Japanese Jazz Scene

[Sundog]

As I'm sure you all know the Japanese love their jazz and thank God for that. The Japanese jazz buying public have single-handedly kept some of the most seminal jazz recordings available for the rest of us, albiet at luxury prices. But as they say beggars can't be choosers. For that we are all very grateful I'm sure.

What I'm wondering about though is the Japanese Jazz scene. Who are the main players that have contributed to the jazz scene over the years? Who are the modern players that deserve our attention? Who are the composers, arrangers, and writers of note?

[Dan Gould]

As I'm sure you all know the Japanese love their jazz and thank God for that. The Japanese jazz buying public have single-handedly kept some of the most seminal jazz recordings available for the rest of us, albiet at luxury prices. But as they say beggars can't be choosers. For that we are all very grateful I'm sure.

What I'm wondering about though is the Japanese Jazz scene. Who are the main players that have contributed to the jazz scene over the years? Who are the modern players that deserve our attention? Who are the composers, arrangers, and writers of note?

I can't answer your question, but I did make a silly suggestion to Eddie Higgins when I kind of assumed that between all of the 50s-60s reissue programs and the popularity of labels like Venus, the Japanese jazz scene tends toward the bop-hard bop classicist style, and he assured me that the scene is as varied as it is anywhere else.

[Cornelius]

There's a book on this subject. I don't recall the name, but I often see the book in book stores.

Edited January 22, 2005 by Cornelius

[Sundog]

There's a book on this subject. I don't recall the name, but I often see the book in book stores.

I never noticed anything on Japan, however it's something I could have very easily overlooked since I just recently became interested in the subect. I'll be a little more aware next time I'm in Borders or Barnes & Noble. Thanks.

[jazzmessenger]

I can't say about the Japanse jazz scene, but I know we love piano trio, particularly Sonny Clark (Cool Struttin').

I think what drives jazz reissue programs in Japan is the fact that the Japanese love to collect stuff (CD, coins, stamps or whatever may be). Especially, we can't resist something with the word "limited".

[Sundog]

I can't say about the Japanse jazz scene, but I know we love piano trio, particularly Sonny Clark (Cool Struttin'). 

I think what drives jazz reissue programs in Japan is the fact that the Japanese love to collect stuff (CD, coins, stamps or whatever may be).  Especially, we can't resist something with the word "limited".

A couple of years ago I was at my local Tower Records outlet and a Japanese tourist was in the jazz section asking for piano trio jazz recommendations. Specifically, he wanted titles that were reminiscient of Ramsey Lewis. I was more than happy to turn him on to some good Red Garland and Gene Harris titles especially since the Tower employee working the floor had no clue and was trying to sell him $40 Cecil Taylor import discs. I'm guessing that the Red & Gene were closer to what he wanted. I prefer to think he liked my recommendations but who knows?

Anyway isn't one of the preeminent jazz labels in Japan Three Blind Mice? Maybe, exploring titles from that label might be the way to go as far getting an overview of the Japanese jazz scene? At least for a first pass.

[.:.impossible]

I have a disc by alto player Sadao Watanabe called Dedicated To Charlie Parker (Denon). It is a live recording from 1969. Mostly quartet, but some tracks feature a trumpet player named Terumasa Hino. I bought it because of its all Japanese line-up and wanted to hear their interpretation of Bird's music. Not too bad to be honest. Very bluesy. I got the disc for $2.00 so I figured it was a no-lose situation.

[ghost of miles]

There's a book on this subject. I don't recall the name, but I often see the book in book stores.

I never noticed anything on Japan, however it's something I could have very easily overlooked since I just recently became interested in the subect. I'll be a little more aware next time I'm in Borders or Barnes & Noble. Thanks.

There are two that I'm aware of: BLUE NIPPON, which is a sort of cultural-studies take on both the current scene and the history, and JAZZ JOURNEYS TO JAPAN, which I haven't read.

[ghost of miles]

Found them both on Amazon: here's the Library Journal review of BLUE NIPPON:

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this absorbing study, Atkins (history, Northern Illinois Univ.) effectively deals with the development of authentic jazz styles and even more extensively with the sociology of jazz in Japan from the 1920s to the present. That an African American art form could firmly take hold in Japan is fascinating in itself, but Atkins goes beyond the initial interest inspired by his subject with a fluid writing style and extensive research (which includes interviews with several Japanese jazz musicians). The author also achieves a balance between a Westerner's view of jazz in Japan and the Japanese perspective of the art form. This book will appeal to readers with a general interest in Japanese culture and counterculture as well as those specifically interested in Japanese jazz. Highly recommended for specialized music collections and for all public libraries, especially those with significant jazz or Japanese cultural holdings. James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH

Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description:

Japan’s jazz community—both musicians and audience—has been begrudgingly recognized in the United States for its talent, knowledge, and level of appreciation. Underpinning this tentative admiration, however, has been a tacit agreement that, for cultural reasons, Japanese jazz “can’t swing.” In Blue Nippon E. Taylor Atkins shows how, strangely, Japan’s own attitude toward jazz is founded on this same ambivalence about its authenticity.

Engagingly told through the voices of many musicians, Blue Nippon explores the true and legitimate nature of Japanese jazz. Atkins peers into 1920s dancehalls to examine the Japanese Jazz Age and reveal the origins of urban modernism with its new set of social mores, gender relations, and consumer practices. He shows how the interwar jazz period then became a troubling symbol of Japan’s intimacy with the West—but how, even during the Pacific war, the roots of jazz had taken hold too deeply for the “total jazz ban” that some nationalists desired. While the allied occupation was a setback in the search for an indigenous jazz sound, Japanese musicians again sought American validation. Atkins closes out his cultural history with an examination of the contemporary jazz scene that rose up out of Japan’s spectacular economic prominence in the 1960s and 1970s but then leveled off by the 1990s, as tensions over authenticity and identity persisted.

With its depiction of jazz as a transforming global phenomenon, Blue Nippon will make enjoyable reading not only for jazz fans worldwide but also for ethnomusicologists, and students of cultural studies, Asian studies, and modernism.

Here's one (uncredited) for JAZZ JOURNEYS:

Part music history, part cultural meditation, part travel narrative, Jazz Journeys to Japan is the first book to address the experiences of individual players -- Japanese jazz greats such as Toshiko Akiyoshi, Masahiko Satoh, Makoto Ozone, and Yosuke Yamashita.

William Minor navigates the converging streams of Western music and Eastern tradition, revealing through interviews with musicians, critics, and producers the unique synthesis that results from this convergence. And, turning conventional wisdom on its ear, he disproves the widely held notion that Japanese jazz artists don't "swing." Along the way, we experience Minor's growing appreciation of Japanese culture, which mirrors his subjects' discovery of American jazz.

William Minor's previous books include Unzipped Souls: A Jazz Journey through the Soviet Union, and Monterey Jazz Festival: Forty Legendary Years. He has written for Downbeat, Jazz Times, Jazz Notes, Coda, and Swing Journal.

[Dmitry]

Don't know about the Nippon jazz scene, but their Swing Journal kicks ass. Any other jazz rag I've seen looks laughable in comparison.

I bought 3 or 4 issues, even though I don't read a dime's worth of Japanese. Photos and overall quality of production is awesome. It just oozes class.

Tower used to sell these, not any more, I think.

[Sundog]

Found them both on Amazon:  here's the Library Journal review of BLUE NIPPON:

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this absorbing study, Atkins (history, Northern Illinois Univ.) effectively deals with the development of authentic jazz styles and even more extensively with the sociology of jazz in Japan from the 1920s to the present. That an African American art form could firmly take hold in Japan is fascinating in itself, but Atkins goes beyond the initial interest inspired by his subject with a fluid writing style and extensive research (which includes interviews with several Japanese jazz musicians). The author also achieves a balance between a Westerner's view of jazz in Japan and the Japanese perspective of the art form. This book will appeal to readers with a general interest in Japanese culture and counterculture as well as those specifically interested in Japanese jazz. Highly recommended for specialized music collections and for all public libraries, especially those with significant jazz or Japanese cultural holdings. James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH

Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description:

Japan’s jazz community—both musicians and audience—has been begrudgingly recognized in the United States for its talent, knowledge, and level of appreciation. Underpinning this tentative admiration, however, has been a tacit agreement that, for cultural reasons, Japanese jazz “can’t swing.” In Blue Nippon E. Taylor Atkins shows how, strangely, Japan’s own attitude toward jazz is founded on this same ambivalence about its authenticity.

Engagingly told through the voices of many musicians, Blue Nippon explores the true and legitimate nature of Japanese jazz. Atkins peers into 1920s dancehalls to examine the Japanese Jazz Age and reveal the origins of urban modernism with its new set of social mores, gender relations, and consumer practices. He shows how the interwar jazz period then became a troubling symbol of Japan’s intimacy with the West—but how, even during the Pacific war, the roots of jazz had taken hold too deeply for the “total jazz ban” that some nationalists desired. While the allied occupation was a setback in the search for an indigenous jazz sound, Japanese musicians again sought American validation. Atkins closes out his cultural history with an examination of the contemporary jazz scene that rose up out of Japan’s spectacular economic prominence in the 1960s and 1970s but then leveled off by the 1990s, as tensions over authenticity and identity persisted.

With its depiction of jazz as a transforming global phenomenon, Blue Nippon will make enjoyable reading not only for jazz fans worldwide but also for ethnomusicologists, and students of cultural studies, Asian studies, and modernism.

Here's one (uncredited) for JAZZ JOURNEYS:

Part music history, part cultural meditation, part travel narrative, Jazz Journeys to Japan is the first book to address the experiences of individual players -- Japanese jazz greats such as Toshiko Akiyoshi, Masahiko Satoh, Makoto Ozone, and Yosuke Yamashita.

William Minor navigates the converging streams of Western music and Eastern tradition, revealing through interviews with musicians, critics, and producers the unique synthesis that results from this convergence. And, turning conventional wisdom on its ear, he disproves the widely held notion that Japanese jazz artists don't "swing." Along the way, we experience Minor's growing appreciation of Japanese culture, which mirrors his subjects' discovery of American jazz.

William Minor's previous books include Unzipped Souls: A Jazz Journey through the Soviet Union, and Monterey Jazz Festival: Forty Legendary Years. He has written for Downbeat, Jazz Times, Jazz Notes, Coda, and Swing Journal.

Thanks. Both look fairly promising. Need to check the library.

[jazzmessenger]

I have a disc by alto player Sadao Watanabe called Dedicated To Charlie Parker (Denon). It is a live recording from 1969. Mostly quartet, but some tracks feature a trumpet player named Terumasa Hino. I bought it because of its all Japanese line-up and wanted to hear their interpretation of Bird's music. Not too bad to be honest. Very bluesy. I got the disc for $2.00 so I figured it was a no-lose situation.

I like both Sadao Watanabe and Terumasa Hino. They are probabaly the most recognizable jazz players in Japan.

[etherbored]

FWIW, i am wholly and completely immersed in the japanese scene. i used to live there, (i know sadao - even helped him with some english language promotions), travel there a couple times a year and subscribe to swing journal... now my cat is outta the bag.

blue nippon, while being long on information (informations as the japanese like to say), is very short on fun readibility. it's textbook-like. a good thing or a bad thing? your mileage may vary.

regards,

-e-

[jazzmessenger]

Don't know about the Nippon jazz scene, but their Swing Journal kicks ass. Any other jazz rag I've seen looks laughable in comparison.

I bought 3 or 4 issues, even though I don't read a dime's worth of Japanese. Photos and overall quality of production is awesome. It just oozes class.

Tower used to sell these, not any more, I think.

"Swing Journal" is popular among casual jazz listeners in Japan. It is also recognized in the rest of the world. However, I heard that "Jazz Critique" (or Jazz Hihyou) is more popular among more serious jazz listeners. I think the magazine is filled with more details of and research on the music and musician.

[etherbored]

"Swing Journal" is popular among casual jazz listeners in Japan. It is also recognized in the rest of the world. However, I heard that "Jazz Critique" (or Jazz Hihyou) is more popular among more serious jazz listeners. I think the magazine is filled with more details of and research on the music and musician.

----

kind of true, but that would also depend on your scale of measurement. swing journal's pieces are far more detailed and analytical than any magazine in north america that i'm aware of. jazz critique is published quarterly, filled more with text and analysis than graphics (compared to swing journal). generally speaking, each issue (which is the size of a typical paperback) is devoted to one general subject (say, the music of jimmy smith or jazz organ) which lends itself to being more serious from the outset.

what does this all mean? i'm not sure, but i do know that jazz fans are far more rare in japan than you would think...

regards,

-e-

[wulfman]

The 'typical' jazz fan in Japan, if there is such a creature, is middle-aged and probably grew up hanging around in Jazz kissatens (Jazz coffee shops) in the 70's smoking Peace cigarettes and listening to Sonny Clark's Cool Struttin'. At least that is the kind of person that I saw most thumbing through the CDs and LPs at Disk Union in Ochanomizu. Now that generation has pretty high disposable income and takes it's jazz interest seriously (not unlike a few on the board here).

Swing Journal is an excellent (and LONG) read, however it is definitely a rear-view mirror of Jazz.

[etherbored]

Swing Journal is an excellent (and LONG) read, however it is definitely a rear-view mirror of Jazz.

---

very true. in fact, this could open up a direction in the discussion of how mainstream and neo-classicist the scene really is (the whole avant and DIW thing there is very much a fractured schism IMHO)...

-e-

[Cornelius]

What are some good straight ahead jazz vocal records sung in Japanese (either original Japanese lyrics or translations of English lyrics)?

[etherbored]

What are some good straight ahead jazz vocal records sung in Japanese (either original Japanese lyrics or translations of English lyrics)?

---

as for myself, i'll hafta think about that (and i will). most of the japanese vocalists i listen to sing in english... it seems to be a rite of passage in the scene.

-e-

[Cornelius]

Thanks, etherbored.

[clifford_thornton]

The Japanese free jazz scene is very, very rich, and has been well-documented by labels like PSF, Alm, Trio-Nadja, etc.

A few names: Masahiko Togashi (d), Kaoru Abe (as), Sabu Toyozumi (d), Motohiro Yoshizawa (b).

Heavy stuff, particularly Abe.

[jazzmessenger]

The 'typical' jazz fan in Japan, if there is such a creature, is middle-aged and probably grew up hanging around in Jazz kissatens (Jazz coffee shops) in the 70's smoking Peace cigarettes and listening to Sonny Clark's Cool Struttin'. At least that is the kind of person that I saw most thumbing through the CDs and LPs at Disk Union in Ochanomizu. Now that generation has pretty high disposable income and takes it's jazz interest seriously (not unlike a few on the board here).

Your description of a typical jazz fan in Japan is accurate. I would add one thing- they are mostly men.

BTW, did you move to Philippines? I know you used to live in Tokyo?

[wulfman]

I've been posted here since August last year and will be here for a couple of years. Still trying to find some Philippine jazz here but so far the pickings are slim.