World Music, Jazz, Soul, Funk, Blues, Rock, & More
The OK Jazz Podcast is a weekly show hosted by James Catchpole aka Mr OK Jazz. An eclectic selection of World Music, Jazz, Soul, Funk, Blues and more, ranging from classic tracks to fresh releases plus info on live gigs, cultural events and anything interesting going on in the Tokyo and Yokohama areas. Get started using the mobile friendly podcast player for ‘on the go’ access to all of the shows.
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Rosa Guzmán - Special Interview from Peru!
This is interview has been translated from the original Spanish. For more on The Warrior Women Of Afro-Peruvian Music album and project, check the Just Play website. The audience here in Japan might not be familiar with the complex history and ethnic composition of Peru. Can you tell us a little bit about your artistic career and what sharing Afro-Peruvian culture means to you?
I am woman who got to the stage very late because I had the responsibility to be a homemaker and manage my house. When I was young, my parents didn’t want me to be an artist. They wanted me to study a career, and that is why I couldn’t get on the stage before, as I’m doing now.
I started my artistic career 20 years ago or so. I was quite old, my kids were already married, and I was single. Then I had the freedom to immerse myself in what I liked, that is, singing, but never with the intention of becoming a renowned and sought-after artist, as I am now.
I am very proud of having achieved something I didn’t expect. Right now I am a representative of Afro-Peruvian music in this album made by producer Matt Geraghty, and I am very proud of being part of such an important project. It is important for me that Afro-Peruvian music is being listened to worldwide, like right now that you are interviewing me for a Japanese audience. Imagine that the work we, black women, have done in my country is known in Japan. I am very proud of being part of The Warrior Women of Afro-Peruvian Music.
To me in promoting Afro-Peruvian culture, it’s important to let people know that a black woman is not only a cook, laundress, homemaker or construction worker, but they have a lot of culture and artistic dedication to their country. Afro-Peruvian women are very capable and true warriors in life and in their music.
When did you start to sing and what kind of music did you like? Afro-Peruvian songs and rhythms were with you from the beginning?
I started to sing when I was very little, at school and at every celebration. On Father's Day or Mother's Day, I had to come out and sing. In Lima, I had a music teacher who discovered me as a singer, and she made me sing despite my shyness. Also, even though my father didn’t want me to pursue an artistic career, he always had me singing at family reunions.
So I have sung a little bit of everything like bolero, son cubano, Brazilian music. Singing is what I like and I don’t really choose a genre. I just sing!
Afro-Peruvian music has always been with me. I have engaged in singing criolla music because it is part of the history of the place where I grew up. My father was creole and a lot of creole composers and singers used to meet at my house. So I grew up in that environment and that’s why I sing criolla music.
In the promotional videos, many of the ladies mention that Peru is still a very patriarchal society. However, the power and energy of all of you (The Warrior Women of Afro-Peruvian Music) can be perceived instantly. Do you think that the Afro-Peruvian music coming from these powerful voices is being increasingly listened to and valued in the music mainstream of Peru?
I think it is. I could even say that Afro-Peruvian music is more present than criolla music itself. Young people appreciate black music a lot now.
Projects such as Just Play contribute not only to spread Peruvian music, but to make its artists stronger. I say that The Warrior Women of Afro-Peruvian Music project has showed the whole world that Afro-Peruvian women are talented and make a contribution to this country’s culture.
As a black woman, is it twice as hard to be recognized in Peru?
There are still barriers, though subtle, they are there. The black woman does not fit the stereotype of a typical woman in society. Society has stereotyped women as having to be thin, with small breasts and a small backside. And, given that the black woman is not like that, she is not embraced.
The musicians who play in the album come from Peru and the United States, mainly from the jazz tradition. How have you felt about this meeting of musicians from different corners of the world?
I think that this combination of cultures have enriched the genre we have made. The contribution of international artists such as Gil Goldstein, Howard Levy, Misha Tsiganov, Yayo Serka, Matt Geraghty and Neal Alger, now part of our music has enriched the rhythms even further. Despite not having Peruvian roots, these beautiful new sounds have strengthened the Afro-peruvian styles we captured on the album.
What are your plans for the next years?
If God gives me life and health, I will keep spreading and singing music. And, with regard to Afro-Peruvian music, I will keep supporting and spreading it wherever I go; I have an invitation to go soon to Portugal, where I will be sharing my culture.
What would you like to say to the audience here in Japan?
That I am happy that our project The Warrior Women of Afro-Peruvian Music has found its way to a Japanese audience. And I know they will love it. Japanese people appreciate a good rhythm, they like Latin music, for instance. I have a lot of friends from Japan and they really appreciate Afro-Peruvian music. I know they will love our music when they listen to it and I hope we can bring The Warrior Women of Afro-Peruvian Music to Japan.
Ubud Village Jazz Festival in Bali - Interview w/ Astrid Sulaiman
1. Where are you from and how did you first get into Jazz?
I was born and raised in Jakarta but moved to Bali in 2008.
I always liked Louis Amstrong records when I was in junior high and tried to play it on piano and saxophone. (I joined the marching band at that time). And I played standard jazz again in my college years around 2002 with my friends in some cafes. And since then, I never stop learning and playing.
2. What was the scene (jazz scene And/Or general music scene) in Bali at that time? I visited Bali in 2007 and was amazed about the jazz scene in Bali. As you couldn't find such venues in Jakarta at that time. They played standard jazz, originals, and compositions from Tania Maria, Bill Evans, etc. That's why I decided to move.
3. How did the Ubud Jazz festival start? What stands out about it (besides the gorgeous physical location!)? It started in 2010 when we held small concerts at Serambi Art Antida (now is Antida Sound Garden) once a month with 50 guests. And when Serambi Art Antida closed due to some differences with the owners' perspective, we lost a place to perform. Then we played in some places around Bali. And it was so packed with guests in 2012, we decided to make a serious and international jazz festival.
What stands out about it is the spirit of the community that makes the festival keep growing. As we all volunteered. We don't get paid. But we are making our dreams come true.
Yuri, who's in charge of the artist division, is committed that UVJF has to be different in terms of the line ups. We decided to be different. We don't have "pop/rock" stars in the festival. Only jazz.
4. What are the plans for the future of the festival?
We'd like to combine it with another festival, such as a coffee/wine festival. Something that relates to local product that can boost their promotion as well.
5. Your three favorite albums.
Peter Beets - Chopin meets blues
Oscar Peterson Live
This time by Basie
I was lukcy to attend to festival in 2014, it was superb and in the most beautiful location for a festival I've ever seen. Get there if you can!
Where are you from and how did you first get into music? I’m originally from Brighton but lived many years in Manchester before making Madrid my home. I now live somewhere between Madrid, the UK and Doha in Qatar! My wife works in the International School system, so we move around! It seems normal to me as a musician as we are always traveling to do shows! I originally got into music listening to tapes on my parents AKAI tape machine with its 3 band EQ! Loved listening to anything they had! Dionne Warwick, Jose Feliciano, Johnny Harris, Tim Hardi, Cat Stevens and lots of jazz! My Dad had a fairly decent vinyl collection that I used to plunder and was listening from an early age to Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk…you name it! My Dad actually saw John Coltrane live in London. Something he loves to tell me on a regular basis!
What the jazz scene like in the UK when you started and how is it currently? I think the current UK jazz scene is great! Really healthy and diverse with lots of great artists of all ages from all over the UK. I think there is a great scene in London right now particularly with new artists like Kamal Washington and Nubya Garcia. Really exciting clubs too that are backing these guys and providing the context for a ‘scene’. And its not all London as you have people like Tony Burkill from Leeds and and Nat Birchall from Manchester. It’s a very exciting time to be a UK Jazz artist.
You've moved around quite a bit, how has being a nomadic musician changed your approach to composing and playing? I think it has all contributed to my music. Yes of course. I’m very lucky to be exposed to such different musicians and music constantly. I have taken a lot from my travels. On the album La Sombra I covered a classic Flamenco track called La Leyendo del Tiempo which was a huge track in Spain for Camaron De la Isla. I wanted to bring some of that flamenco sound into my album. That was what I was hearing around me and wanted to use it. Or listen to the beginning of Shamal Wind and you can hear the middle east right there! The harmony and the stylistic approach, the 5/4 time and the use of percussion.
What's the new record Shamal Wind all about? Shamal Wind is about the change that can blow through your life bringing change and growth. That’s what the Shamal Wind does! It blows across the Persian Gulf bringing huge, beautiful sand storms with great destructive force and eventual renewal.
3 favorite albums: Only 3!! I guess these ones right now: Sahib Shihab: Companionship Harold McNair: Flute & Nut Timo Lassy: Love Bullet
Check out Chip's website and you can hear a few of his tracks on OK Jazz Episode's 75 & 77
Selen Gulun - Interview
1. Where are you from and how did you get started in music?
I am from Istanbul, Turkey. As lots of other musician friends I showed my interest in music at a very early age. My family especially my mother was a great listener and music was a very big part of our daily life. They realized my interest and talent and put me in Conservatory exams. So, my music education officially started when I was 7 years old by going to the Istanbul University State Conservatory part time student program. Thereby, all through education until College times, I studied two schools. I was piano performance student at the Conservatory and my early music education was focused on Western Classical Music. Even though my first college education was on Business, I was always serious about music. Frankly, that degree was mainly about convincing my family that I will not starve to death by being musician ☺ I was a bit rusher on education. When I started my first college degree I was only 16. After graduating from Business, I went back to full time music education double majoring on Composition and Piano at Mimar Sinan University Conservatory, Istanbul. Back then I was already playing, singing in Jazz and Rock clubs professionally. I was in love with improvising. After a while I got a bit tired of Classical Music and decided to apply for Berklee College of Music. I got accepted to Jazz Composition major at 1996 in half scholarship, which turned to be a full scholarship in a half year, and I graduated in one and a half year from Berklee in summa cum laude. Then, I had my master’s degree on Contemporary Music Composition in Istanbul, which helped me later a lot on creating my own kind of language in music writing. So it was a long journey of music education.
2. What is the jazz (and over all music scene) like in Turkey?
Jazz has a very old history in Turkey so it has its own tradition. The first examples were from 1940’s but it got more serious after 1950’s with the uprising of bourgeois society. Istanbul Music Festival was an important source for so many of us to be interested and serious about Jazz in Turkey. There I saw Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, John Abercrombie, Charles Lloyd, Mahavishnu Orchestra, James Brown, and so many other great artists live that impossible for me to count their names all together. I saw Oscar Peterson playing solo and then I had decided to be like him, having a lot of fun playing on the stage! Later that festival separate its way with Classical Music and now it is called Istanbul Jazz Festival, which will celebrate its 25th year this summer. Also, Akbank Jazz Festival is another great festival that I should mention. At the starting point was of this festival Sun-Ra Arkestra played a street concert, which was unforgettable for me. It is more of a progressive festival. Other than these some of other major cities have their own jazz and other music festivals. Istanbul was and still is an attention center of the live music. There is a new, promising jazz festival started last year called Zorlu PSM Jazz festival. We played there our new album, KAPI with my Italian musician friends. Everything was very professional. Until 2011, there were more clubs and many more jazz concerts were happening in Istanbul but due to the political situation the seen has been changed. Like lots of other things… Some good clubs are important to mention in Istanbul like Kaset Mitanni, Nardis, Badau, BoVa and bigger places like Salon IKSV, Babylon are still serving for good and original music everyday. Lots of things to talk about music scene in Turkey but I will try to leave it here. Turkey has a very young population and many of them studies in big cities. People love to hang out, drink and eat outside. They love to go to the clubs too but mainly for dancing these days. Like I have said, things are in transition. Lets hope for the good one.
3. How did you first come to Japan and what are your impressions of the music world here?
Before me, my piano trio album Answers came to Japan. Disc Union at 2014 asked that if they can sell Answers in Japan and I connected them with the record company. I didn’t follow what happened after that, and I have no idea why they wanted that specific album which was released at 2010. I have recorded that album with my old time friends, Patrick Zambonin (electric bass, Switzerland) and Jörg Mikula (drums, Austria) at 2006 in Istanbul. After couple of months that my cds arrived in Japan a fan of mine from Turkey shared a photo at instagram showing that my album is on the best selling list, number six in Tokyo disc union! I was surprised and later we got connected with disc union again, I came for couple concerts related to that album, Answers at June 2015. I immediately loved Tokyo. Music world is unique here. Life is around music. There are many clubs with many different music and many different styles of musicians. Though I had many great Japanese musician friends in Berkley, I wasn’t expecting this much of a variety. I am impressed. Especially while even the major jazz clubs around the world is closing one by one. Here I started playing with very different kind of musicians and that makes me incredibly happy. I am interested to play lots of different music including contemporary music, free jazz, free improvisation, written music, and etc… Here I play quartet, trio, duo jazz with trumpet player Issei Igarashi, duo free improvisation with violinist Keisuke Ohta, improvised concert with Keiji Haino… Lots of crazy performances are happening. As a curious musician, to be able to play in this kind of variety I travel around the world since 2003. Finding all this movement in one city is breathtaking!
4. Current projects?
I released two albums last year. One is an electronic/ electro-acoustic/improvisation/ambient album published in Rome, Italy with great Italian musicians Marcello Allulli (tenor sax) and Emanuele de Raymondi (laptop & electric guitar), named KAPI. The other one is a women composers project that I have been leading since 2011, called Women’s matinee (Kadinlar Matinesi), which is released in Turkey. I will be going back and forth between Italy, Turkey and Japan for playing the concerts of these albums. Also, I recently started recording a duo album that includes great Japanese musicians I play together. I am very exited about that album. I have another project called Blue Band, 6 horns + rhythm section jazz combo band. I write music for this combination since 1997. We had a concert last year in Tokyo. I want to keep that band alive and hopefully record with them, too. Just today I had a new offer from a record company for recording a solo album I might have consider. I will go to play Ankara Jazz Festival on May 8, Istanbul Jazz Festival in June 29, another summer festival in Rome July 20. On May also I will go to New York for a recording session and play couple concerts while I am there. Mean while I will continue performing in Japan too.
5. 3 favorite albums?
Hard to say! But maybe if I limit myself as, “life time albums that I can listen forever”:
Bill Evans at the Montreaux Jazz festival (1968) (piano player’s dream) Marc Johnson’s Bass Desires – Second Sight (changed my perspective in music at the first listening) Wayne Shorter – Speak No Evil (every tune is hit and oh, that album cover!)
For more than half a century, Nihon Onkyo Engineering has designed interior construction for acoustic rooms, recording and broadcast studios, performance halls and public spaces. In October, I was invited by NOE to attend a demonstration at their engineering studio in Chiba, where they would be introducing their Acoustic Grove System (AGS), a sound filtering system now used by various recording studios.
A small group including journalists, DJs, an astronomer(!) and myself were picked up near Tokyo Station and driven about an hour or so out to the lab. There was a short presentation about the history of the AGS, and then we were led into the sound room for some extended demonstration time.
The AGS was designed to "greatly improve indoor sound fields". The genesis of the project stems from the lead engineer's experience with sound acoustics while walking in the forest. As they explain on their website:
At Nihon Onkyo Engineering, our interest in the mysterious sound environment of forests has led us to research focusing on the special behavior of sound waves diffused using mechanisms similar to the trees of a forest. We also believe that everyone feels a certain magical comfortableness when in a forest. Our development of the Acoustic Grove System was a result of our exploration of the connection between the acoustic mechanisms of the forest and this comfortableness. In conventional acoustic designs for narrow rooms that do not have a particularly large space (such as with concert halls), the combination of reflective surfaces and sound-absorbing surfaces result in unnatural and peculiar characteristics in sound reflections. Moreover, when a loud sound is emitted in a small room, the acoustic energy becomes saturated, resulting in a sound field with poor distortion. To avoid such acoustic disturbances, we devised the AGS as a mechanism to achieve an ideal acoustic space similar to that of a forest.
The presentation explained a bit on the history of NOE and their work with various acoustic systems, then went into the background of the AGS. The AGS system is the result of ten years research, with each individual wooden post requiring precise measuring and placement. What seems to be haphazard and random is the result of a painstaking process to created the perfect sound environment.
The 'feel' of the AGS sound lab hits you instantly upon entering; it's a little hard to describe exactly how but there was something warm and comforting about the space. I'm a non-audiophile music geek and lack the vocabulary for this, so I'll start with: walking into the sound testing room was like getting into a hot-springs bath. We took seats in a semi-circle facing the wall of the AGS wood and the two speakers set in the middle of the room, then three different pieces of music were played for us; an orchestral piece, a church choir, and The Carpenters. (It wouldn't be Japan without an appearance by the Carpenters.)
I couldn't hear anything particularly different with the orchestral piece, but the choir music was immediately striking. It sounded as if the choir was surrounding you, with voices coming at you from all directions. Remarkable! Then The Carpenters...I'll avoid going into my view on them and why they are deities in Japan, and will just say that Karen's voice was lovely, and the production on a song like 'We've Only Just Begun' is revealed in a whole new way via the AGS.
We were then invited to each play a track we had brought with us on CD. A Jakarta-based journalist who was in town doing some music research offered up a track from the album Mad Professor Meets Massive Attack..an inspired choice. The best dub music often sounds like something from another planet; hearing the Mad Professor's imagination via the AGS was intense, beautiful and somewhat frightening. The track "Radiation Ruling The Nation" builds slowly and methodically, until you feel as you're inside it; hearing it on the ASG I feel I know what the inside of a computer would sound like if you could shrink yourself and wander around in one.
For my selection I brought along a copy of McCoy Tyner's album 'Time For Tyner', featuring Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphones and marimba. I was eager to hear the tone of those two instruments in particular on the tune 'African Village'..and they were astounding, far beyond what I had even imagined. Again the sound was washing over us. It was an audio shower. I've never experienced anything like it. And the drums were incredible, the high-hat and bass drum came at you from different directions, making it seem like there were two drummers in the room. Fantastic, propulsive tune on the most common headphones but with the AGS it was truly alive.
The AGS system is primarily a professional product used in studios, etc, though you can buy the smaller individual wooden units for at about ¥200,000 per piece, not cheap but said to be perfect for a smaller room in your home. I can totally understand now why audiophiles obsess they way they do as it it's just a completely different experience to hear music in this way.
Many thanks to NOE for inviting me to the sound lab for this demonstration, I'm ready to spend my next spare ¥200,000 on a home unit. Special thanks to Flora Mitsushima at Kyodo PR for her assistance, as well to translator and sake master Christopher Hughes for providing the fine sake we sampled while listening to the AGS.
Tokyo Jazz Joints Hits #100 - One Day Up North: Part 1
All good things have to come to an end, right? (Well, perhaps not, but more on that later..) Two years and three months into the Tokyo Jazz Joints photo project and we're near the finish line as my partner on this adventure, photographer Philip Arneill, is getting ready to leave Japan.
A few weeks back after some back and forth about what to do as we approached our 100th jazz joint visited, we decided to forget any geographical designations about 'Tokyo Jazz Joints' (and to be honest, we've already included some Kansai region joints anyways) and make the trip up north to visit Basie, the mecca of jazz cafe culture in Japan. It seemed like every other cafe owner and customer we'd met on this long jazz project had mentioned Basie, saying we must go visit, that it was the gold standard for jazz kissaten in Japan, etc etc; 縁がある (It was fated) as is said in Japanese.
The Tohoku region is a trek from Tokyo, 460km north to our first stop. We mapped out an ambitious 24 hours aiming to get to at least 5 jazz spots in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, ending the night in Sendai city to reach the 100 mark. With very infrequent local trains in the countryside and far distances, this was going to require pinpoint scheduling.
But Jazz joints don't open until noon at the earliest so I decided to zoom up on the shinkansen very early to go see Chusonji the spectacular 12th century temple in Hiraizumi village. 5am wake up call, 7am train and there I was making the beautiful walk up a lovely tree-lined hill towards Chusonji at 0930.
My buddy Justin lives up in Iwate and came over to Chusonji to meet me; we had a good catch up while walking around the gorgeous temple grounds, then hopped the train back a few stations to Ichinoseki to pick up Philip and start the day. The schedule was tight and I had proposed having an early lunch then getting straight to Basie, but Philip wisely and rightly said since we were here let's try and fit in the Royce Jazz Cafe first, if only for a few minutes. And what a good idea that was!
Royce is one of the more unique spots we've visited, and that's saying a lot. Way far from Ichinoseki station, Royce is a combination small liquor store on the right, jazz cafe on the left. The owner Mr. Gonbei Nanashima was surprised when I rang the bell (surprised would be an understatement, more like astonished..) and asked me 'are you here for the jazz?' Indeed we are, sir. Three tall, lanky foreign guys have taken the bullet train just to come to your fine establishment. Nanashima-san kindly let us in and then explained about his astounding audio system, which includes the same model speakers as used in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London.
Royce itself is really nothing more than a living room with some sofas facing the wall of speakers. It's a joint for serious listening, no doubt, and given that it's in the middle of nowhere you can be sure the customers are no just random walk-ins.
In between the audio talk Nanashima-san peppered us with questions about ourselves, then very curiously asked if we were aware of the left-right brain differences between Westerners and Japanese and how this affects the way we hear music...um, no, not really up to speed on that theory but I'll look it up.
We explained more about our project taking pictures in jazz spots, then said we'd have to zoom to get to Basie, back closer to the station. Nanashima-san insisted on driving us over there, while refusing to take any money for the coffee. What a star, another kind and gracious host in the jazz world, there have been so many over the last several years; never ceases to amaze me.
So we got a lift over to Basie which is a bit closer to Ichinoseki Station, and I started to get excited, nervous, jumpy. Calling ahead to check the opening hours at Basie a few days earlier, my dear Mrs. Jazz had said the owner was quite brusque and unfriendly on the phone...what if he was as intimidating in person? What if the place was a disappointment after all the build up and expectation? The wall of flyers at the entrance was my first hint that, NO, I would not be disappointed here.
Look at the names there! Hank Jones and Peter Brotzmann were coming all the way up north HERE to play gigs in a cafe? We entered Basie and immediately, I was smitten. That feeling you get if a beautiful woman smiles at you? Or when you come up from the subway in New York and get your first look at Manhattan and the skyscrapers and feel all the energy? That's how I get when I enter a gorgeous jazz joint. Look at this:
The vinyl! And that's only the wall behind the bar, there were records lining two other walls around the side where we sat. After ordering some drinks, I went up to talk to Sugawara-san, the legendary owner of Basie. This guy is like a god in the insular world of jazz in Japan, as Basie is now world-famous for its JBL audio system, on top of the decades of great live gigs they've hosted. I nervously went over to introduce myself and explain our project, and that I know many friends of acquaintances of his...and he smiled broadly, told me to sit down, and call my crew over.
Before we could even say another word more drinks arrived at the table, and Sugawara-san asked us about our project, very kindly answering our questions about Basie's incredible history. Was that poster over there, did Elvin Jones and Freddie Hubbard really play here? Oh yes, they did, several times. We drank a lot together. My goodness...and that famous JBL audio system? Oh sure, I get foreign music people coming here every few weeks or so to take pictures and write about it..from the US, Europe..next week J-Wave (Japanese radio broadcaster) will be here to interview me and profile the shop..What's this record playing? Oh that's J.J. Johnson, he never came here but most of his band did when there were in Japan..the casualness with which he talked about all this struck me. If Elvin Jones and Freddie Hubbard played in my bar I would be talking of it constantly.
But it's not just the old days that makes Basie so special. As the flyers out front advertised, it's still a vibrant and functioning live spot in addition to being almost the perfect cafe & bar. Having seen so many gorgeous old jazz cafes close down over the last ten years, it was sincerely a great relief to hear that Basie was still thriving.
Phillip stood up to go take pics all round the joint, including the upstairs space that looks down on the main area, while Justin and I sat at the table drinking and talking with Sugawara-san. Then his very old pal Shimaji-san came in and sat down, receiving a glass of wine within seconds. Take a look at these two bosses:
1pm on a Saturday and they're hitting the wine and cigars, not giving one f#$k about anything. 75 and 76 years old; may we all be living it like that when we get there. (And they kept their sunglasses on the whole time..)
Sugawara-san was kind enough to give me a copy of the Japanese magazine Switch that had a nice photo spread of Basie and interview with him. Even though he's been interviewed many times and visited by people from around the world, I could sense he was impressed by our project, with our effort and dedication so far, and our deep love for these jazz spots. Philip and I debated whether to skip our train and wait for the later one but realized that Basie was so hypnotic and perfect that we'd likely stay all day and miss everywhere else. I explained we had to go and catch the next train, we received an absurdly low bill of only ¥3000 (about US$25, when we easily drank enough to cost three times that) and then the waitress said to come along, she'd drive us to the station. Unreal kindness from everyone up north. I had to snap a pic with Sugawara-san before we left:
What a thrill. And to think we were debating whether it was worth going up there..
Feeling more than a bit tipsy from the early drinking, and in high spirits from the wonderful experience at Basie, we got a lift back to Ichinoseki station and hopped onto the Shinkansen again to head further north to Mizusawa, on our way to visit the Ray Brown cafe, where more unexpected thrills awaited us..
(Part 2 coming soon..)
3 Days in Hanoi, Vietnam
For the past 5 years or so I've been taking various short trips around Asia, exploring parts of the local music scene in each country (while fitting in some sight-seeing.) Here is the diary recap of my recent visit to Hanoi; a more focused portrait of the jazz & traditional music scene will be up soon.)
The start of my recent, too short visit to Vietnam can be summed up with the following three quotes:
1."We caution that with this level of turbulence, passengers use the aircraft restrooms at their own risk."
2. "You're in KLIA2, you need KLIA terminal 1 for your transfer. Better rush if you want to make it, lines are long there. But don't run in the airport, the police will surely stop you and that would take an hour at least once that happens."
3. And lastly, "Oh, two hours wait for a visa in Hanoi airport is about normal. I guess it would move faster if there were more than one person behind the counter handling things. Not the friendliest lady in the world either."
Day One
Ok enough about the rather long, exhausting route to get there; all that fell away as my taxi moved through the Old Quarter of Hanoi, a place I've been wanting to visit for years now.
Hanoi is an old city, with a lot more than just the faded colonial mansions and french influenced coffee culture, though both jump right out at you immediately. After a quick 'refresh' in the very nice La Siesta boutique hotel (++ points for the very nice mango & passion fruit smoothie they bring you while checking in), I headed out into the streets of the Old Quarter at about 2:30pm, immediately jumping into the traffic.
(Street view of traffic)
https://youtu.be/C8Kgr0Kb-nE
Reading about the bike culture in Vietnam and experiencing it first hand is a different ballgame yet quickly picked up the technique of how to cross without getting smashed and started my wandering. It's often the best part of a trip, that first initial rush of diving into a neighborhood with only a basic idea of which way you're going, taking in every sight, sound and smell around you. Right away I randomly looked up to see this glorious mystery:
(Radio building)I was too late to snap a pic of the very old guy leaning out the window with a noticeably grumpy face. This had to be an old radio station but from when, and what kind? I made a mental note to come back and investigate. (Note: I never made it back. Stupid..)
The streets of the Old Quarter were enticing; I immediately fell in love with the vibe, even with the seemingly endless number of tourists. Thought not exclusively so, there was still a bit of the system of 'one street, one type of shop' going on. This way fabrics; this way home goods; that way lighting & hardware; this way wet market.
First stop though of course was for some Pho; I strolled over to a street round the corner road where the hotel said were many good Pho shops. #10 was delicious; clean and good quality beef, perfect portion for just about ¥300 (US$2.50). I grabbed a quick espresso at the cafe across the way from Pho 10, looking down into the action below.
If you look at the bottom right of the picture you'll see a local guy in a green army uniform. When I left the cafe and walked by him he smiled at me and gave a wave, and I saw that the 'name tag' on the uniform said 'US Marines' in English...odd and curious for many reasons. But then, every few seconds I was already seeing things in Hanoi that could be interpreted in different ways given Vietnam's history...for example this shop:
Surely not a coincidence, unless there's some brand named Vichy I'm not aware of...? (Note: Looked it up later and found that's a real French company. Shame, that would have been a sick burn by the locals towards the French. Oh well..)
Feeling full and energized I walked further through the Old Quarter and made it to the top of Hoan Kiem Lake, in the heart of the city. Fantastic spot, full of energy but not overwhelming in the least. I spent an enjoyable 10 minutes on a bench by the lake next to two very old aunties who laughed and smiled and chatted to me in Vietnamese non-stop, then I walked round the lake and down into the French Quarter south of the lake. A different universe from the crowded bustle of the Old Quarter, my first stop in the French Quarter was Bar +84. I had been told this was a nice spot for good tunes, both live and on the speakers. With a very indoor/outdoor shape and feeling quite spacious, I was happy to grab a stool and order a Tiger beer (no 333 in Hanoi!) then smiled as The Crusaders 'Street Life' came on, followed in succession by Chaka Khan then some Blue Note trumpet from the 60s...not Lee Morgan but of that style. Bingo! A great start to the evening, and it got me feeling positive that there were some music heads here in town I could certainly hang with.
(bar +84 pic) (Interlude: People ask me again and again WHY do I travel thousands of miles to go find bars that play the same music I can hear anywhere in Tokyo. I always say, it's not the music, it's the people choosing it that I go to find, to hear them talk about the local scene and tell me all about how they started their bar. Sightseeing the famous places is fun, but the best way to learn about a city, especially the music scene, is to talk to staff and musicians in the local music joints. And in doing so you learn a lot about contemporary society, way more than just blindly following a Lonely Plant Walking Map...ok, rant over.)
I drained a couple cold Tigers in bar +84 listening to some superb tunes..and then abruptly at 7pm the grooves stopped and some awful new 'R&B' came on..horrid and annoying. The staff said they have to switch over as the night time customers want 'newer hits'.. (Sigh...) I finished and took a slow stroll around the French Quarter on my way to the Binh Minh Jazz Club, supposedly the only 'real' jazz club in Hanoi. On a side street behind the landmark Hanoi Opera House it's well signposted:
Very nice, with seats outside and wide open windows so you can hear the music...that wasn't playing yet. I was way early for the live sets that start at 9pm, but at 8 there wasn't even any CD on. I ordered a drink anyways and took some pics, then waited for the first set.
Quyen Van Minh is one of the most important figures in creating a jazz scene in Vietnam, and the owner of the club. I went up to speak with him when he arrived right before 9pm; he took my card and said to email him about meeting during the week (never got a reply back from him unfortunately..) As one of the two most important jazz figures in the country, I'm going to have to get back to interview him properly with way advance notice.
The first quartet to play was solid enough, playing some mid-tempo bebop, but the effects of flying and the alcohol began to hit about 10 pm so I paid up and walked back around the lake into the Old Quarter. Even in the light drizzle though I stopped by the lake for a few minutes to enjoy the scene. It's always so so satisfying taking that first nighttime walk back to your hotel in a new city. Got in at around 10:30 and was asleep within minutes.
Day Two
Couldn't get out of bed; leisurely late breakfast meant I didn't leave the hotel until about 11. I walked west from the OQ to have a look at the Confucian Temple of Literature, site of Vietnam's first university, established almost one thousand years ago. Very impressive as expected, as was sharing the experience with about one thousand other tourists, and about 150 Vietnamese school kids & recent graduates. Despite the crowds, it was interesting to see how the temple is still active; one of the attendants told me that many, if not all, students will come to pray here before and after exams. I was fascinated at the choice of books on sale at the temple gift shop:
Not really sure how to process that..I wonder what a Vietnamese reader would think of Rhett and Scarlett?
I left the temple after an hour and grabbed a baguette sandwich (delicious) from a small cafe, then put my map away and let myself get lost. And as is always the case, I remembered to follow the golden rule of traveling: when you see an interesting looking alleyway, take it.
https://youtu.be/aAsYql4TyQs
This was actually 100x more interesting than the temple. Perhaps a bit invasive to take pics and videos right in the middle of people's lives like this, but I was in love with these back alleys with the bird cages, small shops and people just going about things. I went around and around a maze of alleys, everyone smiled at me except for one very grumpy old lady that was yelling and waving a cabbage in my face. I wandered more, took a few turns here and there, and ended up at this wonderful local intersection.
Figured out that I was still fairly near the Temple of Literature in what seemed like an extremely local neighborhood, even with the 'Asean Hotel' right there. This was such a wonderful spot I lingered for ten minutes or so just observing, before popping into another cafe for an espresso.
(Interlude: The cafe culture in Hanoi is epic, monumental, exhilarating. It's something you really want to experience while you are there. I knocked a few years off the life of my kidneys & bladder with all the espresso I drank in three days but it was worth it. And I didn't even stop at these gorgeous joints.)
Was time to head back to the hotel for a quick change before the evening's plans. While at a stop light I was surprised by a man sitting on a stool pointing at my shoe. He pointed and jabbered away then pulled out a small nail-file looking thing and grabbed at my shoe. Ah! This was the old 'fix a non-existing shoe problem and ask for money' scam I had heard about. I pulled away and said No Thanks, then walked away laughing. Surely there are more effective scams than this to reel in the tourists?
I had plans to meet for drinks at the Metropole Hotel at 9m so after a quick nap I left the hotel again at around 5ish to go see Bar Betta and the Pho Nho Bar, two places I was told to visit for good tunes. Both were on the same street not far from the area I was exploring earlier that morning. First Bar Betta, inside a huge, beautiful old colonial house, with funky decor and some okay-ish tunes playing.
Apparently Bar Betta's popular heyday had passed, but it was a very nice vibe inside the huge house, with an open air rooftop as well for when then rain stops. The music got better after awhile but I moved next door to Bar Pho Nho to have a look. Unfortunately the rain picked up again and Bar Pho Nho was completely empty, with no music of any kind. I enjoyed a solitary beer on the balcony, exchanging FBook messages with Pho Nho's manager, who told me there is live jazz there only on Monday nights. Pleasant spot, and one I'd return to for the live music on the next trip for sure.
I left Pho Nho and got immediately lost, then couldn't get a taxi in the rain so ended up walking cross town to the classic, ritzy Metropole Hotel to meet Ms. Hoang Minh Chau for a drink and chat. Chau runs the Hanoi Jazz Lovers Facebook page, and had helped me prepare for my visit in the past weeks. We met at the Bamboo bar at the Metropole, with the sound of vocalist Michele Kaye coming from the inside Le Club bar.
Chau was wonderful to talk with, she gave me so much information on the formation of the jazz scene in Hanoi, the influx of new spots with live music, and a lot of thoughts on where the scene is heading, in addition to helping me understand the current social climate in Hanoi.
(Note: I'm working on an expanded section for the website to be called 'Jazz In Asia' so will save for now all that she told me and simply summarize by saying the jazz scene, while still small, is going to keep growing in Vietnam.)
Unfortunately the schedule didn't work this week to meet with Chau's university contacts, Prof. Luu Quang Minh and Dr. Nguyen Manh, two key figures in the creation of the Hanoi jazz scene over the last 25 years, but I assured here I would be returning to Hanoi as soon as possible; the city already put a spell on me in less than 30 hours. I wanted to linger at the Bamboo Bar at the Metropole; I'd never stay at such a place (even if I could afford it) but have to confess to enjoying the poolside bar very much at the end of a long day of walking.
(Bamboo Bar Pic)
Day Three
Last day in Hanoi so wanted to get a lot in. Rose early and did a little shopping, then made a fantastic discovery.
This place was just minutes from my hotel but I had not passed it the previous two days. The owner couldn't speak a word of English but was kind enough to play the đàn bầu for me.
Awesome! This one stringed zither is one of the major instruments in all traditional Vietnamese music. Need to hear more of it, such a cool sound. I looked at everything in the shop, the gongs, the dan ty ba and something very much like a banjo, then told the guy in English I'd come back if possible with someone to translate; he smiled though no idea if we really communicated or not. This shop was such a treat.
I dropped off my shopping and grabbed a taxi up to West Lake, about a 10-minute ride northwest of the Old Quarter. I got dropped off at the Tran Quoc Pagoda,
then got started on a long walk all the way round the lake that I had been really looking forward too..but the weather was being difficult. Fog and drizzle non-stop, so although the embassies and trees and quiet was enjoyable, after about 45 minutes I took shelter in one of the many, many cafes lining the shores of the lake, the wonderfully odd 'October' cafe. Check the decor out in here.
Ist floor in ‘October’
2nd floor in ‘October’
2nd floor in October
On the blacony in ‘October’, with a foggy lake view
With some kind of ominous sounding acoustic Vietnamese pop playing at loud volume, no one else in the whole building, and the fog over the lake, it was an atmospheric and creepy and absolutely delightful one hour break. I never drank a mango smoothie so slow in my life. (Had to cool it with the espresso, it was starting to make my heart race after awhile.)
After the mango break I zoomed back downtown to get ready for the evening's schedule. First a quick stop to look at this awesome looking shop nearby the hotel:
(Bamboo shop)The evening's main event for me was a performance of north Vietnamese traditional music called 'Ca Tru'. The Ca Tru Thang Long organization was founded and led by Ms. Pham Thi Hue. I met her at about 6 to speak a bit about her work and this kind of music. (All of the notes of our conversation lost due to rain on the way home..I'm such an amateur wannabe journalist...read a brief description about Ca Tru here.)
No videos allowed but found this official one online which gives you an idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogD8zcS0deY
It was a wonderful and fascinating performance. After the show I talked with some of the performers and also met Jin Hi Kim and Joseph Celli who were in the audience as they did a tour around the country. (Stand by for an interview with Jin Hi Kim soon..)
I walked out into the rain feeling so happy, this was exactly the kind of evening I had been looking forward to when I heard of the Ca Tru Thang Long organization. The surrounding cheap beer joints on Hang Buom road, with their appalling music and throngs of backpackers didn't appeal to me at all (yes, I'm old now..) so I bought a bottle of Trung Mach beer at a shop and made my way through the winding OQ streets back to the La Siesta, deciding not to pop in the Hanoi Music Social Club for a nightcap (I had missed their nightly live set and was looking at a 5am wake up call to get to the airport), or the sleepy looking Mojito Lounge bar.
In Hanoi for a grand total of 65 hours was obviously not enough. Just a small taste of what the city has to offer though made me vow to get back as soon as possible, next time setting up solid interviews with QHM and Dr. Mike beforehand, and also checking out the experimental DJ night I heard about and even making time to visit the coast. Vietnam worked its charm on me.
Tokyo Jazz Map Radio Show - Episode #42
This month's Tokyo Jazz Map episode is now streaming on JJazz.Net, with special guest Shinya Fukumori
The Closing of Mary Jane & The Steady Destruction of Tokyo
NOTE: This article was written at the end of 2018. Six months later it was announced that Milestone, another classic jazz cafe with a long history in Tokyo, would be closing at the end of July, 2019. Sadly, the center of Tokyo continues to lose much of its jazz feeling with Tom, Jazz Room Stick, Milestone and Noise all shutting their doors within one year of each other.
Very happy to have the Tokyo Jazz Joints photo project profiled at the It's Psychedelic Baby site, check out this interview with me and Philip about our long adventure photographing jazz cafes around all of Japan.
October 6th & 7th at indoor and outdoor spots all round the great city of Yokohama, it's the 2018 Yokohama Jazz Promenade. Plenty of free stages plus bands in Kannai Hall, Dolphy jazz club and a lot more. See info & the timetable in English on their website.
Dec 2017 Events Listings
The Tokyo Metropolitan Area is the world's largest urban space with over 33 million people. There are literally 200+ good music events every night of the week. For English language information check Tochoh, Tokyo Gig Guide, Time Out Tokyo and Tokyo Dross for more comprehensive listings. More events to be added here as well over the coming days.
Fri Dec 1 - A Night Of Arabesque (featuring Yuji Tsunemi & Christopher Hardy) at Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya
Mon Dec 4 - Erena Terakubo Quartet at Dolphy, Yokohama
Mon Dec 4 - DJ Kumagai at Bar 45, Shibuya
Tue Dec 5 - Shibusa Shirazu at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Wed Dec 6 - Terumasa Hino Quintet at Alfie, Roppongi
Fri Dec 8 - Isolation Trio at Bar Apollo, Shimo-Kitazawa
Fri Dec 8 - Raymond McMorrin & Hiroshi Yamazaki at Knuttle House
Sat Dec 9 - Fabian Almazan & Linda Oh at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Sat Dec 9 - DJ Krush, DJ Yas & DJ Quietstorm, DJ Kensei at Club Asia, Shibuya
Sat Dec 9 & Sat Dec 16 - Yasushi Nakamura New York Trio at Body & Soul, Aoyama
Sun Dec 10 - Keiji Haino/Selen Gulun at Lady Jane, Shimo-Kitazawa
Sun Dec 10 - Gene Jackson Trio at Sometime, Kichijoji
Tue Dec 12 - Akira Ishii & Hideaki Kanazawa at Bar Apollo, Shimo-Kitazawa
Tue Dec 12 - Ellingtonian 7 at Sometime, Kichijoji
Wed Dec 13 - Grace Mahya Special Trio at Dolphy, Yokohama
Thur Dec 14 & Tue 19- Soundwave Journey/Afro Begue Live at The Room, Shibuya
Sat Dec 16 - It's Time For Africa DJ Night at Li Po Bar, Shibuya
Sun Dec 17 - Zipangu Steel Orchestra at World Kitchen Baobab, Kichijoji
Mon Dec 18 - Fumio Itabashi Mini-Orchestra at Aketa No Mise, Nishi-Ogikubo
Mon Dec 18 & Tue 19 - Yousuke Yamashita Quartet at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Tue Dec 19 - Dojo (Michiyo Yagi & Tamaya Honda) at Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya
Tue Dec 19 (4 nights) - Patti Austin at Blue Note, Aoyama
Wed Dec 20 - Bim Bam Boom at Shelter, Shimo-Kitazawa
Sat Dec 23 - Ai Kuwabara Christmas Special at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Sat Dec 23 - Mr. OK Jazz DJ Night at SubStore, Koenji
Fri Dec 29 - Yoshihide Otomo Special Big Band at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Fri Dec 29 (3 nights) - Robert Glasper Trio at Blue Note, Aoyama
Sun Dec 31 - Freddie Cole Countdown Special at Cotton Club, Marunouchi
Kinkajou Pop-Up Jazz Cafe in Liverpool, featuring Tokyo Jazz Joints
The fine people at the Anti-Social Jazz Club in Liverpool, UK are featuring Tokyo Jazz Joints as part of their four day event Nov 2-5. Details here!
Roberto Fonseca
Very excited to see Roberto Fonseca at the Blue Note, Sept. 18th & 19th. His latest album 'ABUC' is brilliant and his concerts have been getting rave reviews.
Aaron Choulai Quintet - Vada Taudia
This is Japan based Aaron Choulai's first all new album of acoustic jazz in ten years, featuring his international quintet. Hear my interview with him on the program Tokyo Jazz Map until Sept. 27th. You can also hear a new tune from the album on OK Jazz Episode 59. The quintet will be at Shinjuku Pit Inn on Sunday September 17th.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Area is the world's largest urban space with over 33 million people. There are literally 200+ good music events every night of the week. Here are some highlights for October with more to be added each week, but be sure to check Tochoh, Tokyo Gig Guide, Time Out Tokyo and Tokyo Dross for comprehensive listings.
Sat Oct 1st - It's Time For Africa Vol. 8 (African Music DJ Night) at Li-Po, Shibuya
Sat Oct 1st - Fumio Itabashi 'FIT' CD Release Live at Dolphy, Yokohama
Sun Oct 2nd - Keisuke Ohta & Yuji Katsui at Lady Jane, Shimo-Kitazawa
Sun Oct 3rd - Peter Brotzmann & Masahiko Sato at Candy, Inage
Tue Oct 4th - David Negrete Quartet at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Fri Oct 7 - Sun Oct 9 Montreux Jazz Festival Japan at Ebisu Garden Place, Ebisu
Sat Oct 8th & Sun Oct 9th - Yokohama Jazz Promenade (indoor and outdoor live events all around Yokohama)
Sun Oct 9th - Peter Brötzmann/Michiyo Yagi/Tamaya Honda at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Sun Oct 9th - Sadao Watanabe & Richard Bona at Cotton Club, Marunouchi
Mon Oct 10th - Akira Sakata Salon at Kissa Sakaiki, Yotsuya
Mon Oct 10th - Masashi Tomikawa's Jam Session at Meg, Kichijoji
Tue OCt 11 Shun Sakai, Shinpei Ruike Shikou Ito at Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya
Wed Oct 12 - Mali (West Africa) Music Night at World Kitchen Baobab, Kichijoji
Wed Oct 12th & Thur 13th -Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau at Blue Note, Omote-Sando
Fri Oct 14th - Aaron Choulai Quintet at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Oct 21 & Sat Oct 22 - Asagaya Jazz Street (indoor and outdoor live events all around Asagaya Station)
Sat Oct 22 & Sun Oct 23 - Peter Barakan's Live Magic (two-day roots music festival) Ebisu Garden Place Hall, Ebisu
Fri Oct 28th - Francesca Han Trio at Body & Soul, Omotesando
Sat Oct 29th - Jazz Brothers On The Corner DJ Night at The Room, Shibuya
September Events Listings
The Tokyo Metropolitan Area is the world's largest urban space with over 33 million people. There are literally 200+ good music events every night of the week. Here are some highlights for September with more to be added each week, but be sure to check Tochoh, Tokyo Gig Guide, Time Out Tokyo and Tokyo Dross for comprehensive listings.
Sat 9/17 Blue Note Jazz Festival at Aka-Renga, Yokohama
Sat 9/17 Collaborat(r)io (Fumie Chiba, Brent Nussey, Tim Lake) at Boozy Muse, Okubo
Sun 9/18 FAZZ (Jazz Funk from Malaysia) at Keystone, Roppongi
August Events Listings
The Tokyo Metropolitan Area is the world's largest urban area with over 33 million people. There are literally 100+ good music events every night of the week. Here are some highlights for August with more to be added in coming days, but be sure to check Tochoh, Tokyo Gig Guide, Time Out Tokyo and Tokyo Dross for comprehensive listings.
Mon 8/1 & Tue 8/2 Richard Bona & Mandekan Cubano at Blue Note, Aoyama
Mon 8/1 Shibusa Shirazu at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Mon 8/1 2016 Owada Summer Festival Yukihiro Isso 25th Anniversary Concert at Shibuya Cultural Center
Tue 8/2 2016 Owada Summer Festival Akira Sakata "Tales Of Heike Family" at Shibuya Cultural Center
Tue 8/2 Sugadairo, Shinpei Ruike, Darren Moore at Airegin, Yokohama
Wed 8/3 - Fri 8/5 Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio at Cotton Club, Marunouchi
Fri 8/5 George Nagata Trio at Alfie, Roppongi
Sat 8/6 "ERS BRAZIL 2016" at The Room, Shibuya
Sun 8/7 Inka (Michiyo Yagi, Tatsuya Yoshida, Yuji Katsui) at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Tue 8/9 Shun Ishiwaka Trio at Body & Soul, Aoyama
Wed 8/10 Special Vibraphone Trio - Shirafune at Airegin, Yokohama
Wed 8/10 Naruyoshi Kikuchi presents 'Modern Jazz Discotheque Shinjuku' at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Thur 8/18 Dojo + Mitsuru Nasuno at Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya
Thur 8/18 Mandala x Chitei Records Presents Summer Deep Jazz 3 Days at Mandala, Kichijoji
Fri 8/19 Hiroshi Minami Trio at Candy, Inage
Sat 8/20 George Otsuka Trio at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Sun 8/21 Jaga Jazzist at Blue Note, Aoyama
July Events Listings
The Tokyo Metropolitan Area is the world's largest urban area with over 33 million people. There are literally 50+ good music events every night of the week. Here are some highlights for July with more to be added in coming days, but be sure to check Tochoh, Tokyo Gig Guide, Time Out Tokyo and Tokyo Dross for comprehensive listings.
Fri 7/1 - Mon 7/4 Sadao Watanabe Quartet w/ Gilad Hekselman, Ben Wiliams & Ulysses Ownes Jr. at Blue Note, Aoyama
Fri 7/1 Koichi Makigami/Tomo Yamaguchi/Ryoji Hojito at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Fri 7/1 Takuji Yaamda Quintet at Sometime, Kichijoji
Sat 7/2 Drunken Crazy Improvisation Meeting "Improvisation Music meets Improvisation Dance" Curated by Kazuya Sakurai at Knuttle House, Kappabashi
Wed 7/6 Nori Shiota Session at Alfie, Roppongi
Fri 7/8 Natural Born Killer BAND featuring:KANKAWA,RUIKE,TAMAYA at Motion Blue, Yokohama
Tue 7/12 Toku Quartet at Body & Soul, Aoyama
Wed 7/13 Kunihiko Watanabe Quartet at Aketa no Mise, Nishi-Ogikubo
Sat 7/16 Omar Sosa/Kazunori Kumagai, Emi Meyer, & more at Persimmon Hall, Meguro
Sat 7/16 Kyoto Jazz Sextet feat. Tomoki Sanders at The Room, Shibuya
Sat 7/16Keisuke Ohta,Yosuke Yamashita,Kazutoki Umezu at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Sat 7/16Michiyo Yagi, Green Flames, Matthew Mottel at SuperDeluxe, Roppongi
Wed 7/20 Lee "Scratch" Perry: The Best of Black Ark Set at Liquidroom, Ebisu
Fri 7/22 Jacques Demierre + guests at Kissa Sakaiki, Yotsuya
Mon 7/25 - Wed 7/27 Robert Glasper Experiment at Billboard Live, Roppongi
Sun 7/31Jim O'Rourke/Eiko Ishibashi/Joe Talia at Lady Jane, Shimokitazawa
Listings 6/9 - 6/15
Thur 6/9 The Golden Circle Italian Quartet at the Italian Institute, Kudanshita
Thur 6/9 Hideki Tachibana +Nobumasa Tanaka at Thelonious, Higashi-Nakano
Tue 6/7 Yoshihide Otomo Big Band at Pit Inn, Shinjuku
Tue 6/7 JFB (Jazz, Funk, Blues) at Meg, Kichijoji
Listings 5/26 - 6/1
Thur 5/26 & Fri 5/27 Ravi Coltrane Quartet at Cotton Club, Marunouchi
Fri 5/27 SAYAKA Trio at Alfie, Roppongi
Fri 5/27 Hakuei Kim Solo at Absolute Blue, Ikebukuro
Fri 5/27 DJ Otsuka at Brooklyn Parlor, Shinjuku
Fri 5/27 Grace Maya Trio at Dolphy, Yokohama
Fri 5/27 Champ: Funky Jazzy DJ night at The Room, Shibuya
Sat 5/28 TGA at Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya
Sat 5/28 Tactile Sounds at Kissa Sakaiki, Yotsuya
Sat 5/28 Rodney Green Trio at Body & Soul, Aoyama
Sun 5/29 Jamaican Jazz Night at World Kitchen Baobab, Kichijoji
Mon 5/30 - Wed 6/1 Rebrith Brass Band at Blue Note, Aoyama
Tue 5/31 Tamaya Honda Quartet at Body & Soul, Aoyama
Tue 5/31The Duo! Achim Kaufmann(p)Takashi Seo(b) at Candy, Inage
Wed 6/1 Junichiro Oguchi Trio at Apollo, Shimo-Kitazawa
Jazz Bird in Niigata - 50th Anniversary Event
The jazz cafe Bird in Niigata is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and as part of the festivities there will be a live event at the Kanemasu Shuzou Sake company in Shibata City, Niigata on June 4th. There will be food, drinks and several live shows including the Nori Ochiai Trio. If you're anywhere in the area then come out to the event and show your support for the jazz kissaten tradition up north.
Listings 5/19 - 5/25
Thur 5/19 Yoichi Suzuki Trio at Dolphy, Yokohama
Fri 5/20 Koichi Yamazaki Quartet at Aketa No Mise, Ogukubo
Fri 5/20 Ryoko Kawakami at Vanilla Mood, Roppongi
Fri 5/20 Phil Yoon Group at Absolute Blue, Ikebukuro
Fri 5/20 Sound & Friend Rare Groove DJs at The Room, Shibuya
Fri 5/20 - 5/24 Pat Metheny Quartet at Blue Note, Aoyama
Sat 5/21 & Sun 5/22 Ikebukuro Jazz Festival
Sat 5/21 2020 Jazz Cafe Style at Li-Po, Shibuya
Sat 5/21 15th Anniversary Party at Bar Curtis, Shinjuku
Sat 5/21 10th Anniversary Party at Club Cactus, Nogizaka
Sun 5/22 FUYU & Satoshi Yoshida Quartet at Alfie, Roppongi
Sun 5/22-Mon 5/23 John Patitucci Quartet at Cotton Club, Marunouchi
Sun 5/22 Neko Saito Quartet at Lady Jane, Shimo-Kitazawa
Mon 5/23 Francesca Han Trio at Apollo, Shimo-Kitazawa
Wed 5/25 Ravi Coltrane Quartet at Cotton Club, Marunouchi
Jazz Matter at Forest Limit Tue 5/17
Tonight at Forest Limit in Hatagaya, jazz on vinyl from Kikihara-san and his crew.
OK Jazz Playlist at Cafe Brandin 4/23/16
Fun night at Cafe Brandin last night doing a live OK Jazz session. Here's the playlist:
Prince - 'Sign 'O' The Times'
Miles Davis - 'Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Williams Process
Francesco Lomagistro & Berardi Jazz Connection - 'Follow Me'
Freddie Hubbard - 'One Mint Julep'
Baby Face Willette - 'Face To Face'
Kool & The Gang - 'Summer Madness'
Bobby Womack - 'Monologue/Close To You'
Burning Spear - 'The Invasion', 'Live Good'
John Coltrane - 'India'
Cecillia Todd - 'Polo Margariteno'
Admiral Dele Abiodun & His Top Hitters Band - 'Eni Eba RI Ebi'
Zaw Win Htut - 'Young Hearts', 'Get Together'
Traditional Burmese Harp piece
Cheikh Lo - 'Senegal Brasil'
Almir Guintero - 'Quem Me Guia'
Jorge Ben - 'Cade O Penalty'
Dayme Arocena - 'Drama', 'El Ruso'
Israel Cachao Lopez - 'El Guapachoso'
Djelimady Tounkara - 'Mansa'
Sig, Stalk & Lewis - 'Frog in Tokyo Cafe'
King Curtis - 'Memphis Soul Stew'
Franco & Le T.P. O.K. Jazz - 'Cooperation'
Yokohama Jazz Promenade 2015 Recap
The Yokohama Jazz Promenade is always a full weekend of great music, spread out all around the port city. I could only go on Sunday this year but had a very full day popping in and out of several venues.
I picked up my badge at the Sakuragicho Station info booth then zoomed over to the Aka Renga Hall for the first show of the day. This was the 'world' jazz stage and the opening act was simakDialog from Indonesia. This group has been around for more than 20 years with some varying lineups but always led by keyboardist Riza Arshad. They were superb live, combining jazz & traditional Javanese music with hints of gamelan in Arshad's percussive piano playing. They have released six albums to date, I need to go get some of them right away.
From there I walked over to the NHK Hall hoping to see the N/Y duo but by the time I got there the small hall was full with at least another 25 people trying to get in. The main hall performace at that time didn't look so appealing so I decided to grab lunch before heading over to Little John. (Side note to the lady vocalists in the NHK Hall lobby; smiling and engaging the audience is great but please, please stop singing in English. Your pronunciation was so horrible it sounded like some unknown language.)
The One-Day pass for the YJP lets you go in and out of any of the 40+ venues having performances, a real bargain. I decided to walk walk over to the Little John jazz bar in Yoshida-cho near Kannai Station to catch a guitar quartet. Little John is kind of a mysterious place, it seems to only open for the occasional live gig these days. The bartender told me the owner is 'a bit funny in the head' and so doesn't come around much.. Regardless, the Shonan Guitar Shop guys were great, playing some standards and Brazilian tunes in duo, trio and quartet forms. Standards are fine when the arrangements are mixed up a bit, and the guitar guys were real fun and groovy.
After their first set I rushed down to Bar First near Hinode-cho station to catch vibes player Koki Nishimura's sextet. This did not seem like a regular group based on their banter, but they were excellent. Edgy solos with some unexpected choices of covers by Steve Swallow and Chick Corea. I loved the back and forth between the vibes and drums.
Quick soba shop visit and then I rushed over to Kannai Hall to catch Fumio Itabashi's FIT+. The place was packed and there was good energy in the crowd, which the group fed on. I was skeptical of the tap dancer Leona on stage at first but she and Itabashi got into an extended, heavy Latin-style vamp where her percussive tapping and his machine-gun piano really took off. Fun band and a lively, great performance.
I wrapped up the day at the Kaiko Kinen Kaikan (Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall), a Meiji-Era building and Yokohama landmark. Trombonist Shigeharu Mukai has been a mainstay of the Japanese jazz scene for 40+years playing bop, fusion, big-band and everything else in between. His quintet at this gig was pure class playing bop standards. Extra points for drummer Yoshihito Eto, really swinging.
Five gigs + the random outdoor stages spread all around town, a great deal at only 4300 Yen (about US$40) for the one day pass. Next year I'll be sure to get the two-day pass to enjoy the whole weekend.
Sukiyaki Meets The World 2015
This year's Suikyaki Meets The World festival in Toyama Prefecture was as wonderful as I had hoped. All the live performances were superb, each affecting the crowd in a different way. The BKO Quintet from Mali brought unbelievable percussive energy while Tigana Santana from Brazil hypnotized the crowd with his acoustic set, singing in 4 different languages.
Cuatro Minimal produced a stunning live set with visual accompaniment; this group with members from Japan, Korea and Mexico is making music that seems to effortlessly cross borders with a fierce intensity. Guitarist Fernando Vigueras comes from an experimental background in Mexico and along with vocalist Juan Pablo Villa, instrumentalist Sakaki Mango and percussionist Jae-Hyo Chang they have created something truly unique.
Aurelio Martinez from Honduras brought a stripped down band and had the crowd up and energized from his first note. He explained who the Garifuna people of Central America are and how their music stands apart from that of the region's more well known sounds. (Read more about the Garifuna here)
Regular OK Jazz podcast listeners know that I am HUGE fan of the great Cheikh Lo from Senegal. Not only did I have a spot right up front for his headlining performance, but I was able to get 20 minutes with him for a one-on-one interview. (Stand by for the transcript of that, up soon.)
All this great music, warm vibes from all the friendly folks in Toyama AND a live OK Jazz DJ set. A perfect weekend; many thanks to Nicolas, Hashimoto-san, Takano-san, Mr. & Mrs. Ogawa, Yuichi Kumagai & Mario for all their kindness. Can't wait until next year!
Abdullah Ibrahim - 'African Marketplace' (South Africa)
Africa System Orchestra - 'Fine Country' (Cameroon/Nigeria)
Nyboma - 'Double Double' (Congo)
Franco & le T.P. O.K. Jazz - 'Liberte' (Congo)
It's Time For Africa Vol. 4
Great crowd last night at ITFA#4, many thanks to everyone who came down. DJs Plainstone, Richard and Denis all brought some fantastic tunes, I'll have to get their full playlists later; my list is below. Look forward to the next event this fall at Li-Po!
Mbongwana Star - 'Shegue', album From Kinshasa (Congo)
Djessou Mory Kante - 'Denya', album River Strings, Maninka Guitar (Guinea)
Cheikh Lo - 'Jamm', album Jamm (Senegal)
Oumou Sangare - 'Magnoumako', album Oumou (Mali)
Papa Wemba - 'Bakwetu', album Molokai (Congo)
Xalam - 'Ade', album Beginner's Guide To African Funk (Senegal)
Orchestra Veve - 'Baluti', album Orchestra Veve (Congo)
Orchestra Baobab - 'Toumaranke', album Pirate's Choice (Senegal)
Franco & Tabu Ley - 'Lisanga Ya Ba Nganga', album Omona Wapi (Congo)
The 12th annual Ikebukuro Jazz Festival was held on May 16th & 17th. I stopped by Sunday for a couple hours to have a wander around and was impressed by how much it has grown. Ten stages were clustered around the West Exit of JR Ikebukuro Station, both indoors and outdoors with a full schedule of music from 1130 to 2000.
I headed first to the small stage outside Marui Department Store and ran into the guys from the Lighthouse Bar in Kanda, there to enjoy the afternoon. We watched the Salary-Man All Star Band together then I moved over to the stage outside the Tokyo Geino Gekijo plaza to hear the Electric Miles Groove Session. Despite some technical difficulties which delayed the start these guys were very hip, running through a range of Miles Davis tunes from the late 60's and early 70's. I then circled back to Marui to catch the Spiritual Jazz Quartet doing an all-Coltrane set, very cool!
Before leaving I then caught at the main stage in West Gate Park half of the Count Basie Tribute Orchestra's set. There was a good crowd by then with more people arriving towards the late afternoon.
The local neighborhood jazz festivals continue to grow every year with more and more live acts and larger audiences, helping Tokyo maintain its status as one of the world's great jazz towns.
OK Jazz & Landmark Blue Live at YBQ
Had a great weekend at Yokohama Bay Quarters at the Portland Weekend Festa. I did two DJ sets bringing all the OK Jazz grooves (4 hours each day!), and Sugano Hiroshi's Landmark Blue Band with special guest Takada Michiko did two live sets. Great fun had by all, thanks to everyone who stopped by. Here's the playlist:
SAT AM Playlist Abdullah Ibarhim -ToiToi Leroy Vinnegar - Muffin Man Djelimady Tounkara - Ayebo George Duke Feels So Good Eddie Harris - Mean Greens Kasongo Band - Gejo Franco & Le T.P. O.K. Jazz - Alimatou Hank Mobley - Dig Dis Randy Weston - In Memory Of Bobby Hutcherson - Ummmnn Orland Julius - JB Ride On Roy Ayers - Superstar Khaled - Ouelle el Darek Weldon Irvine - Deja Vu Grant Green - Let The music Take Your Mind Isley Brothers - Summer Breeze track Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man Prince Nico Mbarga - Aki Special Orchestra Baobab - Utru Horas
SAT PM Playlist
Songhai - Jarabi Cheikh Lo - Cheikh Ibra Fall Hot 8 Brass Band - Wolf Burger Joe Cuba - El Pito Cyrus Chestnut - Blues For NIta Deodato - Sept.13th Bopol - Bamell Pena Toumani Diabate & Symmetric Orchstra - Toumani Ramsey Lewis - Wade In The Water Admiral Dele Abiodun - Edumare Gbe Rere Ko Wa Bonga - Muimbo Kenny Burrell - It Don't Mean A Thing.. Tito Puente - Tito on Timbales Marvin Gaye - When Did You Stop Loving Me.. Orchestra Baobob - Toumaranke Jimmy Smith - Root Down Nyboma - Double Double Ahmad Jamal - Autumn Rain Herbie Hancock - Chameleon Wayne Shorter - Adam's Apple
SUNDAY AM Playlist
Miles Davis - Shhh/Peaceful John Coltrane - Equinox Fun-da-mental - Mother India Jaco Pastorius - Okonkole Y Trompa Eric Vloeimans - V-Flow Miles Davis - Spanish Key Akira Ishikawa - Blue Soul Gregory Porter - Musical Genocide Grant Green - Django John Mayer - Double Quintet Gotan Project - Queremos Paz Angelique Kidjo - Malaika Oliver Mtukudzi - Tsika Dzedu Javier Ruibal - Perla De La Medina Taffetas - Yay Balma Radio Tarifa - La Molinera Burning Spear - The Invasion Freddie Hubbard - One mint Julep Horace Silver - Que Pasa Ahmad Jamal - The Gypsy Ahmad Jamal - Invitation
SUNDAY PM Playlist
Grant Green - One More Chance Grant Green - Patches Clark Terry & Oscar Peterson - Mumbles Mulatu - Netsanet Pucho & Latin Soul Brothers - Heat Francisco Lomagistro & Berardi Jazz Connection - Follow Me Bembeya Jazz - Coumarra Mousso Zeca Pagodinho - SPC Nyboma - Couer Couer Tim Maia - Over Again The Garifuna Collective - Ubou The Garifuna Collective - Mongulu Cheikh Lo - Jamm Sekouba Bambino - Kaba Mousso Ramsey Lewis - Sun Goddess Donny Hathaway - Valdez In The Country Franco & Le Tout Puissant O.K. Jazz - Liberte Djessou Mory Kante - Denya John Patton - Chitlins Con Carne Bobby Hutcherson - Theme From Blow Up Weldon Irvine - We're Getting Down Orchestra Baobab - Coumba Donny Hathaway - The Ghetto
It's Time For Africa 3 at Li-Po
Last night DJ Plainstone (@obrftokyo) and I did the third It's Time For Africa event at the Li-Po bar in Shibuya. Plainstone had his usual insane collection of African tunes on vinyl, and a good crowd showed up. My playlist was mostly Nigerian Juju and Congolese Rumba with some Afro-Funk sneaking in at the end of the evening. Next ITFA coming this summer, many thanks to lovely Ito-san at Li-Po for hosting us!
1st Set Playlist - Nigeria
Prince Thony Adex & His Sedico System - album 'Master Juju Guitarist Vol.2' side 1
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey & His Inter-Reformers Band - album 'Adam & Eve' side 1
I.K. Dairo & His Blue Spot Band - album Unity In Nigeria 'E Ba Mi Olo Mi'
Segun Adewale & His Super Stars International - album SARPS 3 side 2
Admiral Dele Abiodun & His Top Hitters International - album Oro Ayo, side 1
Prince Nico Mbarga - album Aki Special 'Aki Special'
2nd Set Playlist - Congo
Joseph Kabasele & African Jazz - album Le Grand Kalle, His Life, His Music, 'Nawell Boboto'
Ry-Co Jazz - album Golden Afrique Vol.2, 'Mambo Ry-Co'
Kabasele & African Jazz - 'Matanga Ya Mobido'
Docteur Nico & African Fiesta Sukisa - album Golden Afrique Vol.2, 'Exhibition Dechaud'
Kabasele & African Jazz - 'African Jazz Mokili Mobimbo'
Orchestre Negro Succes - album L'Afrique Danse 3, 'Mokolo Se Mokolo'
Kabasele & African Jazz - 'Miwela-Miwela'
Kekele - album Rumba Congo, 'Baninga'
Franco & Rochereau - album Omona Wapi, 'Lisana Ya Ba Nganga'
Verckys Et l'Orechestre Veve - album Congolese Funk, Afro-Beat & Psychedelic Rumba 1969-1978, 'Bassala Hot'
3rd Set Playlist
Pepe Kalle & Empire Bakuba - album Trahison Hadas, 'Numeros Empire' (Congo)
Amadou Balake - album Beginner's Guide To African Funk, 'Taximen' (Burkina Faso)
Eric Agyeman - album Highlife Safari, 'Matutu Mirika' (Ghana)
Manu Dibango - album Mboa'Su, 'Oh1 Koh!'
Ping-Pong DJ Vol. 10 - OK Jazz meets The Barakan Beat!
Saturday at Shin Sekai bar in Azabu I was Peter Barakan's guest at vol.10 of his 'Ping Pong DJ' series of events. These are a kind of live version of his radio show where he and his guest play tunes back and forth while bantering about the music.
I've been listening to Barakan's show for over 17 years so this was truly a great thrill for me, without question one of the highlights of the entire OK Jazz/Tokyo Jazz Site experience. Many thanks to Peter and Yajima-san from Wind Planning for inviting me.
Playlist was as follows: (j = me, p = Peter's selections)
20150307 -part1 j) Rain Every Thursday / Bobby Hutcherson p) Yirimadjo / Trio Da Kali j) Boni Boye / Dr. Nico p) Oye China / Radio Tarifa j) Acid / Ray Barretto p) Not Fade Away / Ned Sublette j) Mercury / Hypnotic Brass Ensemble p) Renaissance Of The Resistance / Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio j) Love TKO / Teddy Pendergrass p) Woman's Gotta Have It / Bobby Womack j) Watch The Dog (That Brings The Bone) / Inez Foxx
-break Mockingbird / Inez & Charlie Foxx Right Off / Miles Davis
-part2 j) ‘No Terreiro’ - Catavantore p) Feira De Asakusa (Asakusa Market) / Hermeto Pascoal j) Kubangela / Bonga p) No Moe / Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet j) Miss Constance / Duke of Iron p) Pig Meat Blues / Georgia Tom j) Killing Floor / Howlin' Wolf p) Up From The Skies / Jimi Hendrix j) Mbalia / Djessou Mory Kante p) El Son Te Lama / Orchestra Baobab j) Somos la Fuerza Latina / Somos 21 p) Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball? / Buddy Johnson j) She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride / Taj Mahal p) Looking for a Love / J. Geils Band j) Matata Ya Muasi Na Mobali Ekoki Kosila Te / Franco et Orchestre T.P.O.K. Jazz p) Hotel California / Blue Moon Quartet
Luis Valle & Afro-Qbamigos! Live at Motion Blue, Yokohama
Really great set last night by this group, I had not heard of Luis Valle before and didn't read the flyer closely before heading to the club. It was pretty shocking to see most of the band were local and that Luis speaks Japanese pretty fluently..he's been living here 20+ years! Not sure why I've never run into him before..
The band were Luis on trumpet & flugelhorn, tenor sax, vibes/marimba, piano, bass, drums and percussion. They played a mix of originals and Latin Jazz tunes including a gorgeous Cuban song called 'Drume Negrita'. It was quite interesting to hear Luis talk about Cuban music generally doesn't include the vibes or marimba..for some reason I would have thought they were usually a part of most Latin Jazz groups but perhaps that's more the 'Jazz' side than the 'Latin'.
Thanks to Ebihara-san at Meta Company for inviting me last night!
I went to a nice gig at Naru in Ochanomizu last Friday. Bassist Norihide Shiota was starting a three-night stay at Naru with a different liineup each night. Friday was an unusual sextet inlcuding three alto-sax players. Really swinging though and a great Monk cover in the middle of the set. Shiota-san just came back from 10+ years living in New York so I got to catch up with him soon for a chat. (Video is from a gig in November, couldn't get any footage from last Friday!)
Tokyo Jazz Festival 2014
The Tokyo Jazz Festival always features a mix of styles and performers from around the world and the 2014 edition was no exception. Over the 2 1/2 days I caught sets by the following acts:
Friday Sept.5th
Klezmofobia - (Plaza Main Stage) Danish klezmer band. Good fun, they even had the Japanese audience do a chain dance at one point. Not sure how many in the crowd even knew what klemzer was but they were in to it.
Grand Pianoramax - (Plaza Main Stage) Swiss/American group featuing keyboards, drums and an MC/singer. Not for everyone but I liked it, liked that instrumentation. Bonus points for the drummer wearing a NY Yankees hat.
Saturday Sept.6th
Jaga Jazzist - (Main Hall) Norway's finest! What else can I say about these guys? One of the best live acts around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imKIfzQ7lNg
Jonas Haasvisto Trio - (Plaza Main Stage) From Finland, straight-ahead trio that sounded great but mid-day at the outdoor stage was perhaps not the best time for their set. It was VERY hot & humid then and the audience was a bit subdued.
Randy Brecker/Mike Stern/Makoto Ozone - (Main Hall) Fusion Ahoy! It is what it is. I dug it.
Dainius Pulauskas Group - (Plaza Main Stage) from Lithuania, really fun band that was hitting a lot of styles. The first tune was a funky, brassy one (the sax player was quoting the Average White Band) but they moved into more moody stuff after that. Seems to be a thriving jazz scene in Lithuania, I need to hear more.
Waseda University Modern Jazz Club - (Plaza Side Stage) Big band madness. All Herbie Hancock tunes done with a lot of tubas and horns, great fun.
Schroeder-Headz - (Plaza Main Stage) Japanese group. Keyboards, drums, bass and some added beats, Had never heard them before but liked their sound, will check out their Club Asia gig in October.
Cookin' On 3 Burners - (Plaza Main Stage) Australian trio featuring the Hammond Organ. Super funky and tight, a great live show. Got to have some beers and chat with them after the show, solid group of guys and very up for more Japan gigs. Hope that happens!
Fabrizio Bosso - (Plaza Main Stage) I only caught a bit of his set but Fabrizio is an awesome musician. He'll be back in Japan soon as his Blue Note shows last May were a big hit.
Sunday Sept.7th
Kenny Barron/Ron Carter/Benny Golson/Lenny White - (Main Hall) This was a treat! Benny Golson is a jazz giant from the old days, now 85 and still has a perfect tone on his sax. He's also one of jazz' greatest composers (the group played his standard 'Blues March') And what can you say about Ron Carter..his solo version of 'You Are My Sunshine' on bass was one of the most remarkable pieces of music I've ever heard. Brought tears to my eyes!
Ozone Makoto & No Name Horses vs The Christian McBride Big Band - (Main Hall) Two great big bands but they didn't really go 'head to head'. Good fun but I'm not a really a huge fan of big bands so..
Herbie Hancock Quartet - (Main Hall) This was a surprise! I hadn't carefully checked who Herbie's bandmates were for this gig so was a bit shocked to see the electric set up. The Vinnie Colaiuta - James Genus rhythm section was monstrously heavy (in the best way) and Lionel Loueke on guitar seemed to be channeling Prime Time-era Bern Nix. Herbie hinmself let loose on a variety of keyboards and got very 'squonky' in his solos. This was MUCH more fun than the usual acoustic Herbie Hancock performance, which can be a bit too safe for my tastes. It didn't please everyone as a few people walked out in the middle but most of the audience were really into the extremely deep funk.
Ahmad Jamal Quartet - Highlight of the weekend!! Ahmad Jamal is a legendary pianist but someone whose work I was not so familiar with. (That's changing now, already picked up two CDs of his). He is 84 but looks and plays full of energy and creativity, not at ALL the stodgy 'academic' player the critics often write about. And what a band! Reginald Veal on bass, Herlin Riley on drums, Manolo Badrena on percussion, all complete masters. These four have played together for years now and you could tell watching the performance as Ahmad would just quickly point or lift a hand briefly and the band knew exactly where he was going. Their music was rhythmically complex but always swinging, with Manolo's percussion giving it that extra Latin groove. Just an all-around fantastic performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o49yA8LCrk
Unfortunately I missed the Uehara Hiromi Project and the rowdy-sounding Don't Panic! We're From Poland! sets but I heard both were excellent. All in all a great weekend of live music, already looking forward to next year! (Minor complaint: only selling Suntory draft beer or bottles of Blue Moon Belgian White at the food tents outside is not going to cut it..more beer varieties please!)
Anna Maria Jopek & Makoto Ozone "Kujawiak Kujawiaczek"
Here's the band I saw last night, footage is from their show in Poland a year back. Great stuff! My article about Ozone-san will be in the Japan Times next week..stay tuned..
"Yume-Goto" - Live at Kamome, Yokohama
Another brilliant performance by Yume-Goto last night at Kamome in Kannai, Yokohama. Bassist Jeff Curry, drummer Masashi Tomikawa, trumpeter Neil Stalnaker and shakuhachi player Hiromfumi Miyazaki are creating something very new with this band.
Miyazaki-san drove up from Shikoku just for this performance, bringing the hanging "sanukite" stones with him. He only comes up 3 or 4 times a year although the other guys do manage to make it down to Shikoku every now and then for some writing and rehearsing.
Being able to sit front and center for this gig by four master musicians was a treat, and thankfully last night was recorded by the Music Air network for broadcast next year. If I can wrangle a DVD copy before then will be sure to upload some clips.
Tokyo Jazz Society - May 1st @ Jazz Room Stick, Shinjuku
Great fun had by all at the Tokyo Jazz Society "Electric Miles Davis" night at Jazz Room Stick, Shinjuku. Many thanks to Wariya-san for being such a warm host.
Spirits Rejoice..
Peter Brotzmann (saxes), Yagi Michiyo (koto) and Honda Tamaya (drums). Live at Aketa no Mise, Nishi-Ogikubo, Sunday Dec. 13th, 2009. Thrilling and exhilarating gig, an honor to see these three masters.
2019 Top Album Picks
As always there were a phenomenal and terrifying number of great new releases this year, from all around the globe. I probably only got to hear about 25% of what I wanted to, so this list will certainly have some glaring holes. The first two albums stand out as the best I heard all year, but all these albums are great and presented in no particular order. Please let me know what I've missed or forgotten!
Cuba meets Mali; how would I not love this album??
Transient City - 'Trio Live'
Sax player and band leader Osamu Inoue's new release with his group Transient City, a live one stripped down to a trio. I really like the sax, bass and electric piano sound on this, a mix of originals and standards. Read an interview with Inoue-san here.
Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita - 'Transparent Water'
I saw Sosa and Keita at Peter Barakan's LIVE MAGIC weekend festival in October, and they were transcendent. Sosa is from Cuba and Keita from Mali, read more about this perfect blending over at All About Jazz.
Anouar Brahem - 'Blue Maqams'
I had not heard of Anouar Brahem until just a few weeks ago, but thankfully someone on Twitter posted about his latest album 'Blue Maqams'. Sublimely beautiful! Read about it here and be sure to pick a copy right away. I'm eager to explore his earlier work as soon as possible.
Oumou Sangare - 'Mogoya'
I keep telling people that the best new music coming out these days is from Africa and here is another album that proves it. Oumou Sangare's first new album in eight years is superb, modern African pop at its best. Read more here.
Lee Morgan - 'Live At The Lighthouse'
Hard to believe I had never heard this album until recently, it's an amazing 3-CD live set by Lee Morgan recorded in 1970. Bennie Maupin, Harold Mabern, Jymie Merritt and Mickey Roker are all on fire, playing all originals. This almost immediately became one of my all-time favorite jazz sets, read more about it here.
Also I can't recommend enough the recent documentary I Called Him Morgan. This is such a good film it's worth watching even if you don't know anything about Lee Morgan.
Inna De Yard - The Soul Of Jamaica
This is an album that will really appeal to fans of old school roots reggae. Features Ken Boothe and Cedric Myton from The Congos. Read about the whole project over at Rhythm Passport.
Jack DeJohnette - 'In Movement'
This was from 2016 but I only got the album this year, several months after seeing the trio's extraordinary live set at the Blue Note. Jack D on drums, Matthew Garrison on bass, Ravi Coltrane on horns/electronics. People who think jazz is 'dead' or 'there's nothing new in jazz' need to listen to this.
Trio Da Kali & Kronos Quartet - 'Ladilikan'
This is one of the best albums of 2017 (or any other year). An absolutely perfect collaboration between the Trio Da Kali from Mali and the Kronos Quartet. Hawa Kassé Mady Diabate's singing on this is unforgettable. Read more about Ladilikan here
Dojo - 'Ni-no-Maki'
Koto and drums energy explosion from Michiyo Yagi and Tamaya Honda, their first Dojo album is a favorite of mine. This time with special guest Akira Sakata! Read more about the album project here:
Aaron Choulai Quintet - Vada Taudia
This is Japan based Aaron Choulai's first all new album of acoustic jazz in ten years, featuring his international quintet. Hear my interview with him on the program Tokyo Jazz Map until Sept. 27th. You can also hear a new tune from the album on OK Jazz Episode 59. The quintet will be at Shinjuku Pit Inn on Sunday September 17th.
Zaire 74 - The African Artists
I've been waiting for this music to be released for more than 10 years, and it's as glorious as I had imagined. Read all about this legendary concert here.
Although the Congolese bands had to play very truncated versions of their songs due to time limits, it's still a thrill to hear Tabu Ley & Afrisa and Franco et le TP O.K. Jazz perform at the height of their powers. The vocals, brass and guitars will knock you out.
T-Riot - 'A Different Truth'
Here is another great release of Italian jazz from the Japanese Albore label. All these guys have played in Japan before but not in this current trio, hope we can see them here soon.
The CO-OP
Brown Brothers Recordings in New York kindly sent me a copy of this vinyl-only project, The Co-Op. Mysteriously unreleased for almost ten years, you can now order it online via their website; possible Japan distribution coming, stay tuned. It's superb contemporary jazz from a super-group of jazz masters, can't recommend it enough. Two tracks featured on OK Jazz Episode #57!