Fumika Asari’s first album is Introducin’ from 2020, a satisfying debut with a mix of players, combinations, and a to-the-point title with a respectful nod to classic jazz album titles. The beautiful sound of acoustic jazz matches well with the young guitarist’s natural style and concept, jazz that shuns attention-seeking tricks and lofty effects in favor of a genuine, pared-down jazz feeling. From song to song, the combination of musicians and styles changes, shuffling between quartets, trios, and duos. Throughout, relaxed easiness and vintage swing arise from classy ensemble playing and spotlit guitar improvisation. As for the changing combos, a guitar quartet is featured on track #1 (guitar, piano, bass, drums), then a trio on #2 (guitar, bass, drums), a guitar & guitar duo, a quartet, a trio, a guitar & piano duo, a quartet (guitar, alto sax, trombone, bass), a sextet, and finally a guitar solo. This variation of players and combinations of instruments keeps things interesting while introducing Asari’s musical vision for her debut release. ...

Cochi is a reliably satisfying jazz bar with a friendly neighborhood feel, the kind of place to rub shoulders with local folks while listening to home-ground jazz musicians. Although the room is tiny, the space is well furnished with vintage decor and ambiance, featuring a small bar and a set of tables and low couch seats where you can watch the musicians play within arm’s reach away. In fact, the nearest front table offers an up-close-and-personal experience, basically sharing floor space with the musicians, alongside a bass drum and cymbal stands on nights when drums are featured—a really nice way to get into the music. ...

The title of the album Acoustic Fluid from the Ryosuke Hashizume Group captures the essence of moving, flowing sounds that fill up this music. Like most of Hashizume’s albums and live shows, his original compositions are featured on this 2012 album, his sixth release. Throughout /Acoustic Fluid/’s nine tracks, the five-member group expands these charts with push-and-pull activity, like waves on water or breaths of air. The music on this album alternates between slow, free sketches and mid-tempo modern jazz. The slower tracks are beautifully patient, somewhat open-ended with room for the group to pulse and grow organically while trekking through the movements. ...

Boozy Muse is a fresh jazz bar that hosts jazz on most nights of the week. Artists range from vocal groups to instrumental groups, and the first set usually starts at 7:40 pm, wrapping up around 10:20 pm. Once in a while, there are daytime shows on Sundays or holidays. Drinks range from the usual beers, wine, and bottles of scotch, whiskey, and other liquors, and the food menu is typical bar-style spaghetti, mini pizza, cheese plates, and similar. If it’s still there, try to spot the big baby bottle of liquor behind the bar. ...

For My Lady is a relaxing package of jazz standards performed by a sensitive trombone and piano duo. Akane Matsumoto, known for her impressive bebop and swing skills, joins up with young newcomer Nanami Haruta on trombone, and both players select favorites from the jazz standard library for this album, each song accompanied by comments in the liner notes translated below. With a laid-back and reigned-in sound, the album is easy to listen to, suitable for relaxation or a comfortable backdrop to day or night. The music fills the room with a calm background texture, with most songs played at slow tempos or as freely-interpreted ballads. The dark-tinged wistful sound of Haruta’s trombone supported by Matsumoto’s wide piano dynamics creates a melancholy feeling with undercurrents of swing, unobtrusive, quietly persuasive, and suggestive of mellow musical stories being told. ...

As the sign describes, “Cocktails, dinner, and standard jazz live” is what you will find at Jazz Bird. This fancy yet comfortable spot is a solid jazz option in the upscale district of Omote-Sando. Jazz Bird is located in an area that is otherwise not full of jazz bars and the related underground ambience, providing a great option for a little something different for those in the neighborhood. With three- and four-piece groups playing standard jazz most nights of the week, this jazz bar delivers a nice jazz hideaway atmosphere with easy access to the station and an open jazz jam on selected Sundays. ...

Independence is a cool underground jazz bar in Ikebukuro, a long and narrow room like a tunnel with a door at one end and a stage at the other. The friendly proprietor offers small homemade appetizers and the usual drinks, bar snacks, and dishes including pizza, pasta, and rice dishes. The middle of the room is filled with small tables and chairs lined up against the long wall, with a small facing bar that also provides great views of the stage. ...

Phrases like good honest work and good clean fun convey the simple and satisfying rewards that result from high levels of skill, effort, and enjoyment. Good honest music is a simple but to-the-point description of saxophonist Seiji Harakawa’s debut album Skipping Down the Street, an excellent showcase for the agile alto sax leader and rhythm section to project their skill, effort, and enjoyment of jazz. The full group listed on the record, “Seiji Harakawa Quartet featuring Fukushi Tainaka” also emphasizes the importance of drums and groove on this album, and honors Harakawa’s experience playing living legend drummer Tainaka in New York for half a decade before Harakawa returned to Japan. ...

Saxophonist Akihiro Yoshimoto’s 62 Charlesgate is a 2022 album where he showcases both his original music and a group of young musicians from the Japanese jazz scene. The quartet is made up of saxophone, trombone, bass, and drums, with no chordal instrument like piano or guitar filling up the comping harmonies. The resulting music, composed for two horns to play melodies in union, harmony, counterpointing, or trading phrases, has a well-suited sound for Yoshimoto’s organized yet free and open concept on this album. ...