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”

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”

The session was beautifully captured at the famous Rainbow Studios in Oslo, where the European-label ECM sound seems to influence the session under Koketsu’s leadership and virtuosity. With crystal clear sax and cymbals riding above the warm, full piano and deep wood bass, this style is particularly noticeable on “Mikazuki” (Crescent Moon), a folk/rock-like tune reminiscent of Keith Jarrett.

The album contains a nice balance on its eleven songs. Along with three swinging original numbers, Koketsu also picks some jazz standards including a lovely “Bewitched”, a driving “Summertime”, a Paul Desmond-like “When Joanna Loved Me”, Lennie Tristano’s “Two Not One”, and Ornette Coleman’s “Bird Food”. Throughout, Koketsu’s versatile bop playing and improvisation are on display, along with exquisite modern solos from the pianist and a sharp rhythm section elevating the sound and color spectrum.

Audio and Video

• Ayumi Koketsu performing “Near The Clouds” in a duo setting:

• Excerpt from track #1: “ウィズ・メイ (With May)”

Audio and Video

• The track “Cool Bunny” from this release:

• The track “Imagination” from this release:

• The track “Patricia” from this release:

• Excerpt from track #1: “クール・バニー (Cool Bunny)”