Jazz Spot Candy

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3-10-12 Inage-Higashi, Inage-Ku, Chiba-Ken
Inage-ku Anagawa 4 Chome 12-1 Chiba-shi Chiba-ken 263-0024 JP

Jazz Spot Candy is a gem, one of the finest jazz joints in the entire Tokyo metro area. It opened in 1976, then moved to its current location in 2002 and has been run since the beginning by the ebullient and kind Hayashi-san.

It’s a small room but does not feel as claustrophobic as many other jazz spots due to its high ceiling and natural light. There are a few tables and some bar counter seats, with the right wall dominated by Hayashi-san’s impressive and varied collection of vinyl. She’s happy to take requests and talk about the music or anything else; within minutes of being there we were trading stories about how we first came to love this music. (For Hayashi-san, it was working in an electronics store as a teenager and hearing John Coltrane play on the radios and stereos.)

The left wall of the room acts as a ‘stage’ for weekend live shows, usually featuring more experimental/improvisational groups. Hayashi-san has good connections with both American and European musicians (the late, great Billy Bang was a regular visitor), as well as local ‘free jazz’ players. Cafe and bar time though you’ll hear any and all genres; during my visit Hayashi-san played B.B. King & Diane Schur, Jack DeJohnette, then some heavy Norwegian improv group.

I was so happy to finally find Jazz Spot Candy, it’s now firmly in my Top Ten Jazz Joint ranking. See good pics of Candy here at Tokyo Jazz Joints.

Size
15-20
Directions

JR Inage Station, come out the West Exit. Go straight up the main road across the station front rotunda, then take the first left after the Family Mart convenience store. Walk down and then take the second right, you’ll see Candy on the right side, 1st floor of a large (by Japan standards..) house.

Date published
Nov 2015
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