Jazz Nutty

Jazz of Japan #284 • Dec 25, 2024 • Brian McCrory

Jazz Nutty jazz cafe, located near Wadeda station in Tokyo, Japan

Calling all jazz nuts! Jazz Nutty is a small coffee shop near Waseda University in Tokyo where the jazz records are cranked and the coffee flows hot. The shop name is undoubtedly a tribute to the Thelonious Monk tune “Nutty”, similar to other jazz spots which honor famous musicians, albums, or tunes from jazz history, like the bar Salt Peanuts for example. Also in the legume/nut theme is of course the general jazz vibe of “Peanuts jazz” with Charlie Brown and Snoopy that is ever popular and present this time of year.

The hand-painted sign next to the front door reads:

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Hear the soul of musicians!

Not a restaurant
   A jazz cafe where you can
   listen to records and CDs

Coffee, tea, cola, alcohol
           500 yen and up
        Entry fee 200 yen
   (Discounts for students)

Mon-Fri: 11:00 - 19:00
  Sat/Sun/Hol: 11:00 - 18:00
          Closed Tuesdays
            JAZZ NUTTY
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Jazz Nutty is a cozy spot to settle in and listen to great music played through the striking speakers placed near the entrance. Seats are arranged right in front facing the speakers and along the walls with wooden benches on each side.

Depending on the music and the mood, the sound may get quite large and loud, but it’s still clear as it is penetrating. Some guests may find that the seats closest to the large speakers are bombarded with the sound waves; many will love the immersion. In any case, the shop is quite small and the sound travels all around, so any seat is a good one for listening.

Furnishings are minimal but this means there are few distractions to enjoying the music and a beverage or two. After ordering and listening for a while, you may even be asked if there’s anything in particular you want to hear.

Requests are limited to the shop’s personal collection and whatever’s currently on hand or brought in by regular customers, but both the shop’s stock and the shopkeeper’s knowledge runs deep. Past requests for albums such as Carla Bley & Steve Swallow’s Duets and Chick Corea’s Now He Sings, Now He Sobs were happily satisfied. This is the icing on the cake at a welcoming respite, a comfortable escape from the busy city for jazz nuts everywhere.

The website for Jazz Nutty is a blog with monthly updates. Along with information about holidays or irregular hours, monthly themes and featured albums are posted regularly. To get a sense of the shop’s personality, the 2024 themes are illuminating:

• January: Featuring Benny Golson, who turned 95 years old. The post invites customers to bring their requests or CDs with their favorite versions of “I Remember Clifford” and “Whisper Not”.
• February: Featuring Matt Dennis (110th birthday anniversary), famous for standards including “Angel Eyes” and “Everything Happens To Me”.
• March: Celebrating bassists Doug Watkins and Jimmy Garrison (who would have both turned 90) and Steve LaSpina (70).
• April: Honoring Duke Ellington (125th birthday anniversary)
• May: Atlantic Records and Enja Records. The follow-up post for May included featured albums like Atlantic’s Lennie Tristano: Tristano, Philly Joe Jones & Elvin Jones: Together!, and Freddie Hubbard: Backlash, and Enja’s Prince Lasha: Inside Story and Abbey Lincoln: Talking to the Sun.
• June: A month honoring Eric Dolphy and the alto saxophone in jazz.
• July: Related to the Paris Summer Olympics, French records were featured. Bassist Charlie Haden was also featured.
• August: Featuring Kenny Dorham (100th birthday anniversary) and the trumpet in jazz.
• September: Featuring Bud Powell (100th birthday anniversary) and the piano in jazz.
• October: Honoring the music of Cole Porter.
• November: Featuring the recordings of Rudy Van Gelder (100th birthday anniversary)
• December: A theme of “My Personal Top 5 Albums of the Year”. Also, some picks related to recent jazz passings included Lou Donaldson: Light-Foot, Roy Haynes: Out of the Afternoon, and Carmen McRae: Live at Dug (Dug’s Hozumi Nakadaira)

After each month’s theme is announced, a second post follows and lists some of the albums being featured and played that month.

For more information:

• Jazz Nutty’s website
• Located near Wadeda station in Tokyo, Japan

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