Jazz /
Dybbuk Tse!
On Dybbuk Tse!, Yoni Mayraz turns Jewish possession lore into a groove‑driven exorcism: live‑wire jazz, 90s NYC hip‑hop grit and Middle Eastern modes colliding in a story where a wandering spirit is forced out beat by beat.
Scenery
On Scenery, Ryo Fukui turns a late‑start passion into a quietly astonishing debut: airy, confident trio swing and luminous ballads that distil a distinctly Hokkaido sense of space, light and seasonal melancholy into six perfectly breathing performances.
Mellow Dream
On Mellow Dream, Ryo Fukui deepens the lyrical sparkle of Scenery into something more sculpted and powerful: bittersweet themes, surging originals and a clearer, three‑dimensional swing that many hear as the true apex of his studio work.
Ryo Fukui Trio at the Slowboat 2004
On Ryo Fukui Trio At The Slowboat 2004, Ryo Fukui turns the ninth anniversary of his Sapporo club into a late‑career summit: Phineas‑ and Flanagan‑inspired fire, Shorter‑charged intensity and Slowboat’s living‑room warmth fused into powerful, precise, deeply fulfilled playing.
Live At Vidro '77
On Live At Vidro ’77, Ryo Fukui Trio explode the cool perfection of Scenery and Mellow Dream into raw stage heat: a newly unearthed club tape where “Mellow Dream” stretches past 16 minutes and standards ignite into hard‑swinging, edge‑of‑the‑seat catharsis.
A Letter From Slowboat
On A Letter From Slowboat, Ryo Fukui makes a late‑career return to the studio that feels like a love note to his Sapporo club: standards and originals rendered with stronger touch, deeper emotion and an almost glowing lyricism shaped by a lifetime at the piano.
My Favorite Tune
On My Favorite Tune, Ryo Fukui steps out alone at the piano for the only time on record, revisiting “Scenery” and “Mellow Dream” while unveiling northern‑lit originals that fuse bebop depth with a distinctly Hokkaido sense of stillness and space.
In New York
On In New York, Ryo Fukui steps into a Manhattan studio with Barry Harris’s rhythm team and delivers a straight‑ahead bebop session: standards and a newly ignited “Mellow Dream” played with weighty touch, elastic swing and an unmistakable sense of intent.
Moon Stone
On Moon Stone, Mikio Masuda channels the plush 70s crossover of Bob James and Ramsey Lewis into a distinctly Japanese fusion: electric keys, supple grooves and subtly psychedelic guitars gliding between jazz, rock and mellow funk.
Masao Yagi Plays Thelonious Monk
On Masao Yagi Plays Thelonious Monk (1960), Masao Yagi leads a sharp Tokyo quintet through an all‑Monk program, translating Thelonious’s craggy angles into a supple, swinging Japanese modern‑jazz dialect without smoothing away the music’s built‑in mischief.
Live In Pori 1984
In July 1984, the otherworldly entourage of over fifty musicians of Urban Sax swarmed across the coastal town of Pori, Finland, to perform a historic concert at the Pori Jazz Festival. The masked musicians, veiled in space suits and fencing masks, arrived at the scene of the concert in the Central Pori Church by fire engines, forklifts and water buses from all over the town, followed by an ecstatic and bewildered crowd of festival-goers and amazed locals alike. For those present, the explosively…
Blue Train
"We’re listening to Blue Train, which to me is one of the most beautiful pieces on one of the most beautiful records that Coltrane recorded in the fifties. It’s his first real mature statement and he wrote all but one of the tunes on this album which was very rare in the fifties and each one is a gem, particularly the title tune Blue Train. And while it’s kind of easy to play the blues, this has a suspended and haunting kind of quality to it." - Michael Cuscuna
Adams Apple
2026 stock Doug Carn made four records for the Black Jazz label, more than any other artist, and each one topped the previous release's lofty standard. Adam's Apple was his last (1974) album for the label, representing the final note in his staggeringly creative crescendo. It was also the first record without Jean Carn, but Carn and crew (John Conner and Joyce Greene) don't miss a beat on the vocals. And the band is absolutely sick, featuring reedman Ronnie Laws and fellow Black Jazz recording a…
Tomorrow's Yesterday
In 1964, vocalist Karin Krog released Norway's first jazz solo LP, and By Myself has helped shape her career as a singer. In 2026, 62 years after the first release, she releases the LP Tomorrow's Yesterday, and it cannot be ruled out that this may be her last physical album. All the songs are recorded in duo or trio format. The musical sounds are excitingly combined with her voice and Rob Luft on guitar, John Surman on saxophone/bass clarinet on side A. Whilst on side B we hear Karin Krog with E…
Anthem for Peace
On Anthem for Peace, Alan Braufman leads a razor‑sharp quartet through compact, hook‑rich tunes that braid spiritual jazz, buoyant post‑bop and modal, Eastern‑tinged themes into a forward‑moving set that feels both steeped in history and fully present tense.
Joy
A groundbreaking session of European jazz – one of the first true moments of genius from singer Karin Krog! Tracks are long and experimental without getting too far out – and Karin's icy voice flows out magically over compelling tunes that still remain some of the most striking jazz vocals ever recorded! The set has Karin singing with a group of young, hip Scandinavian players that include Jan Garbarek on saxes, Arild Andersen on bass, and Terje Bjorklund on piano – all of whom stretch out in lo…
We Could Be Flying
Karin Krog's own label Meantime Records has given us many rare and legendary recordings, now it presents this much welcomed reissue on vinyl of 'We Could Be Flying', from the original master. First issued on Polydor in 1974, Karin performs alongside a musical dream team, consisting of Jon Christensen on drums, Steve Kuhn on electric and acoustic piano and Steve Swallow bass guitar.
The quality of the music is exceptional with the Michel Columbier and Paul Williams' title song headlining the albu…
Renaissance
Modern and grounded in the 1960s hard-bop sensibility, the American pianist and composer Albert Dailey (1939 – 1984) had perfect control over his instrument. Since an early age he played with cutting-edge musicians of the likes of Art Blakey, Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz, Charles Mingus, and Lee Konitz, only to name a few. But despite that, he was an underrated artist during his lifetime, receiving the deserved recognition only after his death. Renaissance 2 November 1977 is his second album, played…
Cool Jojo
Cool Jojo was recorded from 3 to 5 December 1979 at Epicurus Studio in Tokyo under the direction of guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi. The album features the band ‘Second Concept,’ combining electric guitar, saxophone, keyboards, bass, and drums. The programme consists mainly of original compositions reflecting the band's electric jazz and experimental orientation in the late 1970s.
Go On
Go On with the George Otsuka 5 was recorded in 1972 in Japan for the Three Blind Mice label. The album features a quintet led by drummer George Otsuka, a major figure in Japanese jazz in the 1960s and 1970s. The repertoire includes original compositions as well as contemporary hard bop standards.