heartbeat, that is, a heart-connected highly pure performance… to put out my inner self directly without any filters. In fact, I can sense this same characteristic in the other two musicians.”

He continues: Moment by moment, I want to express the scene and the images that arise without processing them. I also feel this with the other two. Perhaps it sounds good because they share the same feeling of what is important to extract from the music.

Consideration is a factor, but constraint is not. Respect, not submission. Inspiration, not control.

It must be this integrated position that the three share that is the basis of their unified yet multi-faceted music.

It’s not something that everyone can do, of course. At a minimum, preserving this attitude requires sustaining an appropriate distance from others while maintaining control of yourself, regardless of how much the situation changes. It’s easy to say, but difficult to accomplish.

This group constantly maintains the right distance from each other without breaking, so they can maintain a comfortable state no matter where they go. Therefore, there is no need to sacrifice themselves and yield to another in order to adapt to them.

Thinking about it, all three are gifted with exceptional hearing and can assess the situation quickly. Their reaction times are fast, and their physical abilities are excellent. They are always seeing everything from above. These are the same qualities that top athletes possess.

It may be that only athletes can create a new overall picture imbued with their strong individuality. When I see the trio of Sumire Kuribayashi, Kazuma Fujimoto, and Takashi Sugawa, I truly think so.

平野暁臣 Akiomi Hirano
(Days of Delight)
Founder/Producer

Obi Notes

Sumire Kuribayashi / Kazuma Fujimoto / Takashi Sugawa Tides of Blue
A gathering of three musicians who know the virtues of acoustic music well!
An unparalleled chemistry created by leading personalities in the Japanese jazz world!

“Strong-willed yet elegant, natural yet meticulous. The result is that it’s beautiful without being cluttered. These three know the virtues of acoustic music well, and their sound is gracefully shaped in an open space with lots of room for expression.” — Akiomi Hirano (from the liner notes)

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Sumire Kuribayashi and Kazuma Fujimoto playing “Road”:

• Bassist Takashi Sugawa’s Banksia Trio:

• Excerpt from track #2: “The Ways To Come Back Home Again”

Walk into Bigboy and you will immediately notice the tiny, clean interior. Things are organized, tidy, and typical of big-city shops where space is at a premium. The tables are few, and seats can be nearly shoulder to shoulder. The atmosphere is pleasant, lit by artificial spotlights and natural daylight coming through the windows on two right-angled walls that surround the door. These windows also allow views out to pedestrians strolling by and the dynamism of street life, making tangible the border between real life and this jazz haven respite.

Just as immediately, you’ll notice the good and loud jazz music pumping with clarity from two big speakers mounted behind the bar and opposite the door. The barmaster cycles through CDs and LPs in rotation according to mood. A recent time I visited, I was treated to some music from Gigi Gryce: The Rat Race Blues and other hard bop, soulful swinging Blue Note jazz albums.

Upon entering Bigboy, you will be invited to take a seat at a table near the door or at a seat at the bar — probably the table seats, if they are free, especially for visitors or those arriving in couples or groups. Initially, some customers may feel disappointed to be seated right by the door at the tables by the entry, as you wish to explore further into the inner sanctum of this jazz haunt, to be fully absorbed in the experience. But, these seats, near the windows and entry, allow customers to take in a view of the entire shop. You may even get the sense that these front table seats are special, used for both honored guests and welcomed first-time visitors. These tables are actually a great place to really hear to the music: the speakers behind the bar point directly out to this position, and the shop, after all, isn’t really that large and can be taken in at a glance from almost any seat. These tables may also be the only option for those coming in pairs or groups. If you’re really keen on it, and depending on the situation, you may request a seat at the bar. If you’re too far in the corner, though, the directed sound from the speakers may not be as clear, and the owners, ever the good hosts, strive to promote the best and most comfortable listening experience for their guests.

Bigboy is a shop that strives to make people feel relaxed while they enjoy the jazz music. That is the overall vibe here. Small but not cramped, the space seems to have just enough room for possibly another table and a set of chairs. On the other hand, too much furniture with too many people in a limited space could detract from the hospitable, lose-yourself-in-the-music experience.

The shop’s introduction on their website describes Bigboy as a place where first-time visitors can relax and enjoy listening to their selection of jazz music. They also advise that, as the shop is quite small and seats are limited, groups should confirm ahead of time if there are enough available seats to accommodate their party…in a friendly way, of course:

BIGBOYは、初めての方でも、

気軽にJAZZを楽しめる神保町のお店です。 小さなお店なのでお席がご用意出来ない事も ございますので、

大切なお仲間とご来店の際には、 事前に席の確認をしていただくことを おすすめしております。

ご来店を、心よりお待ちしております。

Bigboy is a place where even first-timers can enjoy jazz easily. Since the shop is small and all seats may be occupied, if you plan to come with friends, confirming seats ahead of time is recommended. We look forward to your visit.

There are two menus for daytime and bar time, with a two-hour gap separating the intervals. The menu is limited to coffee, tea, soft drinks, and some choices of alcohol, with otsumami or finger-food snacks (nuts, chips, etc.) also available.

Recently, there appears to be an increase in visitors to Bigboy, possibly due to a general rise in tourism and the resulting number of jazz fans and tourists seeking something special and unique. Bigboy may be one of the better-known jazz cafes in mid-Tokyo, and although it’s a specialized jazz listening venue, it’s not an overly intense or deeply underground kissa-style jazz haunt that could be intimidating to the jazz curious. The increased audience may also be due to advertisements and business cards for Bigboy showing up at jazz-related haunts like the nearby Disk Union “Jazz Tokyo” near Ochanomizu Station, an excellent spot to pick up current and used offerings from Japanese jazz musicians in their J Jazz sections.

Since starting to release albums in 2001, Abyss is Yamanaka’s sixth studio album out of 32(!) releases to date, a collection that includes three live DVDs and two compilation albums. This is her third release for Verve Records. (Similar to Yamanaka’s schedule of releasing something new every year, I seem to be covering her albums here also at a one-article-per-year pace, so I had better up the pace or I will never catch up to her current-day releases!)

With 10 tracks, all arranged by Yamanaka, and a running time of 50 minutes, Abyss is a whirlwind of fast music, uptempo tunes, and plenty of jazz soloing from the nimble keymaster. The music is delightfully assertive with fluid playing throughout. Yamanaka’s style is also embodied in her personal arrangements, used as a stage for her fascinating piano improvisation in the spotlight. Right out of the gate, uptempo to near-breakneck speeds are immediate and consistent from tracks one through four and seem to tempt a risk of crashing. Yet, the band’s focus never falters, and their group playing and individual solos shine with confidence.

It’s not just dexterity and upfront rhythms at play, though, and as before, Yamanaka’s arrangements are fun and distinctive. In opposition to the abyss of the title, her whimsical personality also comes through (as with “Plum the Cow” and “S.L.S. (Silly Little Song)” from When October Goes). For example, the swing-era standard “Sing, Sing, Sing” is introduced by the famously identifiable piano riff from Chicago’s “Saturday in the Park” before switching into a massively reworked version of “Sing, Sing, Sing” merged with her own “Give Me a Break.” (I wonder if this choice of titles and tunes is a tongue-in-cheek response to the various requests that working pianists receive at piano bars and live shows? Just a guess…)

Another creative element on this album is an increase in the use of keyboard, organ, and piano effects in the recording, a trend that has continued over the last several albums. Acoustic piano is still featured on most tracks, as the main piano instrument or doubled with another keyboard, yet the addition of electric keyboard, organ, and piano with effects is also a big part of the music on Abyss.

Tracks one through four consist of Keith Jarrett’s “Lucky Southern” (in vibrant good moods), Yamanaka’s “The Root of the Light” (with liquid organ and hairpin curves), Louie Prima’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” together with Yamanaka’s “Give Me a Break” (vivid and exciting, switching between piano and keyboard), and the nearly hundred-year old romantic song “Take Me in Your Arms”, also played uptempo in straight swing for true jazz piano trio bona fides.

Next is the album’s one slow ballad, track #5 “For Heaven’s Sake”, quiet and sweet with patient bass and piano solos over a bed of drum brushes. With track #6, the energy quickly returns with Yamanaka’s take on John Coltrane’s famous “Giant Steps”, rearranged here to switch between a swirling 3/4 and straight-ahead 4/4 meters with the pianist switching between acoustic and electric pianos.

Similar to the album’s four-song start with an unrelenting uptempo jazz style, the final four songs introduce funkier and flexible structures: #7 Duke Ellington’s “I’m Gonna Go Fishin’” is a combination of tense bass-line sneaking, bluesy chords, and rapid-pulse swing with one of the longest and fieriest piano solos on the record. #8 “Forest Star” is a fascinating outing based on a repeated pedal-tone vamp and a piano treated with subtle effects for shimmering drone sounds, all combining for an effect like an electric didgeridoo and a tribal beat projecting a phasered piano solo above a fire. The last two songs, shorter in length, resemble a double finale to close the album with splashy imaginative vibes: #9 “Being Called” sets up a scene of rising chaos and tense piano improv, and #10 “Downtown Loop” closes with a short funk/jazz fusion organ jam.

What of the album title… why Abyss? What is the deep chasm, the dark pit of chaos that this album refers to? The introspective cover photo displays contemplation, but together with the album title and the Gothic lettering, there is a slight sense of foreboding. Yet, in counterpoint, this album avoids any risk of falling into the bottomless pit, as we are carried away by the winds of uptempo swing, twisty-turny piano solos that fly through the air, and the upliftingly novel arrangements that Yamanaka is so good at delivering.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes.)

#01. LUCKY SOUTHERN / Keith Jarrett

A Keith Jarrett piece from the 1970s. A crisp piano solo adds color to the cheerful theme.

#02. THE ROOT OF THE LIGHT / Chihiro Yamanaka

A Yamanaka original composition. Along with the uptempo setting, an improvised solo from the electric piano adds a real sense of speed. Kendrick’s drumming over the looped riff at the end is another highlight.

#03. SING, SING, SING / Louis Prima - GIVE ME A BREAK / Chihro Yamanaka

A Yamanaka original tune is interwoven with this famous swing-era standard, as her piano solo and organ solo dance atop an arrangement that resembles a constantly changing landscape.

#04. TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS / Alfred Markush, Fritz Rotter, Mitchell Parish

The trio swings briskly and straight-ahead, using the base of a standard song with a charming melody.

#05. FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE / Sherman Edwards, Elise Bretton, Donald Meyer

Vicente’s contemplative bass is featured on a leisurely ballad that brims with imagination.

#06. GIANT STEPS / John Coltrane

An arrangement of Coltrane’s classic song that alternates between 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures. Each part is contrasted by alternating electric and acoustic piano, swinging exquisitely.

#07. I’M GONNA GO FISHIN’ / Duke Ellington

Yamanaka takes up Ellington’s beautiful song with a distinctive early big band jungle style sound, making for compelling listening with her unique twist and inventive arrangement.

#08. FOREST STAR / Bruno Råberg

A song by bassist Bruno Råberg, with whom Yamanaka was once in a trio. An effects-treated piano solo adds to the excitement of the folky melody even more.

#09. BEING CALLED / Chihiro Yamanaka, Kendrick Scott, Vicente Archer

As the thrilling piano solo moves freely around an improvised beat pattern, a contemporary sound unfolds as the trio comes together.

#10. DOWNTOWN LOOP / Chihiro Yamanaka

The striking sound of the organ runs in all directions over a Motown groove loop.

Audio and Video

• Audio for “Lucky Southern” (track #1):

• Audio for “The Root of the Light” (track #2):

• Audio for “Sing, Sing, Sing” (track #3):

• Audio for “Sing, Sing, Sing” (track #3) alternate link:

• Audio for “Take Me In Your Arms” (track #4):

• Audio for “For Heaven’s Sake” (track #5):

• Audio for “Forest Star” (track #8):

• “Forest Star” live version 1:

• “Forest Star” live version 2:

• Excerpt from track #4: “Take Me in Your Arms”

As We Breathe, with nine tracks and about 70 minutes, is the second album out of the six released by the group. Despite the earliness of this and their previous album (their debut Wordless), their concept was already well-defined based on Hashizume’s compositions and musical direction, and the musicians show a cohesive personality with intuitively-linked playing and precise timing.

Over warm tones of electric guitar and fretless bass, the breathy, long notes of the tenor sax push through the air with an ethereal presence. The deep, round anchor of bass is necessary and comforting as active pinpoints of drums and cymbals light up and spark with energy. The sound of electrified strings inhabits the music, submerging and cresting unpredictably with a mesmerizing effect.

Most songs run at about seven to ten minutes, allowing the music to build slowly, confidently, and the musicians to move at their own pace. This is a consistent quality of Hashizume’s wisely crafted music: Things are done subtly but powerfully, melodic qualities change under your feet like shifting sand, and rhythms are often engineered to be atypical but stable. As deep tentacles entwine and pull down, keep in mind, remember as we breathe.

Track #1 “Last Song” is an abstract painting of sound where the saxophone and guitar duet a melody while the bass, drums, and piano paint a dreamy landscape background. Fluid, floating, swirling like liquid and vapor, smoothly merging into abstract shapes. A strong melody statement by the tenor sax pulls the mist and rhythm around in its wake. It lingers in the mind like a recollection of a mysterious dream as smoky drums loosely hypnotize.

#2 “Sakura-Ame” (桜雨, cherry blossom rain) (8:40) is a dark waltz, mysterious and extending the previously established misty feeling. There is some sort of magical tint, a casting of a spiraling spell.

#3 “Sign” is stylish and energetic as jazz drama and rock sensibilities meet. Crisp drums punctuate a simple but memorable theme over progressively intense harmonies and movements.

#4 “Fraise” (French for いちご, strawberry) is tender with the pulse of a rock ballad. The catchy melody plays out with a curiously familiar yet unfamiliar mood, heightened by the slightly offset melodic placements and syncopated offbeats.

The mid-to-uptempo 4/4 jazz/rock #5 “Encore” (9:31) has Orihara’s bass stating the opening and closing theme over piano arpeggios, setting up the dramatic stage for some great improv from the bass and piano (with incredible left-hand/right-hand scene-stealing conversation) before sax and guitar interplay. The drums and bass rhythms really propel things forward with deadly accuracy, as with many of the highlights here.

Track #6 “Keep in Mind” is an exploratory suite-like story, where the slow and poetic opening grows into a lilting song in 3/4 and unwinds midway to a piano solo, free group styling, and ambient sound effects. Here too, again, the feel of scenes set in a Bladerunner world arises with that sci-fi future vibe of neon and grit under the surface.

#7 “Structure” gets the band locked into a 7/4 meter for a suspenseful mood over bass note floors. The electric Fender Rhodes recalls vintage Chick Corea futurism, while the segmented melody (in spacey Jan Garbarek-ish sax with the guitar playing in unison), vibrant chords with subtly morphing tonal qualities, and the moody lower bass riff and drums. The music glides on a cool plane, like surface-skimming spaceships or the Light Cycles of Tron.

#8 “Friends” introduces the album’s prettiest, innocent moments through a tune recited freely, slowly with a subtle meter, playful but quietly yearning.

Finally, #9 “Epilogue” retells the music of #1 “Last Song”, more exploratory, slower, with its unforgettable melody and rich chords moving like clouds in flux through the sky’s invisible currents.

As seen in the track listing, there is an interesting use of self-reference in the song titles. The album starts with track #1 titled “Last Song”, and the last song is track #9 “Epilogue”, which is actually a redone version of “Last Song” (an epilogue, the last song). Also, in the middle of the disc is track #5 “Encore” — a strange place for an encore. Yet if you consider the album as one in-out of a single breath, then the midpoint could be the pause between, marking where the structure folds and loops back to the start (the end), and where it completes the circle to restart the next cycle of breath. (Perhaps a propos, “Cycles” is the title of a track included on both their Wordless and Visible/Invisible releases.)

Audio and Video

• Ryosuke Hashizume Group playing #4 “Fraise” live

• Ryosuke Hashizume Group playing #5 “Encore” live in 2008 (1/2):

• Ryosuke Hashizume Group playing #5 “Encore” live in 2008 (2/2):

• Ryosuke Hashizume Group playing #7 “Structure” live in 2008 (1/3):

• Ryosuke Hashizume Group playing #7 “Structure” live in 2008 (2/3):

• Ryosuke Hashizume Group playing #7 “Structure” live in 2008 (3/3):

• Excerpt from track #3: “Sign”

Links

• Ryosuke Hashizume store

Free is an 11-track, 57-minute album full of Matsushita’s original music. The rhythms of jazz swing, Latin (including Spanish and Brazilian), smooth R&B, funk, and club jazz are the framework upon which Matsushita’s imaginative music is built and which the trio brings to life through their intuitively locked-in playing.

About the title Free: While brief and open to interpretation, the short and sweet album title may present some puzzles. First and easiest to clear up, no, this album is not free of charge. Though it was funny to see, at the trio’s live shows, a stack of these CDs for sale with the label Free prominently displayed on top, and wonder how to take the word printed right there on the cover — (wait, are these actually free for the taking? No, Matsushita explained after a laugh, they cost 3000 yen each!

Also, as another point of possible confusion, the type of music on this album is not free as in designating the genre of free jazz. These compositions are all well-structured original ideas from Matsushita, embodying her imaginative personality and dedication to writing catchy music. The songs are wonderfully arranged with a solid jazz backbone enhanced by cool fusion stylings, laid-back beats, Wayne Shorter-esque innovation, and Horace Silver-like Latin/swing conjunctions and switch-ups.

Listening to the album conveys the meaning of Free as used in the sense of free-minded, free-spirited, free-flowing, free-style. With dynamic accents, tempo shifts, and emotional contrasts, Matsushita’s compositional expressions are brought forth through the excellent playing of the trio and their personal solo statements.

From the naming and structure of the first track, La Tierra, one can’t help but draw the intended parallels between this and Chick Corea’s famous song La Fiesta, with both songs featuring tension-building minor-key rhythmic vamps leading to surging highs with colorful major-key fireworks. As this song and the rest of the album show, Matsushita’s compositions do draw from legendary influences (this is a large part of jazz, after all). Yet, these are foundations, not imitations, and this album is full of Michiyo Matsushita’s own conceptions in a variety of styles.

Continuing from La Tierra, track #2 “Kaze Soyogu” (風そよぐ, the wind rustles) shifts gears and lays back with a chill club jazz groove. #3 “Monk no Kyujitsu” (Monkの休日, Monk’s holiday) is a slow swing with a plucky off-kilter personality paying homage to the great Thelonious Monk. #4 “Hikari no Teikoku” (光の帝国, the empire of light) is regal, classy, and smooth. #5 “Slumber” is a long-time live favorite with an addictive sprinkling-notes theme, funky sections, and exciting changes.

#6 “Exoplanet” is a darker hue of swing/Latin bop jazz construction built for Matsushita’s solo piano improv. #7 “Harujion” (ハルジオン, spring fleabane, a white and yellow flower) is a quiet ballad, sweet and subtle. #8 “Unity of Mind”, like “Exoplanet”, has swing/Latin sections like Horace Silver, with intense hard bop rhythms and modern touches. #9 “Kiyoshi no Hiru” (きよしこの昼, silent day) is a medium-tempo 4/4 swing, light and nimble, with a straight-played chamber-like classical or march feel, with jazz standard constructions a la the Modern Jazz Quartet. The dynamic #10 “SR Brothers” (S and R for Show and Ryo) is an uptempo outing with adventurous time-meter shifts between pulse-racing swing and laid-back funk grooves (and, a very short free jazz section, there it is!). Lastly, track #11 “Ame no Koe” (雨の声, voice of the rain) is a meditative ballad where the ambient sounds of water linger in the beginning and end of the piece to bookend a folky Ghibli-hued warmth, leaving us free to imagine what comes after this happy farewell.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio playing track #5 “Slumber” live (2024):

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio playing track #6 “Exoplanet” live (2022):

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio playing track #10 “SR Brothers” live (2022):

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio playing track #8 “Unity of Mind” live (2023):

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio concert excerpts (2025):

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio playing track #5 “Slumber” live (2021):

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio playing track #5 “Slumber” live excerpt (2023):

• Album release brief concert announcement:

• Michiyo Matsushita Trio album release concert (2024):

• Excerpt from track #1: “La Tierra”

Links

• Disk Union shop

• Amazon shop

• Google order form

They fill the nine-track album with 58 minutes of beloved tunes from the standard jazz playbook and the ballad/swing/bop canon, mostly from the core 1950s and 60s jazz eras:

1. “When Sunny Gets Blue” (Fisher/Segal, 1956)
2. “Something Special” (Jim Hall, 1993)
3. “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise” (Romberg/Hammerstein II, 1928)
4. “Full House” (Wes Montgomery, 1962) \* trio w/ drums
5. “Wilton’s Mood” (Wilton Gaynair, 1959) \* quartet w/ sax, drums
6. “Two for the Road” (Mancini/Bricusse, 1967)
7. “Emily” (Mandel/Mercer, 1964)
8. “Reflections” (Thelonious Monk, 1952)
9. “My One and Only Love” (Wood/Mellin, 1952) \* trio w/ sax

On three of the tracks (marked with * above), the duo expands to a trio or a quartet with saxophonist Kosuke Mine and drummer Yusuke Yaginuma joining in. On these trio/quartet tracks, the effect is a natural increase in energy and excitement with the inherent rhythmic energy brought in by the drums and the full body of an edgy but mellow saxophone tone.

The duo stays close to the original compositions in their play-through, honoring the essence of each song without altering too much. A lot of enjoyment is generated through the beautiful tones of each instrument and the genuine jazz feel each member brings to the tunes’ melodies and each player’s improvisations.

In general, there’s a happy, relaxed feel that runs through the tracks. Three songs are played as sentimental ballads (#1, 6, 9) or comfortably subdued moments and mid-tempo swinging sessions on the majority of the songs. The two tracks with sax, #5 “Wilton’s Mood” and the album closer #9 “My One and Only Love”, are played with energetic verve and romantic tenderness, respectively.

Audio and Video

• Yuji Ito playing “Isfahan”:

• Koichi Hirata Quartet playing “My One and Only Love”:

• Yuji Ito, Ryo Ogihara, and Ren Yamamoto playing “Take the Coltrane”:

• Koichi Hirata Quartet playing “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”:

• Koichi Hirata, Kota Kaihori, and Daisuke Ijichi playing “Joy Spring”:

• Koichi Hirata and Fumika Asari Quartet playing “Anthropology”:

• Excerpt from track #4: “Full House”

This debut album from NHORHM was released in 2015 and rereleased/remastered in 2024 when the first run was sold out, and both new listeners and fans who originally missed out were clamoring for copies. The album contains ten tracks, nine cover songs and one original by pianist Nishiyama. All arrangements are by Nishiyama, and this is not something to take lightly; the whole project hinges on the idea of a jazz piano trio covering heavy metal tunes, and the success of the endeavor relies a lot on bridging the gap between those distinct sounds, styles, and instrumentation, and on making the music appealing, listenable, and great, despite the obvious novelty aspect that may precede the experience. Yet, never fear, Nishiyama took the challenge seriously and put a lot of work into this project.

Although both jazz fans and metal fans may look on this type of crossover hybrid with understandable suspicion (both audiences appreciate musical purity and authenticity, or genuineness, in their respective forms), it’s a homerun from the trio, as the reinterpreted songs exist in a new dimension or sub-genre.

Based on just the sound of the music, and the piano-bass-drums trio sound that is common in modern jazz, NHORHM certainly has more of a jazz sound than a metal one. There are no distorted guitars, no double-bass kick drums, no ear-splitting cymbal crashes or hyperspeed electric solos.

But the material on New Heritage of Real Heavy Metal is all drawn from the heavy metal canon. The trio plays Nishiyama’s modified versions (reharmonized, restructured, re-instrumented) of original songs by the bands U.K., Pantera, Rainbow, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Angra, Babymetal, Deep Purple, and Mr. Big.

Being jazz, the solos are also improvised in the jazz style, not run-throughs of the original works. These songs are not covers in the sense that they aim to replicate or reproduce the original songs, structures, and guitar solos present in the original recordings.

Nishiyama also includes one of her own compositions, “The Halfway to Babylon”, setting up a story that will be continued on the follow-up II and III albums.

While all ten of the songs feature the trio, three of the ten also feature guest musicians. Vocalist Tomomi Oda sings on #4 “Skin O’ My Teeth (Megadeth)”, guitarist Takayoshi Baba plays on #5 “Fear of the Dark (Iron Maiden)”, and trumpeter Hikari Ichihara plays on #8 “Demon’s Eye (Deep Purple)”.

The translated liner notes (further below) go into the song selections, so here is just a brief overview of the flow of the album.

Track #1, “In the Dead of Night” (from the band U.K.’s 1978 debut album) is progressive uptempo, getting slightly aggressive with power(-ish) chords, dynamic drums, and silky fretless electric bass dexterously covering the heavy metal guitar duties.

Track #2 “Walk” (Pantera, Vulgar Display of Power, 1992) is medium-heavy and dark, with powerful riffs, deadly serious drumming, and an attitude and sound close to the original song.

Track #3 “Man on the Silver Mountain” (Rainbow, Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow, 1975, with Ronnie James Dio on vocals) is a highlight of odd-meter, fantasy escapist metal, a more significant reinterpretation of the original hard rock beat.

Track #4 “Skin O’ My Teeth” (Megadeth, Countdown to Extinction, 1992) is another highlight for its close-to-the-bone edge and faithfulness to the original song, even with vocalist Tomomi Oda covering Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine role. It’s fun, uptempo 4/4 with some extra twists and reharmonizations, and, like the original, a relatively short song. The source Megadeth version also features a guitar solo from Marty Friedman, who contributed a blurb for this album along with some other famous metalers. This track may be the cleanest onramp for diehard metalheads, with the song’s catchy rhythms and riffs present in NHORHM’s version, not to mention the female vocals that are a perfect fit.

Track #5 “Fear of the Dark” (Iron Maiden, Fear of the Dark, 1992) is reformed as a slow-to-medium 4/4 ballad, starting softly with piano and acoustic guitar, then getting into a rock beat and changing meters for emotional impact. There’s an anthemic (Iron Maiden music perfect for this) yet meditative feel, and this song fills the important role of the sole ballad on an otherwise in-your-face heavy metal jazz album.

Track #6 “Upper Levels” (Angra, Secret Garden, 2014) is exciting, full of irregular signatures and complex moving lines and quick changes. It’s virtuosic, fulfilling the role that this song was chosen for. Their prog metal sounds are melodic with intricate licks, patterns, and different sections linked together. It summons the sounds of bands like Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Queensrÿche, groups that blend classical, power, and progressive influences. This must be attractive for Nishiyama, who is often said to incorporate these styles and European music into her compositions and playing style.

Track #7 “Akumu no Rinbukyoku” [悪夢の輪舞曲, Rhondo of Nightmare] (Babymetal’s debut album, 2014) is quieter, lighter, and delicate, while still being a whirlpool of jazzy depth. The interesting band Babymetal invented the Japanese subgenre of “kawaii metal” (cute metal) by combining the sounds, power, and technique of heavy metal with the image of J-Pop vocals, theatrics, and culture. This medium 3/4 tune stands out as a highlight of the more straightforwardly modern jazz piano trio sounds on this album, and fits very well with Nishiyama’s personal style.

Track #8 “Demon’s Eye” (Deep Purple’s Fireball, 1971) is a bluesy and swingy hard-rock shuffle, and another song leaning towards the traditional jazz sound complete with walking bass and ad-libbed solos. It’s distinct on the album for a jazz stage centerpiece, especially with Hikari Ichihara’s essential trumpet tone and gut-pulling improvisation sharing the spotlight.

Track #9 “The Halfway to Babylon” is Nishiyama’s original composition, with a “Caravan”-like exoticism, darkness, and suspense combined with a “Parallax”-type sound (another of Nishiyama’s bands).

Track #10 “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind” (Mr. Big, Lean Into It, 1991) is all fun and groove, with extra tones delivered by guest saxophonist Hashizume. There’s the feel of a power pop/prog song, but also with glances of hair metal (as Mr. Big was included in, fairly or not) from the ‘90s. The mood is happy and infectious, and this tune serves as a great wrap-up, balancing the power and grit of the album as a whole by locking into the good times and disappearing in a volume fade-out.

Much more is described in the liner notes, translated below. From Nishiyama’s NHORHM song selection process and preparations (and going to see some of these bands live as a fan for the full experience), to her careful reformatting, rewriting, and rearranging, a lot of effort and energy was devoted to this. It resulted in a finely imagined and perfected product through NHORHM’s fantastic performances and the final recording. There are even extended notes on Nishiyama’s blog that go into further detail. It all goes to show how seriously Nishiyama, Orihara, and Hashimoto took this project. It may have seemed like just a quirky whim at first, not only to Nishiyama and the project director, but even to listeners who glance skeptically as such a monstrous hybrid, or rather, a musical experiment. Nishiyama puts a lot of thought and work into her projects, into her playing, composing, releasing new albums, and communicating her thoughts, and the fans rejoice, whether jazz or metal or both or other.

What is NWOBHM?

Although I was a mildly rebellious kid in America who was heavily into ‘80s metal and “The Big Four” Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, the abbreviation NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) was not one I remember being familiar with. As far as those bands from overseas, I knew the obvious gods Iron Maiden (whom I also adored), and the British and European legends that would show up in videos on Headbangers Ball or through offers from Columbia Record Club: Motorhead, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Diamond Head (who was specifically raised to my consciousness by Metallica’s cover of their song “Am I Evil” on The $5.98 E.P.—Garage Days Re-Revisited)… And this is even glossing over the likely more influential ‘70s with groundbreaking bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Ozzy (and “Iron Man” is later covered by NHORHM on New Heritage of Real Heavy Metal II…), Deep Purple, UFO, Budgie, Queen, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, and on and on). In general, I didn’t distinguish too much between many American and overseas bands at the time, and this may have been why categories like NWOBHM passed me by. Apparently however, the youthful, raw, and energetic DIY influence of this New Wave (of British Heavy Metal) was definitely strongly felt in Europe, the Americas, and Japan—whether the abbreviation was prevalent as a category term or not—where the above-mentioned bands would sell out large arenas and influence Japanese metal bands like X Japan, Loudness, Bow Wow, and Ningen Isu.

There is some controversy and debate over whether the NWOBHM label is a legitimate label or merely a marketing term coined by a journalist in order to categorize bands and boost magazine sales. Still, the grassroots energy and group affinity this movement started is undeniable, musically and culturally, and what may have started as marketing eventually became useful as a shorthand and a cultural identity for the music fans and the bands themselves, not to mention a historical touchstone.

Enough of the history, and back to this NHORHM album.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the booklet quotes and Hitomi Nishiyama’s original Japanese liner notes.)

I made my debut in 2006 with “Cubium”, a recording made in Sweden and released on the Spice of Life label under the umbrella of the company Amuse, and have since released 13 more albums.

From time to time in various jazz magazine interviews and liner notes, I’ve touched upon the fact that, in high school, I was a fan of Yngwie Malmsteen.

I had been diligently studying piano up until the second year of high school, and then one day, something suddenly snapped, and I stopped playing piano completely for one year. During that time, the thing I was totally fixated on was metal.

I had a lot of friends who were in bands, so I developed an interest in the music that they were listening to and trying so hard to copy. When I heard it, it was tremendously interesting. I joined in on the listening and became absorbed in the music. In particular, by the album The Seventh Sign by Yngwie Malmsteen. I listened to it like crazy.

When I decided to record my debut album in Sweden, the first thing that I thought of was that it was Yngwie’s country.

Probably as a reaction to classical piano, I discovered the joy of the guitar. During the time that I was focused on Yngwie, I also listened a lot to others: Steve Vai, Dream Theater, Stratovarius, Mr. Big, and others. Going down this path, I also listened to a lot of Deep Purple and Rainbow. After that, when I entered the jazz department of a music college, I became so immersed in jazz that I ended up not listening to metal.

The idea for this project started from a conversation I had with Jun Abe, this album’s director, about making an album of covers of current animation songs.

As Abe and I were chatting, I mentioned that as far as animation song covers went, I liked the cool Animetal USA the best [Animetal USA is an American heavy metal group that plays animation covers in a heavy metal style, and is a tribute band to the original Japanese band Animetal]. About thirty minutes later, Abe said, “Going back to what we were talking about, I wonder if, in the opposite direction, you can cover metal songs with jazz?” I immediately thought, “I want to do that!” And so this project began.

In fact, for years I had been thinking that I’d like to cover the song “In the Dead of the Night” by U.K. with my band Parallax. This song, more progressive rock than metal, is one that I first heard on Yngwie’s album “Inspiration.” When I actually went and heard it live at a Yngwie concert, this cool song made the biggest impression on me. Plus, it was the first song we worked on with my first cover band, and for that reason, in addition to my memories of metal, it’s an extremely important song in my musical life.

Initially, Abe and I talked about how many jazz musicians have previously done songs by bands like Led Zeppelin and Frank Zappa, and how there is an affinity between jazz and the progressive side of things. Could we do something that had not been played much in jazz up until now?

As it worked out, I hadn’t really been into Led Zeppelin or Frank Zappa during my high school days. I was just listening to metal, and mainly Yngwie. Moreover, as an acoustic pianist and considering the instrument itself, there was absolutely no relation to the metal genre. With the thought that I might be able to create something interesting, I started to work on this project.

For the song selection, only the previously mentioned “In the Dead of the Night” was decided upon. For the rest, I re-listened to all of the metal CDs I had at home starting in January of this year, and I added some new ones. I selected the songs from listening to a grand total of about 100 albums.

I truly wanted to capture the spirit of that era of the early 1990s, and of those who started bands then and aspired to play metal. Most of the people in bands at that time must have played songs by Mr. Big, Megadeth, and Pantera, which I thought were essential to include.

In addition, I had to pin down some metal classics representing the kind of historical standards of that era, from groups like Rainbow and Deep Purple.

Then, as I was looking into various things after the project started, I bought an album by Babymetal that piqued my interest. It was so intense that I got completely hooked on it and promptly came up with a cover version. On a related note, producers will often tell artists to be sure to include one recent popular song in order to increase sales, which the artist ends up covering dispassionately. In this case, though, I chose to include Babymetal of my own volition. To be honest, at first I thought of them as a novelty idol group, but they are a truly wonderful project that is reshaping the course of the history of metal, and I’m a big fan. Director Abe had requested that I include one song tackling head-on the technical style of metal, so to that end, I decided to do a new song from Angra, a band I had re-listened to for this project and thought was interesting. I wanted to hear them live, too, so I went to listen to them on their Japanese tour. This was my first standing metal concert since seeing Ningen Isu [人間椅子] back in my college days, and I was worried whether I’d be able to handle it well physically, but it was very fun and I came away in high spirits. It was exactly what is meant by “They became what they were fighting against.”

I spent a lot of time on the song selection process. Something that was different from before was that I was listening not only from the perspective of a listener, but also as a player and a producer. When it comes to acoustic piano covers, instrument-wise, it’s impossible to imitate the essential metal qualities of “heavy, fast, strong.” Plus, the use of repetition to make the music stronger is somewhat at odds with the improvisational nature of jazz. So, I chose songs considering the song essentials—even if they didn’t have power chords, or guitar palm-mute chugging, or double-bass drums, or repetition—songs with strong melodies whose personalities definitely wouldn’t deteriorate, and songs that I could nevertheless arrange into my own music. And while it might sound smooth when it’s written out like that, in the end, these are just songs that I personally like. As a result, this selection includes a collection of songs from a wide range of generations, from Deep Purple to Babymetal, and I aimed to cover them from the standpoint of someone in their 30s as much as possible.

The trio’s members are all excellent players of the same generation and active at the forefront of the Japanese jazz scene. We all came through metal, of course, and at rehearsals we’d talk about those times, the songs we had listened to in common, and stories about those bands. It felt like we were high school students again.

With jazz, knowing how much and what to improvise according to the situation, and managing what happens on any particular day, you must maintain an extremely high degree of constant idling while in the midst of performing at live events almost every day. It can feel like living in a state of tension on a daily basis. Somehow, I had felt that the excitement and freshness of music was standing apart from myself. But when I began listening to metal again, I felt as if I were prostrating myself before its overwhelming power and perspective. A feeling of a “Wow, this is so cool, what is this!”-type of excitement returned. I had the sense that this stimulation, so critically important when starting out, had somehow become lacking in my daily musical life. But thanks to this project, my usual musical performance activities have become more distinctive as well, and I am deeply appreciative of this.

When putting together this album, there were songs we recorded but could not include, and other songs we wanted to record but already had too many. I’ve now already started fantasizing about the song selection for a second, follow-up album.

西山瞳 Hitomi Nishiyama

(These liner notes are from the time of the 2015 album release.)

Really Great approach to Angra’s song. The original metal version is very influenced by Latin Fusion, and it’s very cool to listen to it in this Latin jazz format. Excellent arrangement.

KIKO LOUREIRO (ANGRA/MEGADETH)

This is completely different from any metal cover album I’ve ever listened to…not to mention, jazz!

It exquisitely captures the parts familiar to fans of the originals and hard rock/heavy metal and transforms them beautifully into jazz.

This is a wonderful cover album that, in addition to making you realize the charms of jazz, also makes you want to listen to the original versions again.

Marty Friedman (guitarist)

All of the covers keep the original flavor while adding new melodies to the song themes, and it’s really fun, killer to listen to! Mr. Big’s “60’S MIND” is especially great!!! As a true metalhead, after listening to this “NHORHM”, I have the feeling that I’ll start getting addicted to jazz too!

大村孝佳 Takayoshi Ohmura (guitarist from C4, LIV MOON, BABYMETAL, etc.)

When I listen to NHORHM, I am surprised to hear that heavy metal can be so stylish! All of the arrangements are very nice. As a metalhead, I always thought that jazz musicians didn’t recognize metal as music, but in this case, I could feel their enthusiasm and respect for metal. And the melodicism of the accompaniment is even more interesting than the original songs!! Unbelievable! (laughs)

鈴木ヤスナリオ Yasunario Suzuki (Koenji Metal Meshi)

Extended Liner Notes

As an extension of the liner notes, Hitomi Nishiyama’s post on NHOHRM goes into more detail about this release. This page also contains links for Nishiyama’s track-by-track notes (links are in the 曲解説 section), with a few extra video links and behind-the-scenes photos of the recording. Some quick excerpts:

• #1 “In the Dead of the Night” - From the very first song, you might say, that’s not metal!…
• #2 “Walk” - Swing, groove, and timing in jazz and metal.
• #3 “Man on the Silver Mountain” - Yngwie, Rainbow, Dio, and impressions of this song.
• #4 “Skin O’ My Teeth” - Keeping true to the original, bridging the gap between jagged metal and the smooth sound of piano by using vocals.
• #5 “Fear of the Dark” - How Iron Maiden was one of Nishiyama’s first inspirations for songs for the album. Also explains the NHORHM initialism a bit, and how acoustic guitar over electric was chosen for this jazz/metal hybrid.
• #6 “Upper Levels” - About tackling the technical side head-on, and how producer/director Abe is not by nature a metal fan and left those decisions (song choices, etc) completely up to Nishiyama. Also, about Nishiyama’s love and respect for Angra’s album Temple of Shadows (2004).
• #7 “悪夢の輪舞曲” - Nishiyama’s exposure to new music and metal through MTV, and how heavy metal became uncool as new trends (grunge, alternative) took over. And how Babymetal links back to Amuse, a company under which she released her debut album.
• #8 “Demon’s Eye” - Including the hard rock roots of heavy metal to do heavy metal properly, and how the trumpet lends an immediate jazz tone to the music.
• #9 “The Halfway to Babylon” - Answering the question “Why did you include one song you composed yourself?” and a deep exploration of genres and open-mindedness.
• #10 “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind” - On the famous guitar-tapping intro, the fusion feel, the addition of sax, and the laugh-out-loud elements
• Member Q&A - Brief bios, influences, and recommendations from each member of NHORHM.

Obi Notes

Groundbreaking! A jazz pianist releases a cover album of famous heavy metal songs!!! Hitomi Nishiyama’s new project “NHORHM” begins! <Cover model: Lukino Fujisaki>

Audio and Video

• Promotional video with #1 “In the Dead of the Night (U.K.)”, #6 “Upper Levels (Angra)”, #7 “Akumu no Rinbukyoku (Babymetal)”, and #4 “Skin O’ My Teeth (Megadeth)”:

• “Walk (Pantera)” (track #2) — live version:

• “Man on the Silver Mountain (Rainbow)” (track #3) — live version:

• “Fear of the Dark (Iron Maiden)” (track #5) — live version:

• “The Halfway to Babylon” (track #9) — live version:

• “Highway Star (Deep Purple)” (album outtake) — studio version:

• Excerpt from track #6: “Upper Levels”

Links

• NHORHM Information

• Hitomi Nishiyama’s post on NHOHRM (December 10, 2015)

As for this jazz spot Natural, the venue’s name is inspired by the goal of delivering music naturally (described as a natural sound/acoustics environment in ナチュラルの音環境) through an interesting variety of events, musicians, and styles.

On their blog, the owner of Natural introduces himself as a jazz lover for 55 years who opened Natural as a result of that legacy. All customers are welcome regardless of age and gender.

Natural has been in business for only a few years (est. 2023) but has established itself as a solid choice for live music due to its vibe and a well-chosen, consistent scheduling of popular local acts.

Those acts include piano solos and duos (twin piano performances with two pianos for occasional “four-hands” concert series), vocal groups, and small instrumental groups. In addition to jazz, there is a focus on classical and Latin music. Like with other venues, most performances are nighttime events, but Natural also has frequent daytime shows scheduled for weekends and holidays.

The wide-open and spartan interior of Natural creates a nice, clear sound with an immediate presence. The natural reverb of the room’s open space and higher-than-your-average-basement ceiling may be another motivation for the choice of name.

Distractions are minimal, and fresh flowers and subtle decorations add the essential extra dash of life. Like a classical concert setting, the ambience is natural and bright, not dark or dingy. In this relaxed setting, the musical acts perform close to the audience in an ample stage area (floor level), wide and comfortable enough so that neither section feels cramped.

The seats and tables are plain but functional, with two rows of tables and chairs with under-seat bins (featuring friendly Disney characters) for bags and personal items.

Natural’s menu is full of delicious foods and drinks, including small snacks, cheese, fruits, and a selection of meal plates cooked with care. Some of the options I’ve sampled are shown below. Prices are very reasonable.

Natural’s rule on photos is like many other venues and displayed (in Japanese) on menus and/or posted signs: No photos allowed during performances, but the rules may change depending on specific performers or schedules, and the manner of the photo-taking itself (using flash and audible camera sounds is always to be avoided, and being distracting to the performers or other audience members is an obvious violation). As usual, observing the behavior of other customers and staff members before taking a chance is a good strategy. It’s also a custom that guests are invited to take photos of or with the musicians after the performance, if the performers are willing and there is enough time before the shop closes.

To begin, a quick overview of the Japanese words in the band name and album title gives a nice first impression of the phrases, poetically vague as they may be. A translation of their band name (ことは、と in Japanese) would be something like “The Thing Is, …” or “About That, …”, and the album title (白をまとえば) something like When/If I Wear White.

Shiro o Matoeba includes eight beautifully delicate songs, all originals with music written by the three musicians individually. All lyrics were written by vocalist Tsuchiya and are sung in Japanese, except for the two tracks #5 “Vocalise” and #6 “Flower” which Tsuchiya sings in wordless vocalization using her voice as an instrument along with the piano and bass.

The album sequencing is also artful, as the opening and closing tracks (#1 “Shiro o Matoeba” and #8 “Dialog”) act as the album’s prologue and epilogue with storytelling timing and decorative musical structures folded like origami. Along the same lines, track #4 “Maware” (まわれ, turn) features a spoken-word recitation over musical loops and appears in the middle of the album as an intermission of poetry and music.

Bracketed by these three pieces, the rest of the songs find the three musicians playing in a more straightforward and jazzy style. #2 “Selene’s Dance” is a highlight with its romantic and mysterious atmosphere depicting the drama of Selene. This Greek goddess of the moon had her lover Endymion placed in eternal sleep, and eternal youth, out of love, and visited him each night. Compellingly, the tune initially seems to share certain characteristics with other great songs—Radiohead’s “Exit Music (For a Film)” and Chopin’s “Prelude, Op. 28, No. 4”—but “Selene’s Dance” moves along at a brisk pace with the spice of 5/4 time and additional well-placed beats of punctuation.

Other songs are just as evocative and moving. Track #3 “Higenashi” (ひなげし, poppy) is a pretty waltz with a fragile lightness obscuring a weighty past love as Tsuchiya’s high-reaching vocals express a vulnerable sweetness brilliantly. #5 “Vocalize” is a crafted jazz sculpture with an almost operatic melody and space for bass and piano jazz improvisations. #6 “Flower” opens into a slowly sad, Latin mood with pop lovesong fringes. #7 “Muchu Sampo” (夢中散歩, wandering in a dream) is another odd-meter addiction where striking chords angle over plumb bass notes with coordinated accents over shifting sands.

Speaking of odd-meter, the use of non-4/4 time signatures on Shiro o Matoeba adds to the overall allure of the Koto ha, To’s music. Additional measures, mixed meters, and asymmetrical phrases are carefully inserted in the written scores in several places. Along with the charm of the three dramatic rubato and stop-start pieces, over half of the songs feature non-4/4/ meters (3/4, 5/4, and 7/4) with extra measures or beats used subtly to adorn specific points in the delivery.

Lyrics

(Lyrics transcribed from the liner notes, with English translations by me)

1. 白をまとえば when i wear white

Lyrics: Ayako Tsuchiya Music: Kozue Tsukayama

白をまとえば when i wear white

苛立つ風は優しく gentle, restless wind

冷たい水は甘温く sweetly mild, cool water

流した涙は flowing tears

さらさらと smoothly

さらさらと smoothly

わたしに自然に融けてゆく melt naturally into me

さびしく人をもとむ日も on days i’m lonely, desiring another

白をまとえば when i wear white

白をまとえば when i wear white

震えた樹々に隠れて hide in the trembling trees

血汐は緩く湧き上る blood slowly rises

抱えた痛みは carried pain

ひたひたと slowly

ひたひたと slowly

わたしに自然に融けてゆく melts naturally into me

はげしく日とを想う日も on days i think intensely of the past

白をまとえば when i wear white

2. Selene’s dance

Lyrics: Ayako Tsuchiya Music: Yuki Ito

なぞる指でそっと閉じる瞼 fingers trace and gently close eyes

濡れた口に甘い媚薬を sweet aphrodisiac on moistened mouth

しどけない貴方にかけた魔法で by a spell cast on innocent you

綺麗なまま永遠に remain beautiful forever

解けることなく never lifted

夢をみせ続けてあげる i’ll keep you dreaming

眩しい光に身を委ねて yield to the dazzling light

溶けてゆくよに愛を誓って、と melting away, pledging love -

虚ろな瞳に願ってみても try to beg of vacant eyes

無駄ね it’s hopeless

朝が来る頃に when morning comes

銀の船は呼ぶ the silver vessel calls

また夜を待つだけ just wait for night again

冷たい胸に燃えた火花 burnt spark in my cold heart

望みは一つ今日も誓って？ one wish, promise me again today?

穏やかに空は限りの時を告げるの calm sky marks the time’s end

香り染み付けて soaked-in scent

髪引かれながら as hair is pulled

また夜を待つだけ just waiting for night again

3. ひげなし

Lyrics: Ayako Tsuchiya Music: Yuki Ito

頬を撫でた　五月の風 a may wind caressed my cheeks

青い匂いが　抑えにきた scent of youth came to restrain me

可愛い夢　並べれたね we arranged cute dreams, didn’t we

叶いもしないこと things that could never come true

隠してたのは what i was hiding

知ってたから because i knew

胸に咲いた　花は見せなかった unrevealed flowers bloomed in my heart

目と目が合う　君が笑う our eyes meet, you smile

丘を駆け上がれば　街は遠くへ run up the hill and the town fades away

陽の光に　紛れ込んで mixed in the sunlight

もろい幻　拾った i grasped a delicate vision

指先から　流れてゆく slipping from my fingertips

君の優しいとこ your gentle side

懐かしいね、と ‘i miss you’

寂しかった、と ‘i felt lonely’

ポケットの中でぎゅっと伝えた i let you know, tight in my pocket

目と目が合う　君が笑う our eyes meet, you smile

丘を駆け上がれば　街は遠くへ run up the hill and the town fades away

4. まわれ

Lyrics: Ayako Tsuchiya Music: Yuki Ito

握りしめていたははずの熱は heat i should have tightly held

トウニ、ワタシカラハナレ ‘long ago, left me’

貴女の方へ、漂っていた towards you, it drifted

鈍い瞬き a dull blink

乾いて刻む、針の音 a dry scratch, sound of a needle

ゆっくり母音を　置くように as if slowly placing vowels

大事に胸を　打つように like beating the chest with care

まわれまわれ　世界よまわれ spin, spin, o world, spin!

ワタシと貴方を you and i

置いてゆけ leave it behind

5. Vocalise

Music: Kozue Tsukayama

6. Flower

Music: Yuki Ito

7. 夢中散歩 (Muchu Sampo, wandering in a dream)

Lyrics, Music: Ayako Tsuchiya

星　導かれるように降って falling stars as if being guided

そって　ここにいるよと伝えた gently i told you i’m here

子供の頃の春のままの僕に as i was in the spring of youth

冷たい君の手が触れた touched by your cold hand

Rhythm　鼓動を倍に感じて rhythm, feel the heartbeat double

長い　髪なびかせて　宙を舞い long hair flutters dance in air

ガラスのような君と　二人で together with you, like glass

夢は　続く　続く the dream continues continues

涙で潤む　瞳の奥の deep within tear-filled eyes

その台詞が好きさ i love those words

「可哀想ね」 ‘poor thing’

（飽きることなく） (never gets old)

笑った　記憶もやがて消え去る even memories of laughs will fade

何も出来ない僕を許して？ will you forgive me who could do nothing?

哀しい顔して　切なく魅せれば with a sad look you painfully display

夢は　続く　続く the dream continues continues

「可哀想ね」 ‘poor thing’

8. Dialog

Lyrics: Ayako Tsuchiya Music: Kozue Tsukayama

穏やかにみえる　静かな空に in the calm quiet sky

ふと　寄る　影 unexpected, a shadow approaches

うしろで　みつけた found behind me

輝く　太陽を the shining sun

痛みに似ている　憧れにいつも like pain, a yearning, always

追いかけられ pursuing me

疲れた　わたしは i’m tired

光が　恋しくて i miss the light

まっすぐ　うしろに　進んだ i moved straight back

そーっと softly

また　曇り空が出て again, the cloudly sky appears

気まぐれに　わたしに on a whim, to me

木洩れ陽を　みせるの showing sunlight through the trees

影を追いかけ chasing shadows

なぞる　白！ tracing white!

無理に描いた　穏やかな空に the calm sky, impossible to draw

消えた　太陽 the vanished sun

Audio and Video

• Audio for track #2 “Selene’s Dance”:

• Audio for track #7 “Muchu Sampo”:

• Promotional video with excerpts of songs from this album:

• Live version of track #6 “Flower”:

• Excerpt from track #5: “Vocalise”

The album contains eight original songs and runs for a satisfying thirty-eight minutes. I’ll avoid over-describing the songs track-by-track here, and just say that this music is a lot like Duo, with Kurita keeping time while constructing melodies that are catchy and wonderous with a calming moderation. The entire album can be heard online through the playlist link below. In general, it’s beautiful solo piano music that is mellow and sleek. Some of it is powerfully escapist in creating scenes based on other worlds and ideas (in a receptive environment and like good music in general, surely). Highlights include the light rock of track #1 “Jun” (a version of this song is also on Duo), the haunting #2 “Pas de deux”, the adventurous #4 “Mr. M”, and the sweet and emotional #8 “Plie ‘A Sublingual Castle’”. While Duo also had three river-themed songs, Ko-tsu-ko-tsu contains three songs with titles related to ballet and dance (“Pas de deux”, “Tendu ‘10 + 10)’”, and “Plie ‘A Sublingual Castle’”. Like with rivers, writing for ballet seems to be another magnet for Kurita.

The album title also provides an interesting diversion for language-inclined listeners. The title ko-tsu-ko-tsu is printed on the cover, and the characters 忽骨 are also present, vertically drawn out and connected on the right side of the striking illustration. Ko-tsu-ko-tsu written in Japanese kanataka is コツコツ. This is a common Japanese onomatopoeia word meaning steadily progressing little by little towards a goal, and can also represent the sound of rhythmic tapping, knocking, and footsteps. As for the kanji, each of the characters 忽 and 骨 can be individually pronounced as ko-tsu, doubled up as 忽骨 to make the full album title and the katakana word ko-tsu-ko-tsu. This two-character, two-homophone compound made up of these two kanji characters isn’t a common word, but Kurita combines them in this wordplayish way like a pun or double-meaning to create a novel connotation. In this case, the two characters represent sudden and bone (or backbone/spirit/knack), an interesting visceral context to add to the title of her album and to set a distinctive mood, a mood reinforced by the fantastic cover art and the tap-tap rhythm and clicking friction of the sound of ko-tsu-ko-tsu itself.

Similarly fun and curious, there are slight differences between the Japanese and English song titles. While most of the song titles are translated literally, a few are distinct. #3 “Tendu ‘10 + 10’” is written on the back cover as 重ね重ね, meaning repeatedly, over and over. In wordplay mode, the ‘10 + 10’ of the English title is the combination (+) of the English 10 or ‘ten’ with the Japanese 10 or jyuu/du, for “ten + du” or “tendu”, the first part of the song title.

The song #4 “Mr. M” is 北に生まれ (born in the north). I’m not sure of the connection here, but these may be clues about a specific person that Kurita wrote this song for. #7 “Winter 36” is 冬の散録 (winter jottings, assorted notes), where, like with “Tendu”, a type of wordplay called goroawase is used. The number 3 is san in Japanese, and 6 is roku, combined as 36 to become the sanroku which is the unusual word 散録 in the song title.

Like the music in the last song on the album, #8 “Plie ‘A Sublingual Castle’” or 舌下城 (castle-under-tongue), both the Engish and Japanese titles are very evocative… While I haven’t been able to figure it out, it feels like there may be more to this title than just its creative image. Perhaps a secret stronghold kept guarded, unvoiced (a castle beneath the tongue?)… or an impenetrable fortress created by a slip of the tongue, as a careless remark, or 舌禍 (zekka) can have the same sound as 舌下 (zekka), possibly?

Audio and Video

• Audio for “Jun”, track #1 on this album:

• Audio for “Pas de deux”, track #2 on this album:

• Full album playlist

• Excerpt from track #4: “北に生まれ (Born In The North)”

Most of the song titles are in Japanese, and language-attuned readers may notice that several of the songs end in the character 川 (kawa), meaning river. Kurita has a habit of naming songs after rivers in Japan, and her recent album SOLO 5 (2023) even features a complete tracklist of ten songs named after rivers. Her profile explains, “I like crossing rivers. I like composing and I’m not good at coming up with song titles, so I often use the names of rivers as titles.” One of the songs from SOLO 5, “Karaborigawa”, is also included on this album. Like rivers, her music can flow and weave, smoothly drifting or rushing along depending on the environment. Here the environment is an unpredictable live setting with the banks, shapes, wind, and silt of Sotoyama’s rhythms.

On Duo, Kurita and Sotoyama perform together in a fun and flexible way. Here, the roles are generally such that the pianist sets up the musical and rhythmic framework using a foundation of bass lines, chords, and melodies tied to her original compositions. Activated by her lead, Sotoyama’s drums impishly strike and clatter, following or pushing the pulse elastically, stopping on a dime, and restarting on a whim. If this sounds like a familiar style, last week’s Melodies: Melodies also featured Sotoyama’s creative drumming style.

Now, on to the music itself. The album begins with track #1 “Hand of Time”, a fanciful rumbling experiment that quickly settles into melodic tumbles at a steady rhythm. Next, #2 “Heso” (navel) is a jovial winding and blur. #3 “Kumagawa” (the first river song on Duo) is splashing piano and risk-taking drums skirting the edges. #4 “Karaborigawa” (the second river song) is a delicate piano construction with spurring drum punctuations. #5 “Gyoraisen Game” (Torpedo Boat Game, a retro board game along the lines of Battleship and bowling) is mid-to-uptempo bouncing improvisation.

Track #6 “Mukashibanashi” (old folk tale) is a swinging clave-like piano groove with drums playing all around it. #7 “Tenryuugawa” (the third river song) is movement all over, wild striking and settling into a blissful groove. #8 “Jun” assembles from wavering rumbles into one of the catchiest songs on the album (there is also a great solo piano version of this song on Kurita’s Ko-tsu-ko-tsu from 2012). #9 “Changement F” is a bouncy march where the up-and-down piano notes are offset by Sotoyama’s particularly playful drum splatters, coloring outside of the lines with wide dynamics and time. Lastly, #10 “Kyou no Sabi, Ashita no Tabi” (Today’s Solitude/Loneliness, Tomorrow’s Journey) is hummably lighthearted, slightly bluesy with a simple beauty.

Audio and Video

• Live video for “Gyoraisen Game”, track #5 on this album (live in 2021 at Sweet Rain):

• Live excerpts from #8 “Jun” and other songs from a live streaming concert at Velvet Sun in 2020:

• Live video from a 2016 performance at Jazz Cafe Chigusa:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Hand Of Time”

This four-member group consists of Ichino on guitar and baritone guitar, Kenta Tsugami on alto saxophone, Minyen Hsieh on tenor saxophone, and Akira Sotoyama on drums. As this quartet has no bass player, they form a subtly floating, bass-less group sound. Yet Ichino’s guitar work fills up the space nicely, especially when he subs in baritone guitar. All of the songs on Melodies were written by Ichino, and the album was recorded at a live performance at Velvet Sun in Tokyo on June 24, 2024.

The eight songs on Melodies share a front-to-back sonorous quality built on Ichino’s signature electric guitar sound. It’s warm, mellow, and suffused with undistracting effects with a warble that is more felt than heard. It’s a very effective tone that, combined with Ichino’s melodious presence, works so well with the type of songwriting he produces.

With guitar and drums proving the framework for the music, out front, the two saxes split and coil, fork and unite, like tendrils rising from harmonies and rhythms. Much of the time, Ichino’s chordal movements and arpeggiated riffs set the scene, and his rhythm section partner Akira Sotoyama provides an incredibly interesting mix of solid rhythmic reinforcement and off-the-grid ornamentation on drums. Sotoyama leaves the strongest time pulses and placement to the guitarist, knowing when to reinforce Ichino’s pulse by joining in with accents, and when to let go and contrast with the guitar framework with a bass drum thud, a splash of cymbal, or a stagger on a tom drum and anything else within striking distance. The calm seas of guitar and frisson of drums combine, swelling and swaying like waves in a meditative rhythmic dance. Then, the two saxes dip and jump in acrobatic orientation, one moment together and another apart, twining and alive on the written melodies and individual improvisations.

A brief overview of the album flow: Opening track #1 “Conversation and Confession” is dreamy, ambient and catchy. #2 “First Dance” is a solid pretty waltz. #3 “Peace” is rumbling free group improv with rising tension leading to a great Ornette-style group statement at the end. #4 “Elephant Ride” is serious, exploratory and moody, an album highlight.

Track #5 “Spring” has the muted hopefulness of a timid flower blossoming slowly, wide-open and bright. #6 “Solid/Liquid” is another highlight with repeated chordal statements and cycles that transform into reversed echoes, sci-fi signals, and an ascending melodic liftoff. #7 “Tiny Little Waltz” is all flexible, hummable, dreamlike blurs and innocent smiles. Finally, the cute melodies repeated in #8 “Nice People” are a cheerful farewell, moderated, patient, and kind.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video with an excerpt from “Solid/Liquid”, track #6 on this album:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Conversation and Confession”

Links

• Album information

• Motohiko Ichino store link for this album

• Streaming services for this album

Almost like a tiny classroom with a teacher’s desk table along the side, or a serious jazz study room, bookshelves line the walls at the jazz club In F in the Oizumi-gakuen district in Tokyo. In the center, up-front floor seats can be had at one long community table made up of three smaller square tables pushed together with seats for about 6 to 8 people.

There are also great views from the L-shaped bar in the back with space for several more customers. These bar seats are close enough to the stage with an elevated view, and even closer to In F’s tasty food and drinks, which are centered around a variety of Niigata specialties. Niigata (新潟) is a major Japanese port city known for its delicious rice production and, as a result, its high-quality Niigata nihonshu. Naturally, varieties of famous Niigata sake are also a big draw at In F jazz bar, and the rice wine is poured from large bottles with beautiful labels that customers can appreciate up close with their pour.

The classic seasonal dish of savory oden (Japanese soul food) is also a can’t-miss draw here, offered in a mini size with boiled eggs, daikon radish, and other ingredients. In addition to oden, simple plates like grilled potatoes, pickled vegetables, fries, and tofu are rotated in and out of the menu. And there’s always beer, of course, even Guinness.

In F occupies a small square windowless room on the thirdfloor, where customers are surrounded by books, magazines, CDs, and even cassette tapes that vie for space in the crammed bookshelves.

There is no excessive decoration or artwork to distract from the main event, which is that evening’s musical performance. This minimalistic space, enclosed within plain off-white walls, elevates the music and inspires the musicians to fill up the room and bond the listeners together with jazz creativity and rhythm. Focusing on the music is the entire point, after all, possibly enhanced by as much or as little of the attractive menu as fits each customer.

While In F may be a small, no-frills establishment, it succeeds as a comfortable and easy atmosphere with excellent curated background music (modern jazz, free jazz, and ECM label records have often been heard here) with an underground yet enviable jazz schedule of creative and interesting musicians.

The album’s eight tracks consist of seven Katakura originals and one cover song to close the set, an instrumental version of singer Abbey Lincoln’s “Being Me.” Karakura’s music is pure trio propulsion, muscular, raw, and risk-taking. Other emotions and impressions generated while listening to this music include the words heavy yet facile, determined and pointed. Whatever the subjective descriptions imply, it’s completely enjoyable, straight-ahead J Jazz coolness.

Track #1, “A Dancer’s Melancholy” (also featured on Katakura’s releases Faith and The Echoes of Three) is fantastically rich. #2 “The Duality of My Soul” is adventurously complex. #3 “Merciful Eyes” is a beautiful soft ballad. #4 “Dusk” is a thrilling backward-facing rollercoaster ride in deep groove gear.

#5 “Pursuit” evokes the forward momentum of an edge-of-your-seat chase scene where the influence of McCoy Tyner rises close to the surface. #6 “The Circle of Color Emotions”, like #4, is another riveting musical-mind-expanding highlight. Similarly, #7 “Canvas”, picks up the reins of track #5 and continues laying out exhilarating speed riffs in the improvisations and rhythms.

Finally, the last track #8 “Being Me” is a sweet and slow ballad, played with a fully romantic sentiment. In this vulnerable setting, Lincoln’s original lyrics seem to come through Katakura’s wordless piano notes, singing a personal meditation on self-discovery and acceptance, and possibly referencing (somehow) the duality of this great pianist’s own musical soul.

Audio and Video

• Excerpt from track #2: “The Duality Of My Soul”

It’s an exciting big band sound where the instrumental arrangements are a natural forefront highlight of Nakabayashi’s music written for alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet, flute (x2), baritone saxophone, trumpet (x2), trombone (x2), piano, bass, and drums. All of the players are well-known, hard-working musicians working in and outside Japan in various forms. Special mention is made for trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, the most famous name in this group who is known for major label releases, international jazz festival activity, and collaborations with international musicians in jazz, fusion, and other genres.

The rhythms on Circles are energetic, many with modern jazz straight-eights and Latin-beat propulsion. The exciting individual horn soloists interlock grandly with written-out front-line horn section statements. This results in a live jazz sound that grabs listeners’ attention and illuminates different parts of the orchestra as the music unfolds.

As a long-experienced bassist, Nakabayashi knows how to expertly deliver the essential rhythmic and melodic roots when playing jazz to communicate intimately with listeners. As the leader on this album, he makes sure to keep driving an exciting groove throughout most of the songs, making several moments on the album equal candidates for highlights.

#1 “Circulo” introduces the exciting modern jazz sound overflowing with energy. #2 “Passing” shifts to a solid 3/4 time walk that is somehow both weighty and light. #3 “Choro for Charlie” (for Charlie Haden? Mingus? Parker?) is sleek with cool George Russellian quirks to it that keep the interest high. #4 “Partagas” is a brave adventure with a surprise piano montuno and drum solo embedded in its fusion/Latin groove.

#5 “My Ship” (tracks #5 and 6 are switched on the CD jacket), the sole jazz standard, is a laidback cool-down interval. #6 “Evenfall” is a magnificently suspenseful journey guided by an extended flute solo. #7 “Nocturne” has an emotional, graceful Ellingtonian sound, and together with track #5 offers a restful period on a disc otherwise filled with engaging whirlwinds. Finally, #8 “R.B.” is a fun, loud jazz blues that builds with popping swing-dance energy. Here the humble leader, not one to hog the mic, at last takes his only bass solo on the album (likely invoking “R.B.”, or Ray Brown, the famous long-time bassist in the Oscar Peterson trio). Nakabayashi plays a great four choruses on four strings before the ensemble locks into a lively orchestrated fanfare, a perfect way to close this Circle.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album with brief excerpts:

• Promotional video for “Circulo”, track #1 on this album:

• Live performance of “Choro for Charlie”, track #3 on this album:

• Promotional video for “Pargatas”, track #4 on this album:

• Streaming/digital version of “Circles” (Bandcamp)

• Excerpt from track #6: “Evenfall”

Among the selections, the Sato and Nakajima duo plays two songs from the Great American Songbook, the sweetly loveable #1 “Young at Heart” and the pretty ballad #6 “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face”. These two songs, along with the tender tribute ballad #3 “I Remember Clifford”, are played at a slow pace, and the two musicians play with a feeling of comfortable relaxation that sinks in easily. Three other popular jazz standards played as a duo are #2 “The Dolphin”, #4 “Stablemates”, and #5 “Invitation”, where Sato and Nakajima moderately turn up the gas and tempos with more advanced changes and adventurous playing.

The final two songs are Japanese pop ballads from different long-ago eras. Track #7 “Itoshi no Ellie (Ellie, My Love)”, is a classic love ballad released in 1979 by the popular Japanese supergroup Southern All Stars (video). Here on Longing, Ema and Nakajima introduce the song in a nice-and-bluesy rubato style as the singer melodically storytells in English and adds some Japanese in the second half, where Sato brings in a rousing sax solo.

Track #8 “Soshu Yakyoku” (“Suzhou Nocturne”, 素週夜曲, video 1, video 2) was written by the innovative composer Ryoichi Hattori in 1940 for a movie set in the ancient Chinese city of Suzhou. It has the feel of a sentimental ballad from a different generation, fitting the Shangai Jazz Age mood in this “Paris of the East”, and the song’s softly moving harmonies, pentatonic scale notes, and structure romantically evoke a bygone Asian era. On Longing, Ema sings the song entirely in Japanese, and the musicians play with a melancholic feel that is suitably dusky (yakyoku as nocturne, night song) and lovingly nostalgic.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes.)

PROLOGUE

About founding the Pochizou label

The “Pochizou” name was born when I began uploading videos as an art teacher/Youtuber for my students while my school was closed during the Covid pandemic.

I first met Sato and Nakajima in 2019 at the jazz bar Coquelicot in Funabashi, just before the coronavirus turmoil heated up. I was the only customer, but I can still vividly remember the impact of hearing their live jazz performance for the first time. I said at the time, not jokingly, “I wish everyone in the world could hear this!” The dark period of Covid continued for the next three years, during which these musicians would still regularly come out to Funabashi to play. Ema joined them later, increasing their impact which resulted in an even more wonderful performance. At the end of 2022, as my teaching career was winding down, I boldly confided my thoughts about making an album to the three musicians, and they readily agreed. That is how this album was born.

I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the making of this album. I hope that this label can make progress in supporting those involved in Japanese music.

Sexagenarian Youtuber “Pouchizou Sensei”

MUSICIAN PROFILE

YOSUKE SATO

Yosuke Sato moved to the US in 2008 and started playing in New York. He won Grammy Awards in 2013 and 2016 as a member of singer Gregory Porter’s band. He has received high acclaim as a jazz saxophonist and has participated in hundreds of jazz festivals up through the current day. Sato departed the band in 2015 and moved his base to Japan to pursue his music, actively participating in musical events domestically and abroad.

GEORGE NAKAJIMA

George Nakajima was born in 1981 in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. He studied jazz piano under Masayasu Tzuboguchi at Shobi University. He has released two albums as the duo Shinpei Ruike & George Nakajima, N.40° and Duo. His first leader album, First Touch, was released in April 2021. Nakajima has participated in overseas performances in the Republic of Slovenia, China, and elsewhere, and is active in many groups and his combos both inside and outside Japan.

EMA

From an early age, Ema has appeared in musicals and dramas, learning the joy and importance of expression while encountering various musical genres. She started with a single-song demo tape and continued under the guidance of producer Tomoaki Ogura to release her debut record with Sony Music Ariola Japan and perform at the Blue Note Jazz Festival. In recent years Ema has starred in musicals and expanded her range into genreless activities.

Audio and Video

• Live duo performance of “The Dolphin”, track #2 on this album:

• Live trio performance of “Peel Me a Grape”:

• Live trio performance of “Our Love Is Here to Stay”:

• Live duo performance of “There Will Never Be Another You”:

• Live duo performance of “Body and Soul”:

• Excerpt from track #4: “Stablemates”

With its plain setting and simple furnishings, Thelonious is a soulful and humble listening room. It’s tiny, but not cramped, a perfectly minimalistic place for focused audiences who are there for hot jazz in a friendly and uncomplicated setting.

The bar has changed locations twice in the same Higashi-Nakano neighborhood and close to Higashi-Nakano station. The photos above (and some further below) were taken at Thelonious’s current location, and notes and photos from the two previous locations are also included below.

Thelonious’s Current Location

Today, Thelonious’s third and current location occupies a street-level shop whose main room is essentially a small square area for the musicians’ stage and audience seats. Half of the room is taken up by the slightly raised stage where the night’s musicians gather closely in front of the grand piano and the drum set. Facing this are two rows of seats for listeners, with modest stools, benches, and small, light tables scattered around. Navigating the tight quarters may require some care to avoid bumping drinks or knocking over the low tables. Next to this is the tiny bar area, with a bathroom and kitchen in the back.

The menu contains home-cooked dishes, a few based on Senegal cooking with sauces similar to Japanese curry but with a more exotic taste. Lamb saute, green curry, a few pasta dishes, quick snacks, and a variety of alcohol are also on the menu. In summer, the menu includes kakigori (shaved ice with syrup), popular with many customers (including discerning lunchtime regulars), and anyone who loves a cold treat in Tokyo’s hot and humid season.

Thelonious’s owner Toshiko-san is a warm person to laugh and talk with, comfortable with and friendly to foreigners. In addition to her separate day job and running the bar at night, she is also a part-time jazz singer and occasionally takes the stage at Thelonious and other local jazz clubs. But, ever the supportive patron of Japan’s jazz arts, Toshiko-san runs this jazz spot herself and puts her all into it. She’s also sometimes joined by her daughter at Thelonious, forming a team with an incredibly warm, best-friends dynamic.

Big congratulations are also due Toshiko-san and Thelonious, this year celebrating Thelonious’s 20-year anniversary in May 2025. It’s rumored that customers may be treated to one free drink each day of this anniversary month. The photos at the top of this article (and more at the bottom) were all taken at Thelonious’s current location in early 2025.

Thelonious’s First Location

The first location was very cozy, with just enough room near the end of the bar for a few musicians to perform at a time. Thelonious opened in 2005 and operated in this location for three years. Two puppies were also often found to be playing inside the bar, happily exploring and greeting customers while the jazz music and drinks flowed.

Thelonious’s Second Location

After the first three years, Thelonious moved to a second location nearby, operating there for roughly eleven years. This second location occupied a basement-level space right across the street from the Higashi-Nakano train station. The space was separated into two rooms, basically a front bar/lounge area and a back room for live jazz performances and jam sessions. This back room held soft couch-style seats and small tables next to the stage area, with more chairs and seats extending back into a hallway that bridged the front and back rooms. Approximately four to six listeners in the backroom jazz area would have the best (and loudest) spots, right up front with the musicians, and the remaining guests would fill out the seats further out into the hallway. It was here where hundreds of jazz performances and jam sessions were held, helping to bring Thelonious into its own as a highly appreciated jazz spot regularly supported by musicians and fans.

Setagaya Trio’s concept is based on having all three players extend freely, rather than having one leader decide the group’s direction and style. This results in music that is freewheeling and fun with a risk-taking energy that is powered by their youthful, fresh attitude. The trio’s arrangements feel loose in a way, as if anything could happen, and they look forward to those unexpected surprises as challenges to meet head-on. At the same time, the tightness of their playing and arrangements is apparent, solid and effective. It’s an impressive bond arising from the extreme attention paid by each member to one another, no doubt paid off by their efforts and dedication to studied listening and practicing their art.

This album contains ten tracks made up of seven original songs and three covers. While this is mainly a studio-recorded album, the last song is from a live recording, and adds the nice touch of topping the album off with a raw, encore-like performance.

The band’s original songs include the slow-building #1 “Omrai”, the most straight-ahead jazz #2 “Metsa”, the club-style J Jazz groove #3 “Hako”, the short, Ornette-ishly free #5 “Skip Song” (with its amusingly self-deprecating title), the funky Latin-tinged soul jazz of #6 “K.O.G.S.”, the short Medeski Martin & Wood-sensed jam jazz of #7 “Setado Funk”, and the calm, sweet waltz of #8 “Jarvi”. Most songs are roughly in the standard five-to-seven minute duration, except for the two short songs (#3 and #7) which are around 2 minutes each, giving the impression of quick experiments thrown in as spice for the mix, just for fun, because they feel like it, and hey, why not? It keeps things interesting.

The three originals include the slow and romantic Spanish love song #4 “Amapola”, drummer Paul Motian’s spaciously and poetic “Bird Song” played with impressionistic verve, and a rhythmic and intense live version of pianist Thelonious Monk’s quirky “Thelonious”, a great way to highlight the respectful yet playful dynamic personality of Setagaya Trio.

Liner Notes

(Translated from the original Japanese liner notes.)

The band formed after hitting it off at a jam session in 2015. They met at a jam session in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya, which inspired the name “Setagaya Trio” for the band. The motif for the jacket design is the maneki-neko [/beckoning cat figurine/] of Gotokuji temple in Shimokitazawa.

There is no musical leader, and their style is characterized by the free expression of all three members. From regular standard numbers from free jazz, quiet noise, and Brazilian music, to modern R&B-styled tunes, their performances have attracted attention all over the country for their appetite to absorb anything and play in their own restrained way.

They released their first album Introducing Setagaya Trio in 2017, which was featured on NHK-FM’s “Jazz Tonight” program. Currently, in addition to performing at jazz clubs centered around the Tokyo metropolitan area, they are expanding the scope of their activities, including musical support for hip-hop producer STUTS.

Audio and Video

• Live performance of “K.O.G.S.”, track #6 on this album:

• Live performance of “Blues”:

• Live performance of “I Love You”:

• Live performance of a madcap medley of songs including “Ladies in Mercedes”, “Giant Steps”, and others:

• Excerpt from track #2: “Metsa”

The charm of the NYC backdrop is not used simply for glamorous postcard photos, however: Pianist Kitajima and bassist Motoi Kanamori, both based in Japan, joined up with longtime New York resident Fukushi Tainaka on drums for the recording of this album in his adopted hometown. It seems that the energy and legacy of the big city inspired the players as they recorded the music for this album, raising them up as if standing on the shoulders of the past jazz giants that they love.

Kitajima shows off her style influences through tributes to the legendary jazz piano players who are some of her favorites. Through her attention and dedication, she focused here on Bobby Timmons (track #1 “Soul Snappy”), Sonny Clark’s (#4 “Sippin’ at Bells”), Bud Powell (#6 “Tempus Fugit”), and Error Garner (#8 “Erroll’s Dream”). These admirable goals are realized by the trio’s locked-in skills, effort, and dynamic energy as they run through the moods of soulful bop, jazz blues, smooth bossa nova jazz (#3 “Estate”), Afro-Cuban jazz (#9 “Manteca”) and swing, swing, swing.

Along with the six jazz standards and covers, Kitajima also introduces four of her original compositions on her debut. Along with her refined, reverential playing style, her creative songwriting also honors the essence of true jazz in the tradition of good-feeling, hard-swinging jazz piano trios.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Kanoko Kitajima’s original Japanese liner notes.)

This album was completed with the cooperation of many people. I want to dedicate this album to all my family and friends who always look after me, the listeners and club owners who support me, and my late grandfather who taught me about the joy of music.

On this, my first album, I am fortunate to be joined by the superb drummer Fukushi Tainaka, who has been continuously playing at the forefront of jazz in New York City for forty years. I’m so pleased to have made this album, which was recorded in a historic New York studio with such excellent musicians and audio engineers. I hope that you will enjoy this record, created with a whole-body swing feel, for a long time to come.

1. Soul Snappy / Kanoko Kitajima

This is an original song that I wrote with inspiration drawn from a pianist I admire a lot, Bobby Timmons. I put my sense of his powerful and beautiful playing into this song.

2. Long Way to Go / Kanoko Kitajima

Jazz is deep, and I often feel a whole life can be devoted to pursuing it. Listening to so many songs and getting the chance to perform with my respected mentors has been an amazing experience for me. I wrote this song with the determination to examine and devote myself daily to continue to work hard over the long run.

3. Estate / Bruno Martino

This song, whose title means “summer” in Italian, is magnificent and melancholic. I focused on trying to make the melody sing beautifully without losing the song’s atmosphere. Tainaka’s deep mallet playing and Kanamori’s sexy bass lines stand out, making this song great for hot summer days.

4. Sippin’ at Bells / Miles Davis

This is another one of my favorite songs, also included in the album Cool Struttin’ [Sonny Clark, 1958]. The title refers to drinking slowly at a bar called Bells. Check out Tainaka’s drum solo, full of emotion.

5. Sometimes I Feel / Kanoko Kitajima

Often, when the day’s over and I’m thinking about whatever happened that day, I get lost in thought. This song came to me during one of those times. We recorded it as a piano trio for this album, but I was thinking about using horn instrumentation when I wrote it, and I’d like to record it as a quartet someday.

6. Tempus Fugit / Bud Powell

Bud Powell left us with many spectacular songs and performances. Among those is this song, one filled with his new approach to melody and speed, and one that was a challenge for me. It’s a difficult song to play through the melody with many coordination spots for the three of us as we run towards the ending. Tainaka’s wonderful brushwork is really enjoyable.

7. If You Could See Me Now / Tadd Dameron

The prolific songwriter Tadd Dameron wrote this song for Sarah Vaughan, a vocalist he performed with a lot at the time. When I first heard this song I was deeply moved by its beauty, and I have treasured playing it ever since.

8. Erroll’s Dream / Kanoko Kitajima

Erroll Garner, famous as the composer of “Misty”, is one whose piano playing makes me happier the more I hear it. His music fills my heart when I close my eyes and listen to his tremendous lyricism and colorful touch. I tried to include that dreamlike sentiment into this song.

9. Manteca / Dizzy Gillespie

This song is very memorable for me. In 2013, I attended Junko Onishi’s jazz workshop at the Saito Kinen Matsumoto Festival, and the assigned piece was this song. I still remember her saying “Use the whole piano like an orchestra, from top to bottom, and play with your entire body.” It became a dynamic performance together with Kanamori’s firm beat and Tainaka’s incredibly cool groove.

10. Serenade in Blue / Harry Warren

Harry Warren gave us more than 800 impressive compositions, including “The More I See You” and “There Will Never Be Another You”. I learned about this composition when I was living in Fukuoka and was a member of Junya Hidaka’s AMG (Advanced Music Gallery) big band, and we played this beautiful song. I remember it being very romantic at the time, as we played it in an outdoor setting where the neon lights of Nakasu joined the night sky. I brought the album to a close with this favorite and memorable piece, “Serenade in Blue”.

北島佳乃子 Kitajima Kanoko

Obi Notes

A brilliant debut record from a pianist with a naturally sophisticated talent! You’re moved to smile with every note from all the songs… this is real jazz!

Audio and Video

• Audio for “Soul Snappy”, track #1 on this album:

• Live performance of “Estate”, track #3 on this album:

• Live performance of “Daahoud” with the Fumika Asari Quartet:

• Live performance of “Caravan” with the Natsuko Matsuyama Quartet:

• Excerpt from track #2: “Long way to go”

It’s a simple and sweet affair, a short set of four-to-five-minute songs based around Sakai’s classy, low-key, and easy-to-love delivery. A five-piece band starts strong with track #1 “Stolen Moments”, a combo sound that reappears on the attention-getting track #4 “I’ve Got Just About Everything”. Starting with a rubato vocal/guitar intro, this take then races along and includes a dynamic three-player solo section in the middle, bracketed by Sakai singing in her attractively laid-back, confident yet understated style.

The full band sound is balanced with small duo and trio moments such as on the brisk and good-feeling #2 “You’re My Everything”, where guitarist Hiraoka’s walking bass and chords fingerstyle shines. Elegantly powerful in their quiet simplicity are the romantic ballads #3 “I’ve Got a Crush On You” and the closer #6 “That’s All”, reminding us that sometimes all you need is uncomplicated jazz for a good feeling and a nice atmosphere delivered by great musicians and soothing vocals… that’s all.

(On a tangent, I noticed that Stolen Moments includes some song titles with mild wordplay-adjacent connections for a relatively short album: The two middle song titles start with the same words I’ve Got with #3 “I’ve Got a Crush on You” and #4 “I’ve Got Just About Everything”. Additionally, a different pair of song titles contains the word Everything with #2 “You’re My Everything” and #4 “I’ve Got Just About Everything”. Pure chance, most likely, but I wondered if adding other songs with similar titles could create an interesting concept. Add the standards “I’ve Got the World on a String”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”, “I’ve Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)”, and “I Got Rhythm”. Then for Everything, consider “Everything Happens to Me”, “Everything I Have Is Yours”, “Everything I’ve Got (Belongs to You)”, “Everything I Love”, and Chick Corea’s “You’ve Everything” with its song title already incredibly similar to #2 “You’re My Everything”. Maybe a title for the resulting concept album such as Everything I’ve Got, or I’ve Got Everything, would be the perfect wrapping. But I digress…)

Audio and Video

• Live performance of “You’re My Everything”, track #2 on this album:

• Live performance of “I’ve Got a Crush on You”, track #3 on this album:

• Live performance of “That’s All”, track #6 on this album:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Stolen Moments”

Oto-ya Hiroo’s setup is simple but comfortable, providing a friendly atmosphere to listen to popular local jazz acts. This is a delight for mixed audiences made up of casual shoppers who watch from the wings or are taking a break from shopping, curious tourists who pop in and out, and dedicated jazz fans who come here to catch their favorite musicians.

For a completely different setting than the atmosphere of dark and smoky jazz bars, this venue is a great option for a pleasant afternoon of jazz, shopping, and browsing. Another plus: the daytime shows are free. Afternoon shows typically start at around 1:00 pm for two sets of music and don’t require reservations — just walk up and take a seat. There are occasional evening events as well, which may require securing a reservation and purchasing tickets.

Modern jazz records on the ECM label are sometimes described as having a tangible ambience: slow, experimental music living in wide-open crystal-clear recordings, where the reverberation seems to be used as an instrument. Even the CD booklets with their museum-oriented images and minimal text speak quietly of quality, careful curation of artists, and attention to detail. Drummer/bandleader Fukumori’s release For 2 Akis is right in line with this reputation. Added to those characteristics is the gratitude and humility carried in the album title’s meaning as a dedication to two early supporters of Fukumori.

The music on this album, like the natural world, can be serene but serious. While listening, one choice is to let it wash around you and allow the music to establish a soundscape as it happens. Pay as much or as little attention as you like, yet the mood sinks in still. Another choice is to let the music in freely and completely, becoming absorbed as it flows through you and washes the world away. Fukumori used similar words when describing the influence that the Showa era of Japanese pop songs had on him: “Music was a way to escape from the reality, but at the same time to be aware of it.” With this, he draws a parallel to the American blues form. (More of Fukumori’s words can be found on the ECM Records page for this album.)

Another fascinating thing about the music on this album is the time span covered by the songs. The modern compositions from Fukumori, Bordonave, and Lang are balanced by their interpretations of older Japanese songs. There is the early J-Pop era in Japan with the poignant “Mangetsu no Yube” (evening of the full moon), a hopeful anthem reflecting on loss and suffering after the Great Hanshin (Kobe) Earthquake of 1995. The graceful “Ai San San” (love radiantly) from 1986 has emotional enka and kayokyoku roots, and seems simple but is deep and moving. The older songs “Hoshi Meguri no Uta” (song of the circling stars) and “Koji no Tsuki” (moon over castle ruins), are from 1918 and 1901 respectively, and are filled with the sense of traditional Japanese sensibilities and poetic folk moods.

Incidentally, “Koji no Tsuki”, used as the first part of Fukumori’s “Light Suite”, is a song that has been interpreted by Thelonious Monk (as “Japanese Folk Song”), guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, and the rock band Scorpions.

The wide range of years found in the song selection here brings something extra to the music, eliciting an awareness of how emotion can be timelessly stored and transmitted through the exquisite performances of the songs’ evocative melodies, and the unified rising from that, improvisationally and spontaneously.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for “Hoshi Meguri No Uta”, track #1 on this album:

• Promotional video for “For 2 Akis”, track #4 on this album:

• Audio for #7 “Spectacular” (ECM Records)

• Playlist for this album (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #3: “Ai San San”

Links

• ECM Records

• ECM Reviews

This album is a follow-up to Nakamura’s first album Blaque Dawn from 2022. In contrast to his debut record, Invisible Diary is entirely self-produced by Nakamura and released on his own label, a move that allowed him the freedom to imagine and direct the project entirely as he saw fit. Although Nakamura does not give away too many details, the songs on this release are meant to tell one conceptual story, and the listener is invited to form their own interpretations. The songs are all original compositions by drummer Nakamura.

The song titles, or the chapters of the diary, also don’t give away much, such that meanings might be found in the composer’s designs and the musicians’ playing.

The first set of four songs includes some seasonal and descriptive themes: #1 “Endless Spring Vacation”, #2 “Withdraw”, #3 “Barbaro” (バルバロ, likely /untamed wildness /here), and #4 “Little Warm Winter”. These four songs together combine highly intense, dreamily ambient, and straight-ahead platforms.

The second half of the album contains a five-part suite with titles invoking home, sentimental memories, and mysterious fate. The enigmatically-titled last song, “Part 5. <(%9 2(<8%¥%××〒6” may be a section of the diary that is intended to remain obscure, or a playful puzzle for listeners to ponder. However, this orchestrated final track lucidly switches between scenes of placid calm and slightly sinister suspense for a reassuring and satisfying landing.

Throughout the album, this new music can be both edgily exciting and serene, creating contrasts and arcs in the story. From the first track, a stage is set for modern straight swing jazz with complicated structures, challenging at first, and seemingly bursting with the busy impatience of wild, youthful ambition. But the chaos is controlled masterfully by Nakamura’s confident drumming and neatly planned compositions. The slower songs are atmospheric with simple, memorable melodies that resurface between and within the soloists’ improvisations. This highlights how Nakamura’s themes are important parts of his compositions, threaded throughout and not simply brackets for extended jazz solos. In Nakamura’s music (such as the last track which leaves out individual improvisational sections), playing the composition, following the score, and employing the theme is as important as jazz conventions and adlibbing. It’s good, thought-out music, fun and engaging, alternately stimulating and reflective.

With no liner notes to explain the music, the songs speak for themselves. It’s an Invisible Diary after all. The playing is powerful and the skill and ambition of the youthful group members are clear. Yet, their control over the sometimes frenzied, sometimes patient, musical passages can be seen in their group cohesion. Most of all, the diary reveals the results of Nakamura’s mindset and his group’s appreciation of the beauty of music and the strength of their collaborations, all to a modern jazz fan’s delight.

Audio and Video

• Audio for “Endless Spring Vacation”, track #1 on this album:

• Live performance of “Part 1. Hometown”, track #8 on this album:

• Live performance of “Part 3. Dada’s Hands”, track #7 on this album:

• Live performance of “Part 4. Memorial Days”, track #8 on this album:

• Full album playlist (Spotify)

• Full album playlist (YouTube)

• Excerpt from track #3: “バルバロ (Barbaro)”

Also a favorite local spot in Kashiwa for jazz and drinks, Nardis has the inherited feeling of a neighborhood bar where regulars occasionally hang out. The bar was originally a jazz kissa café at a location very close to where it is today. In that respect, besides the sharing of conversations and alcohol in a jazz setting, having coffee here is not an unusual order.

With a live performance almost every night, the core schedule at Nardis features a variety of favorite local Japanese jazz musicians. Special events featuring foreign musicians and groups are also a regular feature at Nardis, including recently a fair number of musicians from Europe. ECM-style players from Scandinavian countries are particularly popular here, with ultramodern nongenre music, free jazz, and unusual combos sometimes included. Popular Japanese musicians and house favorites have recurring shows here at regular one- or multiple-month intervals, some continuing for periods of years with gracious support from the bar owner and enthusiastic customer base.

The bar master Komine-san’s impeccable taste and years of experience mean that customers are virtually guaranteed to be treated to excellent live music, great service, and choice background music during the breaks. His friendliness, English fluency, and long history of events with local foreign musicians and jazz club operations in Tokyo (including a decade of experience at Naru years ago!) also mean that he is full of interesting stories.

In terms of the club’s layout, Nardis’s box-like arrangement has the piano and small stage area located snug up against the entry area, hugging an interior corner of an inside wall. Next to the performance area are some tables and chairs extended to the back of the room. Around the bend of the inside corner, a few seats and tables have limited views, but this area is commonly used for the musicians during breaks. The bar counter and bar sets have the most unique views, with the layout being such that certain seats at the bar look right over the back of the drummer and face the pianist for an elevated and unique line of sight to the performers.

Despite the distance to Nardis, the convenient train system makes it easy (or possible, at least) to get back home before the last train, depending on where you are headed. In case the end of the set turns into extended after-show drinks and conversation, taxis are always available, and, for the adventurous, there is always the free-spirited option of killing time somewhere in Kashiwa until the first train runs in the morning.

Congratulations are also due to Nardis and Komine-san, as Nardis, having originally opened in 1994, is celebrating its 31st anniversary this year. Here’s to many more!

Matsumoto and Koketsu’s/ Trust/ includes seven tracks of sax and piano duo arrangements and runs at about 41 minutes. The selection is drawn from material they admire and are very familiar with. This includes some of their favorite songs and composers such as Tom Harrell, Richard Rodgers, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Lee Konitz. Speaking of Konitz, sax player Koketsu has an affinity for and a likeness to alto sax players like Art Pepper and Lee Konitz. One of her albums is simply titled Art, and the Matsumoto/Koketsu duo has been known to play certain tunes from the Lee Konitz/Lennie Tristano cool jazz repertoire including “Subconscious-Lee”, “Wow”, and Konitz’s “Stephanie”, which opens this album.

Full videos for three of the album’s tracks are available online (#1 “Stephanie”, #2 “Border Line”, and #4 “Chet”) and show the actual performance recording made for this album, and the three other videos feature the duo in an equally captivating live setting (links to the videos are included below).

As a duo, the mood of the music departs just a bit from Matsumoto’s trademark happy bebop virtuosity — her heroes being Oscar Peterson and Phineas Newborn Jr. — and Koketsu’s wide-ranging, modern edge. They are clearly comfortable and confident together, alternately leading, following, or playing simultaneously, and trading positions intuitively without needing to rely on standard waypoints or signals. With the familiarity and skill that the duo has built together over the years, their sense of time, tone, jazz phrasing, and playing fills the air with subdued hues and room-filling colors, languidly refreshed like a cat stretching out of a nap.

That’s not to say it’s all romantic ballads and sleepy atmospheres. As a single album, the moods are all of a piece, conveying integrity, solidarity, and belief. It’s music that is refined, soft, and fresh, but can be dreamily veiled (#4 “Chet”) and hauntingly moody (#7 “Spartacus Love Theme”) at times as well. The selection of music performed with indisputable skill and wisdom makes their playing intimate, comfortable, and familiar. It’s a perfect fit for the theme of Trust that this album embodies.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Akane Matsumoto and Ayumi Koketsu’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Thank you for purchasing this album.

Twelve years have passed since the start of this duo. We’ve played together so many times that it’s impossible to count. We’ve raised each other through trial and error, playing each of our compositions and interpretations of many jazz originals, and always striving for an even better sound day by day. Through tours of the country and conversations about many things, we’ve discussed everything from our music to thinking more deeply about our individual characters. Along with the respect we have for one another, I believe that we’ve built a relationship based on absolute mutual trust. At this point in time, with the accumulation of these many years since we started, it felt right and somehow inevitable to create a duo album together, and it’s very moving for me. We made Trust wholeheartedly while thinking about the path we’ve walked together over these twelve years. Here’s to the hope that this album can touch people’s hearts, whether one person or as many people as possible. (Ayumi Koketsu)

1. Stephanie

This is a beautiful ballad written by Lee Konitz. The somewhat nostalgic, heartwarming melody of this song seems to bring the performers together. Although there was a set tempo for the performance, the most important thing was to have our natural rhythms come together. Even as we were taking breaths at the same time, we moved to connect the sounds as if singing together. I believe that we were only able to perform this way because of the mutual trust and closeness that we’ve built up over the years. (Ayumi Koketsu)

2. Border Line

This recording was made over two days. With a feeling close to that of when we perform together, we could relax from start to finish by hearing one another’s live sound right next to each other. I could sense a natural flow to the music as a result of the sound and outlook that we’ve cultivated over a long time together, and it moved me many times during the performance. In particular, I feel that track #1 “Stephanie” and this take set the direction for the entire album. I’m proud that we have been able to continue to develop our band-like sound in the flexible form of a duo, and I’m extremely pleased that it’s now taken shape as this album. (Akane Matsumoto)

3. Spring Is Here

This is a song written by Richard Rogers in 1938 for a musical. The opening has a slightly floating atmosphere, and the second half brings a transition to a calm and reassuring melody. It’s a song I really like as I can play it in a very relaxed manner. For this recording, an introductory arrangement was added. It’s a good song for relaxing, taking your time, and listening to leisurely. (Ayumi Koketsu)

4. Chet

If I was asked, “Which three duo albums would you take with you to a desert island?”… People Time by Stan Getz and Kenny Barron is a must, and I can’t let go of my favorite album Kids by Joe Lovano and Hank Jones. I would definitely take Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry, which is always guaranteed to make me feel happy. I would love to continue absorbing 1+1 by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. Of course, I can’t forget Solitudes by Lee Konitz and Enrico Pieranunzi, which includes this song, “Chet”. Speaking for myself, it would be really tough to try to narrow it down to just three albums (haha). The genuine charm of the small form of a duo is the intimate conversation arising from the notes. And the more the heart opens, the more free it becomes. This one-to-one real-life communication, with all its humanity and stimulation, goes deeper than the surface and allows us to recognize and accept one another’s aesthetics and ideas. (Akane Matsumoto)

5. It’s Easy to Remember

This is a song written by Richard Rogers in 1935 for a movie. This may be the song we play most often as a duo. It’s permeated us so much so that we can begin it just through eye contact, without any prior arrangement or discussion. For this recording, we played it without deciding anything beforehand, with the sense that it was like a regular live performance. It’s a long take that unfolds over a comfortable stretch of time. I hope you can enjoy this as if you were listening closely to a ballad in a live setting. (Ayumi Koketsu)

6. Coral Sea

There’s a place I always visit whenever I go back to my hometown. Near my house, there’s a seemingly never-ending path through a rice field. As I’m enjoying the scent of the earth and the song of the skylarks while keeping an eye open for frogs playing in the path, I’m filled with the relief of being in the midst of nature. The sky of San’in can be seen in a sweeping 180 degrees. Mount Daisen, the Fuji of Hoki, towers over a small mountain range far in the distance. Now that I’ve been living in Tokyo for quite some time, I’m able to keenly reflect on the joy of being raised in a land rich with nature. Someday I’d like to capture this beautiful scenery and atmosphere and put it into music. Tom Harrell often writes pieces that have themes of nature, and it feels as if he transforms his emotions about the seasons and landscapes directly into his songs. If you close your eyes and listen to this song, you can just picture the beautiful coral reefs spreading out in the calm, emerald-green sea. (Akane Matsumoto)

7. Spartacus Love Theme

This is a ballad made famous by Bill Evans’ beautiful performance. The soft, gentle sound of alto sax elevates the striking melody. I’ve shared the stage with Ayumi countless times, and we’ve lived through the same period in music together. For me, the term “sworn friends” is a perfect fit. We’ve continued our work while supporting, accepting, and complimenting one another. The deep understanding of what is important to each of us and the many heartfelt discussions we’ve had may just be the source of strength for our music. For twelve years we’ve been pursuing the goal of striving to make our music better and better, together. This album is both a culmination of that, as well as a new starting point for the next stage. (Akane Matsumoto)

Obi Notes

A twelve-year path walked together, carefully listening to and harmonizing with each other’s sound. As musicians on a long and challenging journey, uncovering the secret to expressing the wonders of music. It’s nothing other than “Trust.”

Audio and Video

• Video for “Stephanie”, track #1 on this album:

• Video for “Border Line”, track #2 on this album:

• Video for “Chet”, track #4 on this album:

• Live performance of “Spartacus Love Theme”, track #7 on this album:

• Live performance of “Evanessence”:

• Live performance of “Trip”:

• Excerpt from track #3: “Spring Is Here”

This album was recorded at Virtuoso on the night of October 1, 2020. Fe is made up of guitarist Yuta Ikedo on guitar, Ko Omura on drums, Keisuke Furuki on bass, and Shinobu Ishizaki on saxophone. Guitarist Ikedo and drummer Omura are co-leaders of this group and also two-thirds of a different trio called “Atman”. These two musicians have a long history of playing together with a friendly and close relationship that can be summed up by the quartet’s name, “Fe”, which originated from a humorous accident. As Ikedo was typing up some information about the group, the intended “ds” (for drums) became “fe” due to quick fingers and an incorrect alignment on the keyboard. The typo amused the group and stuck as the trio’s name. Omura’s liner notes also playful improvise on “f” and “e”:

Fundamental elements are forever evolving, foreseeing equal fractals extracted from each feasible experience.

Furthermore, eloquence is finite, enveloping filtered eons fabricated eternally or forever.

Finding existence fatigues energy, feeling exhalation for ectstastic flow.

For each face, ephemeral factors exists, forever engaging fond experiences.

The songs on Live at Asakusa are original compositions by co-leaders Ikedo and Omura, with Ikedo contributing five songs and Omura two. Along with their individual solos, Fe’s music also features guitar and sax pairing up on some melody lines. It’s a doubled jazz sound that works so well in a live setting with the attention-grabbing duality of the sharp blade of Ishizaki’s sax and the warm glow of Ikedo’s guitar. Some of the improvisational highlights also feature Ikedo and saxophonist Ishizaki trading ideas and solos back and forth in ad-libbed, engaging conversations.

#1 “Invisible Essence” (Ikedo) is energetic and bright (the audio for this track is available in the live recorded video included below). #2 “Flow of the Circumference” (Ikedo) leans towards a lush fusion sound through an adventurous circuit. #3 “Sheepwash” (Omura) is comfortably warm, memorable, and unique. #4 “Flux” (Ikedo) has irresistible angles with openness and a drum solo by Omura over a final vamp. #5 “Ebb and Flow” (Omura) sways sweetly like a hammock nap on a ship at sea before threatening waves appear with Ishizaki’s roiling sax. The subtle asymmetry of #6 “GMM” (Ikedo) constructs a fascinating portrait dedicated to Ikedo’s grandmother Misao-san and serves as the perfect magnum opus of the album, along with the initially placid but increasingly intense scenes of #7 “Irreversible” (Ikedo), a song inspired by the harrowing Gaspar Noé movie.

Audio and Video

• Video of the live recording of “Invisible Essence”, track #1 on this album:

• Excerpt from track #3: “Sheepwash”

I’m Missing You is the prolific composer’s first album, which quickly sold out as she was gaining recognition for her distinctive jazz piano compositional style, a novel approach that melded her Japanese classical musical training, studies in jazz piano, and her affection for European modern jazz. The original 2004 album contained eight songs, all composed by Nishiyama, and was re-released in 2007 with three bonus tracks from around the same period. It came to be regarded as her breakthrough first trio recording, released 20 years before her latest CD Echo, and with more than two dozen albums released in between.

On I’m Missing You, her strong sense of composition for a piano trio jazz setting is already apparent. Her characteristic harmonies, melodies, section changes, and moderately, tastefully used brief polyrhythms and syncopated shifts evoke emotions and hook listeners, carrying them along through adventurous paths filled with medium tempos based on warm grounding bass, brushed drums, and intricate piano solos.

The different songs on this album share a lot of similarities in feel overall, acting like an album-length extended suite filled with Nishiyama’s lovely melodies, delicate touch, and the classical-sounding elements of lightly nimble scales, arpeggios, ornamentation in her improvisation. Along with the jazz improvisation, focus is also often drawn to the modulating key signatures illustrated by the reassuring drums and bass frameworks in straight-eighth 3/4 or 4/4 time. There is a minor-key feel to much of the music; even the major-key sections seem to possess a minor quality. But this is not painful sadness as in agony, but a tender soreness that’s almost a comfort, or the feeling of I’m missing you that invokes the person sweetly along with the ache. At the same time, the essential spice of upliftingly powerful major-key shifts at the right times serve as the bright rays of light, however temporary, in a mostly moody world.

For interested pianists and jazz musicians, Nishiyama also graciously provides simplified piano charts for some of her original songs in the Extra area of her website. This includes charts for “Blue Nowhere”, “Epigraph”, and “Passato”, three absolute highlights from I’m Missing You.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hitomi Nishiyama’s and Hiroki Sugita’s original Japanese liner notes.)

I’m Missing You | Hitomi Nishiyama Trio

In 2004, a short while after this album was released, a person said to me “We played this song at our relative’s funeral.” I was moved to tears with feelings I didn’t quite understand.

After some time had passed, I thought composedly about the fact that someone, at a very important time with their loved ones, had wanted to say their final farewells as they were sending someone off with this song. As a musician, it was a blessing to hear. Although I knew that what I had created may have been artless, self-indulgent, and insignificant, a feeling was present that there are some people that may need me in some way. It must be a natural human emotion.

From the simple decision to start recording in my early twenties, the result of this emotional experience as a musician may have been the greatest asset produced by this early recording. Although the recording is full of shortcomings, I am extremely happy that this work, one that is so important to me personally and is a snapshot of myself at the time, is being re-released.

Three additional songs not related to the original release are also included. We’re a young trio that started from the Yokohama Jazz Promenade competition, through to this recording, and on to many experiences after that. I hope you enjoy these previously unreleased recordings from that time.

—Hitomi Nishiyama

This is a long-awaited re-release. Hitomi Nishiyama’s first trio album as a leader, self-produced, recorded, and released in 2004, was discontinued in 2007 when the album sold out. In 2006, Cubium, her first album for Spice of Life, was released. It was recorded with some highly-respected Swedish musicians in Stockholm and helped her to gather attention in this unprecedented setting for a young Japanese pianist. This event spurred sales of the original self-released recording, which led to selling out of all copies of that album. Yet, as often happens in the world, the desire for something not in circulation led to the phenomenon of used copies commanding higher prices in secondhand markets. The prices continued to rise as Hitomi Nishiyama’s popularity continued to grow. While original pressings of CDs, as with LPs, have their own intrinsic value, it goes without saying that it’s a good thing if the “music software”, even rare recordings, could always be available to be purchased at reasonable prices. The fact that this original recording is being released again after seven years is undoubtedly good news to many fans.

Hitomi Nishiyama was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1979 and started studying classical piano at the age of six. She first encountered jazz in her third year of high school. Her curiosity was triggered by listening to albums by Bill Evans and Chick Corea, and she continued on to take jazz piano classes at Osaka Junior College of Music. While studying, she started to engage in performances and hone her basic skills. The turning point for her career came after graduation when she discovered Enrico Pieranunzi. She became fascinated by the Italian master, studying his compositions thoroughly and incorporating his music into her own repertoire. This led to a style that was rare in Japan, becoming a boon to Nishiyama and Enrico Pieranunzi both. Nishiyama had been conducting live performing centered around her original songs since 2003 and was someone who wasn’t yet well-known among the general public at the time. Still, the following year, she felt the desire to record an album of all original songs as an account of who she was at the time. I heard from Nishiyama that she still had a special attachment for this album and would like to reissue it in some form, so I am pleased that this marriage with DIW Records has resulted in a commemorative release of this cherished album. The original album seemed to invite good fortune, and the following year the group was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2005 Yokohama Jazz Promenade Competition. This was a boost to her career and led to the album Cubium mentioned earlier. Her first independent release album was in August 2004, and her first recording in Stockholm was in May 2006. In just under two years, she had progressed to the next level with expanded horizons opening up. In 2007, her second Stockholm recording, Many Seasons, was released. I was able to accompany her then as a journalist gathering material. The release of In Stockholm, a live recording made at the same time, and Parallax, a recording with her regular Japanese trio with an additional member, resulted in four albums being produced by Spice of Life within two years. During that time, she moved her base of operations to Tokyo, and her experience was broadened and deepened through interactions with many other musicians. Her accumulated efforts in composing music resulted in the honor of winning third place in the International Songwriting Competition 2009 (USA) in the jazz category for her song “Unfolding Universe”, demonstrating her world-class ability in composition.

This album opens with “This I Promise You” and its theme of key changes and repeated modulation, followed by the gracefully melodic “Passato”, a story emerging from the motif of “Blue Nowhere”, and continues on to convey Nishiyama’s sincere admiration for Enrico Pieranunzi in “Epigraph”. The beautiful melodies continue in “Sand Castle” where time flows freely, leaving a particularly strong impression of her excellent sense of composition. This reissue also includes three bonus tracks, previously unreleased trio performances from the Jazz Promenade event. This marks the point where Hitomi Nishiyama’s distinctive talent started to bloom.

—Hiroki Sugita, June 2011

Obi Notes

Pianist/composer Hitomi Nishiyama achieved the great honor of placing third in the International Songwriting Competition 2009 (ISC), one of the world’s largest composition contests. Her first album I’m Missing You, considered to be the origin of her career and international recognition, is finally here!

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• A later recording of #3 “Blue Nowhere” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “Parallax” album (2008):

• A later recording of #4 “Everytime It Rains” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “The Tree of Life” album (2019):

• A later recording of #7 “Epigraph” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “Down by the Salley Gardens” album (2014):

• A later recording of #11 “Aprilis” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “Parallax” album (2008):

• Excerpt from track #8: “I’m missing you”

There are seven songs on Echo which run from about six to ten minutes each. Nishiyama’s piano trio with bassist Toru Nishijima and drummer Ryo Noritake constitutes the core of the sound, with colorful layers added by the extra trio of Takanori Suzuki on clarinet, Ryosuke Hashizume on tenor sax and flute, and Maiko on violin. Much of the music has the piano trio buffeted by the texturally slow-moving audio pads of clarinet, sax, and violin, creating a plush ambience and quiet invitation to sink into /Echo/’s layers.

One unmistakable strength of these two recent albums is how Nishiyama’s composing style has shifted slightly from her previous modern jazz trio writing, which was often compared to classically tinged European-style jazz and sometimes called richly emotionally or even “sad music” at times. Of course, there are still overtones of introspection on Echo that run throughout. Several of the song’s melodies feature chromatically interesting accidentals or scales with intervals that are subtly surprising and pleasing. Jazz swing beats are rare here, with straight-eights or soft rock drums to enhance the easy movements and slow-to-medium tempos. The violin, clarinet, sax, and flute accompaniments are paintbrushes for the borders and backdrops of Nishiyama’s canvases, where the frontward trio of piano, bass, and drums collaborate on creating and transforming the objects of direct focus. Although the so-called background instruments also come to the front at times, this is moderately done, and the use of their layers and textures as sonic ground and textures is beautiful and effective.

The compositions also feature slow-moving ambient sections that are superbly enhanced by Nishijima’s bowed contrabass, and rock-beat riffs that recall her style on her separate heavy metal-inspired jazz project NHORHM. There are sections of songs where the pianist’s left hand plays solid guitar-like chords, catchy quarter-note pop rhythms, or delicately spun ostinatos to great effect. The overall energy level is calm, somewhat muted, and taken at patient tempos. It’s more like a deeply absorbing novel or modern art piece with layers to uncover, rather than the fast cuts of an action movie or high-paced show. Yet interestingly, parts of these songs feel as if they would fit perfectly as scores to accompany moments of drama or discovery in movie scenes.

Like the design and concept, the songs themselves naturally summon evocative images through Nishiyama’s writing style, orchestration, and arrangements (and her particular choice of song titles, as well). Tracks #1 “Echo” and #2 “West World” (no relation to the recent drama series) are the opening chapters, where she is directed towards aspects of pop music catchiness, hooks, and musical movement that make such affecting hit songs. #3 “Ants” is slow, sparse, and semi-experimental with suite-like section breaks. These characteristics are shared and expanded upon by the grand displays in #4 “Arrakis”, dynamically crystalizing the oppressive tension of the Frank Herbert world-building fantasy with power and exotic mystery.

Track #5 “Raindrops”, the sole piano/bass/drums trio track on the album, explores an absorbing nine minutes of free but coordinated scenes in flexible time, gracefully Debussey-ish arpeggios, bowed contrabass, and hints of ambient music. #6 “Cobalt Blue” features slow chord cushions and subtle piano power chord riffs to allow the background instruments to come to the front for some in-turn and simultaneous improvisation. Finally, the last track #7 “River” moodily balances the major/minor shifts of the album’s overall feel with a soundtrack-like song for a sweet goodbye to a moving and memorable album. The reverberations of both Dot and Echo linger, though, and ensure anticipated return journeys to Nishiyama’s distinctive and penetrating musical worlds in the future.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Live performance of “Echo”, track #1 on this album:

• Excerpts from a live performance of the Hitomi Nishiyama Trio +3 from 2024:

• Streaming services for this album

• Excerpt from track #4: “Arrakis”

The live schedule here features a roster of reliable local musicians that span the gamut from up-and-coming acts to professional career musicians. In addition to their focus on creating a welcoming space for listeners and musicians to share in their love of jazz, another goal of Sunny Side is to support amateur musicians with plenty of open jazz jam sessions, workshops, and lessons that are regularly held here. Sunny Side’s website makes it easy to view the upcoming acts on the calendar organized by whether they are live performances, vocal jazz sessions, instrumental jazz jam sessions, or lessons.

Satisfied guests of Sunny Side who are likely to become repeat customers can also look forward to picking up a stamp card for member-style discounts or similar benefits, with possible extra stamps on their birthday.

The music on this album is straight-ahead jazz built on the familiar format of trumpet-sax-piano-bass-drums hard-bop quintets. The playing style has a modern jazz feel with a mix of swing beats and straight-eights that is rooted in an energetic, soulful style, the kind that fans of Jazz Messengers and similar classic Blue Note era albums will find immediately appealing.

Adding to the attraction is the group’s new material composed by the members of this band. This is solid contemporary jazz, modern with a base of expressive hard bop, exciting ad-libbing, and fun arrangements. Many songs are straightforward soloing showcases that swing with fun and energy, but there are also slower pieces and ballads where Ichihara’s mellow trumpet and flugelhorn lines especially shine. Despite having her name in the group, Ichihara is an equal partner, and above all, she is gracious about sharing the spotlight. Much of the time, she does not take the first solo slot, and even skips her turn on some tunes to let her partners take the lead, or uses her turn for trading interactions with saxophone or drums.

Ichihara’s six excellent compositions cover a great range from swinging good-feeling fun (#1 “Coati”, #2 “Dorje’s Life”, #6 “Brain Weather”, #9 “The Laughing Stock”) to delicately moody (#7 “SCHEMA”) and sinister (#4 “Doom”). Adding to the palette is a composition each from pianist Hideaki Hori (the beautifully atmospheric #3 “Oslo”), saxophonist Ryosuke Asai (the soaring #8 “Toki”), and bassist Kunpei Nakabaya, whose two-part suite #5 “Sink - Flow” is an evocative highlight on the album. The selection of these songs shows Ichihara’s range and her taste in shaping the mood and attitude of the project, all strengthened by the group’s well-put-together ensemble sound that was very attuned and responsive after touring together and honing their musical craft.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hikari Ichihara’s original Japanese liner notes.)

1 Coati

Coati is another name for the animal called a “civet”. One night, there was a loud rumbling noise coming from the attic of the house where I live. I wondered if this was the “raccoon dog” civet that I’ve heard a lot about on talk shows recently, so I immediately called an extermination company to get a quote, which was a whopping 100,000 yen. Oh great, someone’s living in my house without permission and won’t leave unless I pay 100,000 yen… I was pretty dejected. I complained about this on the popular Twitter platform, and someone suggested the brilliant idea of writing a song called “Civet” in order to earn 10,000 yen in royalties. That’s why I wrote this song. Of course, “Civet” was too straightforward, so I chose a different title. In the end, the problem was revealed to be rats, and the bill was 40,000 yen… so that’s three more songs for me to write. For now, please check out “Coati”.

2 Dorje’s Life

I’m someone who pretty much reads one book every two days. I particularly like Kotaru Isaka and have read all of his published work. I tried to create a song to express how I view the world of Kotaru Isaka. Dorje is the name of a fantastic character that appears in the book Ahiru to Kamo no Koinrokka (The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck, and God in the Coin Locker).

3 Oslo

This is a number by a composer that I love, Hideaki Hori. It was written on February 2, 2010, the day before a duo gig that we had scheduled, and he seems to have had the sound of my flugelhorn in mind. I poured my heart and soul into this beautiful melody for the recording. I hope it can summon the scenery of Norway.

4 Doom

In these times, it feels as if our country Japan is facing difficulties in many areas. I strive to keep an awareness that our country is a responsibility of our generation, as we must try to make it better. I wrote this song from these feelings. Although this song was written before the great earthquake disaster, I would like to take this opportunity to honor the souls who perished in the calamity and to pray for a speedy recovery.

5 Sink - Flow

This is a number by bassist Kunpei Nakabayashi. It follows a suite form as two songs in one piece. Nakabayashi is a man of few words and does not explain much about his songs. It’s an honor for me to be able to include this very detailed and emotional piece of music on my album.

6 Brain Weather

Brain → 脳 (nou) / Weather → 天気 (tenki)/

It’s easy-going and carefree (能天気 noutenki). I attempted to write a song about my personality. Ahh, I hit upon a great title.

7 SCHEMA

Schema (organization of long-term memory): A module of information stored in long-term memory. It’s a term in clinical psychology that can be understood to represent fixed beliefs or assumptions. When I’m composing music, I often find myself wondering if I should write the hook or chorus in a certain way to increase the excitement. This is a 10-bar ballad that I wrote after clearing away those preconceptions.

8 Toki

This is a number by saxophonist Ryosuke Asai. This group performed this song once in Niigata, when Asai, a lover of large wild birds, was very excited because the Japanese crested ibis (朱鷺 toki) was released on that day. He said to the people then, “I promise to write a song called Toki by the time I return to Niigata”, and he has wonderfully fulfilled that promise. None of the band members has ever seen a crested ibis in flight, but we imagine it in our own way as we perform this song. It’s a masterpiece with a rich sense of scenery.

9 The Laughing Stock

Although the meaning is “an object of ridicule”, I played this song with all my heart and hope that you enjoy this album all the way to the end.

Thanks to your support, we were able to release our second album under the name “Hikari Ichihara Group”, recorded after many tours together. I want to thank the amazing members who stuck by me, the clumsy Hikari Ichihara, and I am deeply appreciative of the many live houses and owners who graciously invited us to perform, and to all the audiences who warmly gave applause. I want to thank all the staff at Pony Canyon who allow us to share our music, engineer Saka-san who records our music so realistically, designer Kitagawa-san who makes the album even better, and photographer Yoneya-san. And above all, I would love to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who listens to this album. I wish the best for you, today, and tomorrow, and with Unity by your side, nothing would make me happier.

Ichihara Hikari

Audio and Video

• Audio for “Coati”, track #1 on this album:

• Audio playlist for all tracks on this album

• Excerpt from track #9: “The Laughing Stock”

Ghost Peak’s The Goat on a Peak contains five of Miyazaki’s original compositions and was released on the heels of their first release Ghost Peak 1. The audio for these two albums was recorded at a live concert in Kobe in 2023. While the first release was an online-only streaming/digital download, this second album was released as a compact disc with a different set of songs.

“Ghost Peak” is not only the band name but also the name of a terrific composition of Miyazaki’s that he plays on solo guitar on his 2022 vinyl/digital release Light Colored. In addition, “Ghost Peak” is also the name of a four-part suite split between their first album Ghost Peak 1, and this album The Goat on a Peak. Adding to the ghost/goat/peak intrigue, and separate from the four-part suite, Ghost Peak 1 features a song titled “Ghost Views a Peak”, and this second album features a song titled “A Goat Climbs a Peak”. That’s plenty of ghosts, goats, and peaks, but it all works well to ground their style of free jazz and experimental music with a thematic throughline.

Tangentially, the phrase ghost peak refers to those peaks found in graphs in scientific analysis that aren’t related to actual measured substances but are mysterious measurements caused by contamination, faulty instruments, or other errors. A goat on a peak may refer to the striking scene of a goat standing on the summit of a mountain (or, possibly a “G.O.A.T.” champion ascending to a pinnacle), looking over the land and taking it all in with a somewhat triumphant stature. This image also evokes an exciting combination of danger, risk, and adventure that could also symbolize the task undertaken by musicians playing jazz and experimental music.

The five free-jazz or experimental tracks on /Goat on a Peak /are composed by Miyazaki, and a lot of the free feel comes from both the surprising notes the quartet plays (as they strive to avoid conventional licks, scales, and song patterns) but also from the absence of drums and rhythmic cadences. At times, there is no fixed meter or repeated beat, creating a feeling of flexibility. While some parts of each song seem completely open for each player’s spontaneous impulses, it is not “anything goes” to the extent that only discordant noise results (some listeners will feel that they are headed towards that direction, though).

Yet, there are musical ideas or basic structures to each track that are usually most clearly heard in the written-out musical themes and statements played together at the opening and/or ending of certain songs. There are general pre-planned frameworks that direct how the scales, chords, or roots (for example) will assemble and collaborate to a finish. It’s harder to describe than it is to hear, and as experimental music goes, some of the enjoyment is in the hearing, decoding, and understanding of this music, all of which play a part in the multi-layered musical appreciation.

Here are some too-brief glances at the overall album flow: The thirty-seven minutes travel through the gentle prettiness and swelling up of #1 “Summer Days”, the step-stair theme and intensity of #2 “A Goat Climbs a Peak”, the zany madness and flights of fancy on #3 “Unwritten Law”, the beautiful mess of soundscapes of #4 “Gone”, and the quiet serenity of #5 “The Nebulous Crowd (Ghost Peak Suite Part 4)”.

Audio and Video

• Shinji Miyazaki playing “Ghost Peak” in 2022:

• Excerpts from a Ghost Peak live performance in 2022:

• Ghost Peak live performance in 2025:

• Ghost Peak 1 (Ghost Peak’s first album

• Excerpt from track #2: “A Goat Climbs A Peak”

Links

• Album info

Just recently released in January 2025, Enyana has ten tracks and runs at forty-two minutes of music. Nine of the songs are from Latin America, from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Cuba, all filtered through the gentle but meticulous lens of these two Japanese musicians. The love and seriousness for the music that the two accomplished musicians bring into focus here is clear through their genuine passion for the songs and the talent to pull it off. The solid rhythms and deep emotions created through just voice and piano increase the intimacy and the impressiveness of their feats as a duo, delivering strong feelings of drama through authenticity.

Adding Japan to the list of countries covered by the music, there is one original song by Emiko and Yanagihara. Throughout, the music grooves with the authentic rhythms and lyrics of the different countries’ rhythms and atmospheres. Lyrics are sung in mainly Portuguese with some Spanish, English, and a bit of Japanese.

Along with her lyrics-based vocals, Emiko’s voice talents include scat singing and percussion. On Enyana she and Yanagihara include two instrumental songs through voice and piano, and a bit of triangle (Emiko’s excellent sense of time and independence also coming through here) at one point for a subtle but effective extra layer of sound and rhythm. Yanagihara loves percussion as well, saying that if she weren’t a pianist she would have been a drummer, and their common bond on this point, together with their impeccable sense of time, is another connection for Enyana in their musical performance and outlook.

The overall feelings generated by the songs sway from cheery, light, fun, and danceable to bittersweet scenes and melancholic storytelling. That is to say, passion. Between the poles of this heartbreak and soul-reviving uptempo pep, Enyana also offers a sweet love song with their first original “Hidamari” and a fantastic “Poinciana”, that catchy classic jazz tune that is rearranged and brightened with colors of Enyana.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Emiko Voice and Yuka Yanagihara’s original Japanese liner notes.)

We’ve finally completed Enyana’s first album! This work is filled with the life of the South American rhythms and melodies that EMiKO VOiCE and Yuka Yanagihara love so dearly.

The two of us share a connection we have as graduates of the Berklee College of Music, and we first performed together in Kobe in November 2011.

Since then, focusing on the music of South America, we’ve been continuing to assemble the type of thrilling yet intimate performances that a duo can deliver.

This recording of this album included a rich variation of South American music, from the passion and pathos of the Argentine classics “The Swallow in the Mirror” and “Alfonsina and the Sea” to the vibrant rhythms of Brazil in the songs “Forró Brasil” and “Sai Dessa”.

We’re also happy to present our first original song as a duo for the first time on this album.

The stripped-down format of just voice and piano is given depth and breadth through these encounters with famous songs, resulting in an album that almost seems to invite the listener to the lands and the forest of South America.

We hope that this can be a release that can be enjoyed for a long time by lovers of South American music, as well as those who are just beginning to discover its charms for the first time.

1. Corrida de Jangada

Music and Lyrics: Jose Carlos Capinan, Edu Lobo

“Sailboat Race” is a song that depicts the traditional Brazilian boat races. Voice and piano portray the racer’s movements as the phrase “Vamos embora” piles up and expresses the spirit of a boat racing across the sea. I hope this dynamic energy comes through. (EMiKO)

2. Alfonsina y el Mar

Music: Ariel Ramírez Lyrics: Félix Luna

This is a song that was dedicated to Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni. It’s a piece that touches my heart deeply. Its heartbreaking but beautiful melody thoroughly expresses the sadness that Alfonsina carried, and her determination as she set out to the sea. (EMiKO)

3. Sai Dessa

Music and Lyrics: Nathan Marques, Ana Terra

At first, the song has a cheerful samba rhythm, but there is a hidden message criticizing Brazil’s military regime. It’s a considerable challenge to create a samba groove with only voice and piano, but I think we delivered a solid groove in our own way. I hope you enjoy the rhythm. (EMiKO)

4. Los Pájaros Perdidos

Music: Astor Piazzolla Lyrics: Mario Trejo

This song, Piazzolla’s “The Swallow and the Mirror”, is one that I’m truly happy to have come across. In particular, when I hear the piano play the jumba rhythm in the middle, I love it so much that, while singing, I am secretly thinking “Listen to the piano!” (laughs). The contrast between the dynamic development and the quieter ballad section gives this song a dramatic mood, one filled with bittersweet thoughts of lost love and time. (EMiKO)

5. Forró Brasil

Music: Hermeto Pascoal

This is a forró masterpiece by the genius musician Hermeto Pascoal of Brazil. The intertwining of my scat singing, triangle playing, and Yuka’s steady rhythm, creates a fun atmosphere. (EMiKO)

6. Hidamari / A Sunny Spot

Music: Yuka Yanagihara Lyrics: EMIKO VOICE

This is our first song written together. For just that reason alone, it’s precious.

We’ve talked about writing together for some time, but it never really took shape. Now that the plans for this album were moving ahead in a detailed way, Yanagihara took the lead in writing a song. We tried to write a song in the image of the Enyana group. Building on Enyana’s colorful worldview and catchy parts, we wrote a song that seems to have a gentle melody and chord progression that you may have heard before, and that seems to sing in your heart. I also really like EMiKO’s Japanese lyrics which are simple, straight to the heart, and soothing. The South American theme of our group also fits the ebb and flow of waves that you can almost hear in the setting (but now I’m self-praising). (Yanagihara)

7. En la Orilla del Mundo

Music: Martín Rojas Lyrics: Pablo Milanés

This is a piece written by Martín Rojas, the talented blind guitarist who was based in Mexico. This song became widely known among jazz fans after being included on Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Charlie Haden’s album Nocturne. It’s often performed as an instrumental song, but after discovering that there are lyrics, EMiKO found them to sing here, and it has now completely become a standard Enyana song. (Yanagihara)

8. Poinciana

Music: Nat Simon Lyrics: Buddy Bernier

EMiKO requested to try out this song for Enyana, and I made an arrangement for this album. Originally based on a traditional Cuban folk song whose title refers to the vivid Poinciana flowers that blow in the warm Cuban winds, basing this arrangement around a 7-beat rhythm makes for a really thrilling musical development (stressful!). It has the taste of Enyana and I really like it. The original song has been a jazz standard played by many musicians. I hope that you like this version with the flavor of Enyana. (Yanagihara)

9. Quiet Little Lady

Music: Debora Gurgel

This is a piece by Brazilian pianist, composer, and arranger Debora Gurgel. It’s an instrumental song that was inspired by the words of Chick Corea. I think it’s fair to say that one of Enyana’s distinctive characteristics is to take up songs without lyrics. You can also say that taking up an already fast-paced samba feel with dizzying melodies and movements is also reckless for just two people (laughs). However, once you try this kind of thrilling performance, you may find that it’s also quite addictive (laughs). I hope that you can enjoy with along with me. (Yanagihara)

10. Beatriz

Music: Edu Lobo Lyrics: Chico Buarque

When I first heard this, I thought it was such a beautiful song. As EMiKO explained the meaning of the lyrics to me, I could also appreciate the very Brazilian choice of words and expressions. This is a masterpiece by the maestros Edu Lobo & Chico Buarque. I’m so grateful to have encountered this song, as it’s such a delicate and wonderful piece of music, and one that would crumble and fall away from my hands that were so carefully nurturing it, if I were to let my guard down. (Yanagihara)

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album with excerpts from all tracks:

• Live version of “Corrida de Jangada” (tr. 1) from 2022:

• Live version of “Alfonsina y el Mar” (tr. 2) from 2021:

• Live version of “Sai Dessa” (tr. 3) from 2020:

• Enyana performing Chick Corea’s “Spain” from 2021:

• Archive video of a live-streamed Enyana performance from 2020, with “Rabo de Nube”, “Águas de Março”, “Alfonsina y el Mar” (tr. 2), “Sai Dessa” (tr. 3), “Los Pajaros Perdidos” (tr. 4), and “Forró Brasil” (tr. 5)

• Excerpt from track #8: “Poinciana”

As noted on their homepage, Strings is a Live Bar & Italian Restaurant and serves up quality jazz and Italian food with simple, easygoing grace. This bar is modestly tiny with several seats directly up against the grand piano and a few tables and bar seats around the rest of the room.

Although the room seems small, the talented artists who play here are top-notch. Sometimes, this bar can be completely full with preset reservations (or even nearly empty at other unfortunate times). But, when the jazz is cooking, the pizza comes out piping hot, and the decanter of wine arrives, it is a perfect way to spend an evening listening to real handcrafted jazz music in Tokyo.

In addition to jazz, Brazilian music, and stringed instruments including violin are also often featured.

This first Encounter album is bursting with energy, and it feels like the inspiration that each player gets from the others irresistibly drives them to reach for the stars. The four members of Encounter—Wataru Hamasaki on sax and flute, Hideaki Hori on piano, Hiroshi Takase on bass, and Junji Hirose on drums—are always busy touring and playing in this regular group lineup for their live shows. In addition, as a special guest on their first album, Satoshi Takino plays electric guitar on three tracks.

These players present modern jazz built on the foundations of the classic contemporary jazz quartet sound. The sound and inspiration of the music owes a lot to the co-leadership of Hori and Hamasaki. These are the two primary songwriters for the band and seem to be cut from the same cloth, offering novel compositions with challenging terrain that the skilled improvisers navigate in breathtaking ways. Yet, they intentionally do not stray too far from the solid bedrock of reliably swinging jazz they cherish.

On Encounter, the songwriting pair recorded a set of 11 originals, with authorship split nearly evenly between the two composers. It’s clear that they enjoy writing (and that the band enjoys playing and delivering) excitingly aggressive uptempo burners, such as with #1 “ASK”, #4 “Signal”, #7 “OOPARTS”, #10 “Jack-O’-Lantern”.

The roots of their in-the-pocket swing also reach deep, perfected by the sense and time of bassist Takase and drummer Hirose. Much of the music provides a classic midtempo walking pulse, with the cheerful #2 “Breath of Life”, the crafty #3 “Puzzle Ring” (in 7/4 time), the confident #5 “Quarter man” (calling Dexter Gordon?), and the wonderful #9 “Wayne”.

Balancing out the near non-stop excitement and never-ending energy, there are a few slower ballads in the ephemeral #6 “Hanauta”, the romantic #8 “My Heart” (still calling LTD?), and the beautiful album closer #11 “Sound of Ocean”.

While this article focuses on Hori and Hamasaki’s 2008 Encounter, it would be serendipitous to mention some recent news here. At seventeen years and running, Encounter just released two new albums entitled Best Vol. 1 and /Best Vol. 2 /recently. These two compilations (of a sort) don’t indicate the twilight of Encounter. Instead, they are intended to meet a consistent demand for old albums, like this one, that are out of print or hard to find. At the same time, the two songwriters took this opportunity to revive, rearrange, and re-record popular songs from their live shows and early albums.

It’s also noteworthy that Encounter’s new album Best Vol. 1 also contains new versions of three songs from this album: “Sound of Ocean”, “My Heart”, and “Hanauta”.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hideaki Hori’s and Wataru Hamasaki’s original Japanese liner notes.)

Song introductions by their composers:

1. ASK (Hideaki Hori)

This is a song that is often played to open our live performances. The energetic rhythm with a buoyant melody and chord progressions seem to stir up the front line of the band, urge them on, and put things in gear. This hints at the original hidden meaning of the title “ASK”… [/The three-letter title in uppercase is an abbreviation for something mildly naughty enough to be avoided being printed on a jazz CD release at the time…/]

2. Breath of life (Hideaki Hori)

This is a song dedicated to all living creatures. To the strength, joy, and vivaciousness of life. The beat that Hiroshi Takase and Junji Hirose spin expresses that vitality so wonderfully that, upon hearing, it, the heart naturally seems to start to dance.

3. Puzzle Ring (Wataru Hamasaki)

In Japanese translation, it’s 知恵の輪 (chie no wa). Depending on how you solve them, puzzle rings can be easy or difficult. This song has the feeling of playing with a puzzle ring. Also, Hideaki Hori’s base, the jazz club Nardis in Kashiwa, has a bunch of puzzle rings lined up on the counter, and he’s always playing with them. So this title was also chosen as a tribute to Nardis. I think we got a really well-coordinated take.

4. Signal (Wataru Hamasaki)

This song is actually a remake of a song that I wrote a long time ago. It turned into an up-tempo, aggressive performance. Inspired by guest guitarist Satoshi Takino, everyone is bursting with energy.

5. Quarter man (Hideaki Hori)

I wrote a song about my admiration of the coolness and the melancholy that can be ascribed to a man who has grown up to be an adult. Wataru Hamasaki’s calm tone has a great feel and fits this song perfectly.

6. 花唄 -Hanauta- (Hideaki Hori)

This is a Japanese-style song where the flute almost sounds like a shakuhachi(!?). In fact, Hamasaki seems to have played this with a shakuhachi-like sound in mind. This melody came to me while I was out walking on a nice day in early spring. [/The Japanese kanji for this song, 花唄 is read as “hanauta” here to mean “flower song”, and is a play on the similar-sounding word 鼻歌 “hanauta”, which means “humming”./]

7. OOPARTS (Wataru Hamasaki)

This title is an abbreviation of Out of Place Artifacts. This refers to those historical objects that were created by technology that’s hard to imagine existing when they were made—the moai statues of Easter Island, for example. I happened to be reading a book about OOPARTS at the time I wrote this song, which is where I got the title. Junji Hirose’s drumming during the theme section is quite invigorating.

8. My Heart (Wataru Hamasaki)

It’s been a long time since I wrote a ballad. I think I was able to include a lot of emotions in this song. This performance also captures a beautiful piano solo, wonderfully executed by Hideaki Hori.

9. Wayne (Hideaki Hori)

This is a song written for the beloved musician Wayne Shorter. You could also call it a hymn to hard bop with its truly jazzy feel, and listening to the theme transports musicians and listeners back to the 60s.

10. Jack-O’-Lantern (Hideaki Hori)

The theme is just one motif repeating over and over, with the energy increasing steadily, rising up, and heading towards the peak… I think this is that kind of song. Instead of traditional in-order soloing, it was Wataru Hamasaki’s idea to incorporate a dialogue between sax and piano. Satoshi Takino’s great guitar solo is also remarkable.

11. Sound of Ocean (Wataru Hamasaki)

This is a gospel-style song dedicated to the inspiration for the title of this song, kaikyou, which means Mother Ocean. Perhaps it’s because I was raised in a town where you could see the ocean, but every time I come to the sea I can forget all my worries and relax. We always play this song last at live performances, and Hideaki Hori and I agreed that we should also end the album with this song. I’m barely holding it together at the end (laughs), and since we were originally planning a fade out here, I was having some fun with it. Hideaki Hori really liked it, though, so we left it in as it was recorded. I’d love it if hearing this cheers you up a little bit.

Audio and Video

• Live performance of #1 “ASK” from 2023:

• New recording of #5 “Quarter man” from 2020:

• Live performance of #10 “Jack-O’-Lantern” from 2022:

• New recording of #11 “Sound of Ocean” from 2024:

• Excerpt from track #6: “Hanauta”

Almost like a concept album, or parts I and II of a story, the songs for the two albums were divided between them based on the overall effect that each part is intended to have. There is also a common theme of the morning and the relaxed, refreshed feelings that can arise with the sun. In short, the first album’s songs are intended to provide a soothing balm, and the second’s an energy boost, either or both to be used like tonics or medicine to fit the listener’s mood.

Yet the differences between the two collections are not drastic, and the pair could easily be imagined as a double-album release. The songs and arrangements are from Fukui’s hand, delivered through the trio, and during the same two days, so naturally there is a lot in common. Also in common with her previous releases, her music is characteristically groovy and laid-back with stimulating riffs, smooth playing, and subtly novel arrangements. It’s all delivered through the tightly bound rhythms that the three create so nicely together.

Initially, for some songs, there can be the feeling of a gentle playing style filled with cool swing and decorations. Sometimes that softness is misleading, and several songs build to dramatic peaks. As one example, Jobim’s classic “The Girl From Ipanema” starts with the traditional jazz trio sound that regular jazz fans have heard countless times, but Fukui’s clever arranging results in a unique version of this song that carves out its own unique space in the universe of ordinary versions.

It’s a good demonstration of some of the talents of this trio: gossamer piano licks surfing across the thumping bass lines and drum dynamics, climax-building section changes, outro vamps, and drum solos that add the finishing fire to several of the songs.

In addition to her compositions and arrangements, Fukui’s piano solos occupy most of the improvisation space, and there are a few bass and drum solos and interchanges as well. Nonetheless, the music gravitates towards emphasizing the trio’s locked-in, propulsive rhythms, and Fukui’s thought-out arrangements.

Flow-wise, with mid-tempo merges of swing, straight, and Latin beats, the album starts with the energetic swirl of #1 “Voltex”, the soulful groove #2 “morning sun”, and the deep spices of #3 “The Girl from Ipanema”. Track #4 “hammock” is a mid-album rest stop where heartwarming piano lines and a slow sway calm the spirits.

The engines rev up again with #5 “tipsy time”, which bubbles with a fun, light bounce resembling carefree tottering. Track #6 “MCY” excitingly invokes the percussive and chiseled piano playing of McCoy Tyner. The meaning of the album title becomes clear when hearing the sound of this track, but prior to that, other interpretations are interesting, and one case is mentioned in the liner notes. (Another wild guess was that MCY may stand for Music, Cats, and Yoga, as some of her favorite things are known to be.)

The last full song on the album, #7 “Mohito”, is a great update of a popular song from her first album, Urban Clutter, where the electrically charged sound of the Fender Rhodes replaces the acoustic piano. It makes for another version of the thrilling sound of Ami Fukui-style jazz fusion.

The afterword, #8 “Baikin Concert” (a spontaneous and curious ode to Baikinman, a mischievous germ-based antagonist in the comic Anpanman), is a short, friendly postscript featuring her young nephew and his cute original song, only seconds long, but ending the album appropriately with a cute /owari/—“that’s it, all done!”

Liner Notes

(Translated from Ami Fukui’s original Japanese liner notes.)

To everyone who purchased this album…

To some extent, you may ask “Was this album inspired by, or even made for your nephew?” It’s true, I relied on his help a lot for this album, including on the CD jacket design and with his voice. I have to think about how to store the funds from the profits for him (laughs).

In contrast with my previous album Nova Manhã, this album features more danceable rhythms and emotional content. At the start, the idea was to capture as much as we could, so we recorded a lot of songs over two days in November 2021.

Before starting to record, I was vaguely thinking that it would be nice to release a double album, and in fact, we ended up getting enough good takes for two albums.

The first part became the previous release Nova Manhã. These two works became a two-part series expressing stillness and movement. They’re opposing albums, but one thing they have in common is the keyword morning.

Hopeful strength with invigorating tenderness is expressed through “Nova manhã” [/track #1 on Nova Manhã/]. The awareness of the power of the morning sun overflowing with vitality inspired “morning glow” [/track #2 on this album/].

These two songs are at the core, based on the same morning sun but with different perspectives.

On a different topic, I noticed something in common between music and aroma. As aroma drifts through, the atmosphere of a place can be completely changed in an instant. I think that sound has the same effect. The moment that sound flows, it feels like the location’s scenery and your perspective of it changes instantly.

I would love it if you could use this music to lift your spirits, clear your head, relax, or get lost in your thoughts when thinking about something. It is like a tool that can be used depending on your condition and mood at the time.

01 Voltex

It represents a whirlpool. I envisioned the middle of a spiraling whirlpool, being steadily dragged in, and the state of abandoning yourself to the flow. I was listening to Egberto Gismonti a lot around the time that I wrote this song, and I think that also influenced this song a little.

02 morning glow

When I went on a trip to the remote island of Taketomi-jima near Ishigaki, I woke up early to go to the beach and watch the sunrise. The morning glow of the rising sun was so beautiful that I wanted to write a song about it. I wrote this after returning home. Through the successive live performances of this song, the composition as originally created changed with feelings of increased vitality and overflowing strength.

03 The girl from Ipanema

I’m not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing, but I boldly rearranged this famous song by Antônio Carlos Jobim. I got that idea for this song while I was playing a solo piano gig, and afterward, I created this arrangement based on that idea.

04 hammock

I jotted down a song about the memory of a certain important day. It was originally written as a bossa nova and we played it live numerous times as that, but to be honest it never really felt right to me. It has the image of the saudade of the evening. I was thinking about how to give life to this melody, with its touch of floating sadness, and came up with a reggae-tinged groove. I asked Kira to play that and we immediately adopted it! We pulled it off at the peak of the second day of recording in one emotional take.

05 tipsy time

It means being slightly intoxicated. This song was born from the desire to listen to a light, cheerful tune while drinking. It came about while I was casually sitting at the piano, and while I was playing around, the melody came to me. I just kept humming while playing, and turned it into this song.

07 MCY

This is a song I wrote during a time when I was continuously listening to pianist McCoy Tyner. Some have said this is too bright for McCoy and might be closer to Cedar Walton’s style. Either way, please forgive me for transferring it through my own filter (laughs).

One person guessed that the title “MCY” was taken from the initial letters of magenta, cyan, and yellow, the colors used in certain printers. I thought, oh, that would fit the colors for the CD jacket perfectly, and I borrowed a drawing from my nephew that I had originally wanted to use.

P.S.

To those who knew about the Mame Mugi T-shirts: Thank you to everyone who purchased one. When they are all sold out, I’ll be storing the profits for my nephew who drew the original illustration (laughs).

08 Mohito

Named for the cocktail, this is the song “Mohito” which was included on my first album Urban Clutter. Many people like this song, and I often play it with the current trio. I’ve always wanted to record this song on a Rhodes piano, and we finally made this wish come true. This was also a song that we recorded in one take with a lot of energy as we were almost reaching the end of our session time.

08 Baikin Concert

This is an audio file that I recorded as a test during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic when I was thinking about recording music at home. My nephew, who was four years old at the time, held the mic for me while I recorded lots of sounds. I later added my own keyboard notes to make this. It’s a song that my nephew wrote by himself and would sing all the time back then. To NHK, can you use this on Minna no Uta (laughs)?

This album was created with a concept of kineticism, like an energy boost that spreads outwards and lifts the tension slightly. To use Nova Manhã when you want to feel relaxed… To use MCY when you want to lift your spirits… It would be a great honor for me as a creator to have you use them according to your mood at the time.

P.S.

I am always grateful for my two bandmates, who are always listening intently to my sound, and who are warmly supportive yet can also push me strongly at times. This trio’s sound wouldn’t be the same without any one of these musicians. We get wonderful comments about how our sound is the unique result of the three of us playing together. I feel the same, if I can say so myself.

I’m proud and satisfied that we were able to deliver these two albums, Nova Manhã and MCY. At the same time, we remember that these products are only pieces of work. I believe that music is a living thing, and it truly keeps changing in interesting ways with each performance. This is something that I’ve often said since our first album, but it would please me greatly if you could come to a live show and listen to our trio’s changes to hear our current, “as of today” sound.

I also would love to thank all the people who were involved and who lent us their assistance. I hope that this album and Nova Manhã together can continue to be a part of the brightness of your days.

福井亜実 Ami Fukui

Audio and Video

• Live performance of #7 “Mohito” from 2021:

• Live performance of #5 “Tipsy Time” from 2023:

• Audio for “Mohito” from Ami Fukui’s first album “Urban Clutter”:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Voltex”

One of those personal heroes is saxophonist Kosuke Mine, who joins the group as a special guest and adds his engagingly vibrant tenor sax sound on five of the nine tracks. Those include two of the album’s peaks for excitement (the edge-of-your-seat #2 “Flip a Coin” and the funkily thrillseeking #5 “Maverick”) as well as Mine’s introspective ballad #7 “After the Checkout” where the two saxes converse over melancholy piano chords to set a dramatic scene.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Miyuki Moriya’s original Japanese liner notes.)

As always, thank you for picking up and listening to this album.

Although Beyond the Sea is my fourth album as a leader, it feels like a continuation of my first album Cat’s Cradle which I released in 2010. For this new recording, there are songs that I’ve been working on for years, new songs written for this album, and two songs by musicians whom I respect greatly. Since this is fully packed with nine songs (at over an hour!) I hope that you stick with me through to the end.

About the musicians, two have been with me for close to twenty years and played on my first album: pianist Mamoru Ishida and drummer Sohnosuke Imaizumi. Bassist Junichi Sato has been with this band since April 2021. Incidentally, being able to meet him was a trigger to making this album.

This time we were also joined by a special guest, the beloved saxophone player Kosuke Mine, who I have endless respect for both musically and as a human being.

When I was still a youngster in my early twenties (yes, there was such a time… haha) and a total beginner in jazz, I was looked after by the owner of a local jazz spot called Swing House in my hometown of Takamatsu. One day, a regular customer told me “Kosuke Mine is coming here, and you definitely should hear him!” So, when he came to perform as a touring member with guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo, that’s when I first met and heard Mine-san. (Mine-san probably doesn’t remember that time, but ever since then, he has been incredibly kind and wonderful to me!) I bought his /Major to Minor /album at the time, and it’s continuously been one of my favorites. To be honest, I only knew about bebop then, so it was a bit of a challenge at first. But every now and then, I would pull out the record, listen to it, and think “Wow, this is really, really cool!” And, the more I continued to play jazz, the more captivated I became by his sound and his playing. A few years later in Tokyo, I was able to meet Mine-san again, and I even stood on the same stage as him. The fact that the day finally came when I could play with him on my own leader album is truly like a dream come true. I feel very blessed.

I’ll briefly introduce the songs.

1. Cicada’s Blues (Miyuki Moriya)

This is a blues inspired by the life of a cicada. They say that some cicadas remain in the earth for seven years, but apparently, the type that lives in Japan only stays underground for four to five years at most. The fact that they only live for one week after emerging is based on observations under breeding conditions, and it seems that their actual lives and behavior are not well understood. It may be that their happiest times are sleeping deep in the earth while dreaming of the whole wide world.

2. Flip a Coin (Miyuki Moriya)

It means a coin toss. This song was written for this album, and the key is the slightly tricky bass line in the intro. I imagined the anticipation, the nervousness, and the thrill that can come at times when one is readying for victory or defeat, or taking a step into a new world while trying to suppress feelings of excitement.

3. 父母ヶ浜 (Miyuki Moriya)

There is a beach in my hometown in the Kagawa Prefecture where the sunsets are very beautiful. My grandmother’s house is nearby, so when I was young, I would go to swim in the sea there in the summer. It’s a wide, shallow beach, so at low tide, a large pool of water is formed and beautifully reflects the sky like a mirror. Recently, it’s become a very popular tourist spot, dubbed Japan’s Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Flats).

4. Melancholy Marie (Miyuki Moriya)

This is a song I wrote to celebrate the birthday of Mariko-san, the cute wife of Miyazaki-san who runs the jazz bar Cochi in Koiwa. It’s a fun and relaxing place that I visit almost every month. The ever-kind Mariko-san always worries about her husband, as he loves alcohol a lot and sometimes drinks too much. They are an incredibly wonderful couple.

5. Maverick (Miyuki Moriya)

It means a lone wolf, a rebel. The barmaster of the jazz bar Salt Peanuts in Ekoda has been taking care of our band for many years. This tough character has seen the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun: Maverick at the movie theater more than 50 times! We choose the title of this song in appreciation for him.

6. Beyond the Sea (Miyuki Moriya)

I love the blue seas of Japan’s southern islands. I wrote this song during the self-isolation period in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, I was hoping to break free as soon as possible and escape to a southern island. In fact, I wrote this with inspiration taken from the song “The Color of Peace” by the wonderful pianist Hajime Yoshizawa.

7. After the Checkout (Kosuke Mine)

This is a beautiful ballad written by Kosuke Mine. It so goes that he wrote this song in the studio right after checking out of an establishment for mountain seclusion, where he would sometimes go alone in order to practice and compose. No matter how many times I play this song, I’m deeply moved. It’s one of my personal favorites.

8. PAPA Julian (Miyuki Moriya)

This is a swing number inspired by “Cannonball”, aka saxophone player Julian Edwin Adderley. I wrote this about twenty years ago and since then many people have performed it. It’s a piece that I’m personally pleased with, and it has become a familiar song at this band’s live performances.

9. After Dark (Hidefumi Toki)

This is a ballad by my esteemed instructor Hidefumi Toki. The person I have become today, who is able to continue playing jazz from then to now, is the result of my meeting Toki-san. I still treasure the things he taught me and the courage he gave me. It was an honor to be one of his students. With gratitude.

This album has a completely different atmosphere compared to my earlier two albums. My album from two releases ago, Mukashi Mukashi, paid respect to the free jazz of 1970s Japan. My previous release Uta Oto was inspired by nature, the Earth, and distant foreign lands. I hope that listeners who have been with me since earlier albums will enjoy this change. At the same time, I hope that new audiences who may be hearing me for the first time through this album will also be inspired to explore the different sides of Miyuki Moriya that I’ve created so far.

At the beginning of these liner notes, I mentioned that this album feels like a continuation of my first album. While our situations and environments have changed over the years, I’m extremely happy to be able to put out this work together. These great, hardworking musicians who I’ve played with up to now and into the future still remind me of the fresh and energetic feelings that I had when I first started playing.

守谷美由貴 Miyuki Moriya

Obi Notes

The sky, the breeze, the blue. Sax player Miyuki Moriya welcomes veteran tenor player Kosuke Mine as a special guest on her summer album that is making a splash.

Audio and Video

• Audio for “Beyond the Sea”, track #6 on this album:

• Short excerpt of the Miyuki Moriya Quartet playing “Cat’s Cradle” from her first album, live in 2011:

• Miyuki Moriya and Kosuke Mine playing “You Don’t Know What Love Is” live at Tokyo’s Hot House in 2013:

• Audio for “Chichibugahama”, track #3 on this album

• Audio for “Maverick”, track #5 on this album

• Excerpt from track #2: “Flip a Coin”

The compositions start from a base of jazz and improvisation but are filled with many other various elements. There is a sense of a deep connection to ethnic rhythms and sounds, such as some Spanish elements as with the titles of the first track and the album itself. Some of the writing and the piano parts recall Chick Corea’s “Spanish heart” as a component, and there could be some Return to Forever-type jazz/rock/Latin fusion characteristics that subtly power the music as well.

Not to say that this is Latin music or Latin jazz, but that anything could be an influence. This includes Japanese musical training, American jazz education (both Yamamoto and Yanagihara studied at Berklee College of Music), and classical and jazz study, with Japanese soul also brought in via the backgrounds of the three musicians.

Similarly, there are rhythms and music that are not only based on jazz, pop, or Latin fusion, but seem to be infused with some cultural and historical influences. For example, medieval, roots, or tribal sounds that conjure up visions of early Celtic or even Viking music. The fascinating compositions deliver a full sound from the three players, a large part due to their great arrangements and detailed touches that are irresistibly moving and likable, and pull you in like gravity. The players’ technical skills are flawless, of course, and bring the musical structures, themes, improvisations, and interplay right into focus.

The sounds of the piano and vibraphone work so well together in playing the radiant and emotional lines that Magnolia delivers. As Yamamoto and Yanagihara develop their evocative melodies over shimmering harmonic structures, percussionist Aikawa forms the frames of the music through a myriad of patterns and textures through her wide-ranging percussion.

Technically (pedantically), the piano and vibraphone are also considered to be percussion instruments, and this may be another reason why the three musicians are perfectly aligned with a cohesive single-mindedness. This shared ability reinforces the exciting rhythm, meter, and tempo changes sprinkled throughout their songs.

There are plenty of fresh approaches written into the music scores themselves that are interesting and fun, and the percussion beats delivered through Aikawa’s cajón, cymbals, shakers, bells, drums, sticks, shells, and other instruments, make it all the more stimulating as the rhythm sounds alternate and transform.

This spirit of freshness is clearly linked to their choice of band name. The refined and graceful magnolia flower is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring and has a fleeting blossoming period. The symbol of these strikingly beautiful flowers can be compared to sakura, or cherry blossoms, as both can symbolize Japanese mono no aware: the awareness and appreciation of impermanence, and that bittersweet transience that evokes beauty and sadness.

A quick tour through the album tracks starts with an instantly engaging track #1 “La vos del viento”, colorfully Spanish and exciting. #2 “Haru, Aozora” is a cheery and bright piece with breathtaking views. #3 “Short Stories No. 6” is a distinctive march-like story with ancient medieval folk aspects (as with Yamamoto’s other compositions, Reiko’s love of role-playing video games greatly influences how she tells stories through her music, and this is one chapter from her “Short Stories” series of songs).

Track #4 “Foggy Forest” is atmospherically prismatic and filled with curiosity. #5 “Fune” is another catchily ancient-sounding piece that paints a pre-modern tableau. #6 “Blue Mallet” is rousing and groovy, drenched with cinematic drama. #7 “Pause is peaceful and slightly blue, similarly powerful as soundtrack material. #8 “Hanakage” is another otherworldly, absorbing journey with a deep aura, undefinably Old English or Gaelic, perhaps. #9 “Furosato” is an affecting ballad, carrying the same heartwarming, nostalgic power as songs like “Danny Boy”. Finally, #10 “Swaying Willows” with its soft pop shuffle is all farewell hugs, fresh and positive with the promise of a warm welcome in the future.

Audio and Video

• Live version of track #1 “La vos del viento” from Magnolia’s 2022 album release tour:

• Live version of #6 “Blue Mallet”:

• Live version of #8 “Hanakage”:

• Live version of #2 “Haru, Aozora”:

• Live version of #7 “Pause”:

• Magnolia chatting about their 2023 tour (Japanese):

• Short compilation of excerpts from a 2022 live performance in Kyoto:

• Excerpt from track #3: “Short Stories No.6”

Links

• JazzTokyo review, interview, and photos (Japanese)

After a peaceful ten-minute stroll from the station to the venue, which works wonders to create a sense of distance and travel, taking in Velvet Sun’s distinctive outer appearance sets a special tone. There is a mostly blank white wall with a narrow, oblong window slotted in the center, lined with shadowy bottles and shapes illuminated by subdued light coming from the interior. The name velvet sun is printed inconspicuously on the window, and a VS marks the door. The overall façade conveys the feeling of arriving at a cozy hideout on an alien planet, something from Star Wars, or a place where a giant star was created out of soft black fabric.

Velvet Sun may be a jazz spot that is less known or even less frequented by typical jazz fans who are looking for standards, straight-ahead, or more conventional jazz acts. There is a somewhat non-genre mix on the schedule here, with musicians and groups spanning the gamut from standards and new jazz to ambient, experimental, free jazz, and unclassifiable music. On occasion, there are shows featuring acoustic units, vocalists, folk or traditional instruments, unusual instruments, music with tap dance, and other interesting groups.

The website for Velvet Sun includes great posters for their schedule of upcoming shows. Aside from what be gleaned from the designs of the flyers and the composition of the groups, little to no information is provided about the genre expectations or descriptions of the acts. This can create a sense of adventure if you don’t have any other knowledge about a night’s particular show or the musicians playing.

Like some other venues that diverge from the mainstream jazz bar image and system, Velvet Sun has a pay-on-entry system, where you can pay and optionally order a drink before taking a seat.

Speaking of seats, the several chairs, couch seats, and mini-tables arranged in the middle of the room are simple and functional. There isn’t a lot of space left over for large bags or luggage, but it doesn’t feel cramped.

The layout is casually comfortable, if a bit spartan, like a cross between a music lover’s cozy den and a retrofitted garage with vintage lamps, wallpaper, and odds-and-ends. The dimly lit and calm atmosphere is appropriately eclectic, like the schedule and music created at Velvet Sun.

One regular act at Velvet Sun is fretless electric bassist Ryoji Orihara’s BGA (Back Ground Ambient) experience, where he conjures “transparent furniture”. It’s intentionally not a music performance, much less BGM (Back Ground Music), but rather sounds and effects layered upon the environment while listeners are encouraged to read, drink, study, or do as they like during the session.

There is usually a nice discount offered if an online reservation was made at least a day before, and there is also an under-25 student discount.

The first “trio” side features four jazz staples and one original from leader Kanamori. The four standards (“Autumn Leaves”, “Surrey with the Fringe on Top”, “I’ve Got a Crush On You”, and “Recordame”) are enhanced with slight rearrangements and additions but mainly stay true to the core of straight-ahead jazz piano trio versions. The original composition on this half, Kanamori’s “Mingus Stroll”, sounds just like it should, with a bluesy strolling feel that recalls the spirit of Charles Mingus.

Notable in several tracks are the slow to fast and double-time meter and time changes that work to keep the audience (and the band) on their toes while the players’ extended improvisations play on. Drummer Yamada also takes the spotlight on a few songs as he lets loose over vamps on the very rapid tempo “Surrey” and the exciting set-closer “Recordame”.

The second “trio with strings” set features three standards (“Smooth as the Wind”, “Lush Life”, and the encore “What a Wonderful World”), with three more originals from Kanamori. Here, when not doubling or embellishing the song melodies, the strings add a rich harmonic backdrop to the trio’s sound, especially and appropriately lush in the beautiful Billy Strayhorn tune.

Beyond the standard jazz repertoire, the seven-member group spreads its wings further on Kanamori’s originals on side two. The trio with strings paints with more abstract colors for his songs “Invisible World” and “Star’s Duty” in particular, for an atmospheric and storytelling effect. His third original on this side, “Sea & Ocean”, is all Latin rhythms, mid- and uptempo, used dynamically to add new dimensions of energy and flair to the entire concert.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Motoi Kanamori’s original Japanese liner notes.)

This is my third album as a leader. It was recorded on December 29, 2022, at a concert held at Tokyo FM Hall. I’m so happy that I was able to have this musical experience and be blessed with such wonderful musicians. I hope that you can listen to this for a long time.

Disc 1

1. Autumn Leaves

Originally a chanson, this is a world-famous standard that has been recorded countless times. Not only Frank Sinatra, but Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and many other jazz musicians have recorded great versions of this song, and it is widely recognized as a jazz standard. Although we must follow in the footsteps of such famous takes, playing our new interpretation of Kareha (枯葉, Autumn Leaves) in the modern day may have resulted in something that has not been heard before. Enjoy the thrilling exchanges between the trio with the dizzying changes of scene.

2. Mingus Stroll

This is my original song dedicated to the great jazz bassist Charles Mingus. Charles Mingus’s music contains nostalgic, romantic melodies that sometimes surge up with the passion of raging waves. At the time, it gave music new inspiration with free ideas and construction, and it still has that new quality today. The year 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charles Mingus, and we performed this song to commemorate the birth of a man who influenced many artists regardless of genre.

3. Surrey with the Fringe on Top

This jazz standard was originally written for a musical, and we started playing it as a homage to our beloved Ahmad Jamal. Typical of this trio, the tempo is extremely fast, like wheels spitting fire. We use an arrangement with a tempo change in the middle, just as the wheels are shaking wildly and coming off, making for an exciting song. Unfazed by this tempo, Takubo’s piano and Yamada’s brushwork are the very essence of breathtaking.

4. I’ve Got a Crush on You

This romantic number (meaning “I’m crazy about you”) is a masterpiece from the genius composer George Gershwin, who worked not only in jazz but also in classical music. It’s an exquisite ballad with a beautiful verse, the introductory part that precedes the main part of a jazz vocal song. Check out Takubo’s beautiful touch and melodic soul, and most of all, the romantic and melancholic harmony of the trio performance.

5. Recordame

This song by Joe Henderson is widely known as a jazz standard and is so cool when played just as written. In fact, this song was requested by a jazz student who is currently enrolled in my former school. This student was coming to my concert, so I asked them if there was a song they wanted to hear. It was a good opportunity for me to arrange a version of this song suited for this trio. I hope you get a real kick out of Yamada’s hidden reserves in the final drum solo, where he navigates complex riffs through to the end with ease.

Disc 2

1. Smooth as the Wind

This song is a hidden gem said to have been written for the trumpeter Blue Mitchell by the great jazz pianist, composer, and arranger Tadd Dameron. At the time, Dameron was imprisoned for drug addiction and was far removed from the jazz stage (drug use is a theme related to why the jazz genre unfortunately rarely appears in elementary school textbooks). However, Blue Mitchell relied on Tadd Dameron as an arranger who brought out the best in him, so Dameron wrote this song was written for him while incarcerated. His record was completed with this song as the title tune, and it became a beloved work of accomplishment throughout his life. The result is a breezy, melodic song that flows like the wind with the addition of the string quartet.

2. Lush Life

They say that this song was written by Duke Ellington’s renowned right-hand man Billy Strayhorn when he was about 19 years old. Although the title given in Japanese may be “The Life of a Drunkard”, it’s really an excellent song. This song has long been played by this trio as a feature for Takubo (who doesn’t drink alcohol, incidentally). It was also included in our second album. I hope that the sweet sound of strings gives a fresh view of another side of this famous song.

3. Invisible World

This was the title tune for our second album, Invisible World, released in 2020. Just as the album was released, the world came to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. We couldn’t go or perform anywhere, and the way forward looked pitch black. We were plunging forth into what seemed to be an “invisible world”. This song originated from the story of how music can find a small light in the darkness and allow an escape from the gloom. At the end of 2022, it’s with deeply felt emotion that we were able to play this song once again, and to say goodbye to the pandemic.

4. Star’s Duty

This is a song I wrote with the theme of “Working people all looking radiant.” The story is of a star who wakes up and reluctantly heads to work, but once they start working, they shine brilliantly. The combination of strings and the piano solo expresses the feelings of the star who does not want to go to work. The end of the song illustrates the star beginning to work and shining brightly. It’s a song to listen to when you are tired of the daily routine.

5. Sea & Ocean

The words “sea” and “ocean” both have the same meaning in Japanese as the word umi (海). This is an original song I wrote with a related theme: “The same thing can appear different as the way of looking at it changes.” Watching the words and behavior of lots of people during the coronavirus pandemic made me feel and think about many things. Depending on the viewpoint, good things can look bad, and bad things can look good. In this song, the same melody appears several times in different forms. Jazz music often has the characteristic of using the same chord progressions and developing on those. For this song, I composed using a new concept of developing the music by continuously changing the scene. I hope that you like it.

6. What a Wonderful World

It goes without saying that this is a famous song loved not only by jazz fans but by many people throughout the world. We performed this song as an encore for the live concert. I could only think of this song in light of the current situation, not only regarding the coronavirus, but with war, discrimination, and world instability in our modern times. As one who can only express themselves through music, I played this song with hope for a peaceful and beautiful world from now on. I think that the sound and minds of the group came together as one to deliver the best performance. Please enjoy it.

Obi Notes

A combination of daringly dashing piano trio and magnificently sweet strings.

A stunning 2-disc album that captures the stirring concert recorded live in high quality at Tokyo FM Hall!!

Audio and Video

• The Motoi Kanamori Trio playing “Lady Luck” live in 2021:

• The Motoi Kanamori Trio playing “No Fool No Fun” live in 2018:

• The Motoi Kanamori Trio playing “Aru Ame no Hi ni…” live in 2018:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Autumn Leaves”

The trio’s music and production are in good hands, being led by the veteran bassist and lecturer who consistently appears in live performances and recordings. Yasukagawa has also been running his own music label, D-musica, for many years, uniquely spotlighting select musicians from the Japanese jazz music scene, including some of his albums as well.

Balancing the years scale, the New Trio is filled out by two young up-and-coming musicians. At the time of the recording, pianist Sora Ichikawa and drummer Yota Tsukada were only 23 and 22 years old, respectively. Despite their relative youth and freshness, their skills and sound portray a deep appreciation and study of jazz music.

The album contains eleven tracks, ten original compositions and one rearranged cover. Six of the originals are by Yasukagawa, and two each come from Ichikawa and Tsukada. The one cover song (also arranged by Yasukagawa) is the poignant anti-oppression anthem “Dona Dona” by Sholom Secunda, the composer of “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön”.