Jazz /
Mangekyou
P-Vine is delighted to announce the release of one of Japan's most coveted albums of the 70s, "Mangekyou" by singer-songwriter Yoshiko Sai. Produced in 1975 by Master musician Yuji Ohno, the album features Yoshiko Sai's superbly crafted songs and crystal clear voice over Ohno's lush, funky sound and breezy arrangements. A strong buzz has been growing around the album over the years and original copies now change hands for large sums of money. This is the first time "Mangekyou" is available outsi…
Now!!
Now! by Masaru Imada was the second album released by the fledgling Three Blind Mice label and the pianist's first leader album for the label. All four tunes are Imada's original compositions. The two slow numbers – "Nostalgia" and "The Shadow of the Castle" show his lyrical, "quiet but emotional," qualities. "Alter" is an adventurous tune whose focus is on free improvisation while "Gehi Dorian" is a modal composition as the title suggests.
Ginparis Session
For the better part of the 50s and 60s, Masayuki Takayanagi was among Japan's best-respected jazz guitarists. But it wasn't until his experiments with tabletop guitar led him down the seductive path of sonic experimentation that he became the stuff of legend. “Ginparis” (literally translated as Silver Paris) was known as the chanson cafe in Tokyo, Ginza, and the performances often centred around chansons but eventually became the session venue for young jazz musicians. They left their mark on a…
Funky Best
Repressed for the first time in Limited edition. Licensed by Nippon Columbia. Issued with an obi strip.
Smile
Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* In 1967, drummer Takeo Moriyama joined pianist Yosuke Yamashita’s group, later forming a legendary trio together with saxophonist Seiichi Nakamura in 1969. This group consisting of Moriyama, Yamashita, and Nakamura became known worldwide as one of Japan's leading free jazz combos. Moriyama left the group in 1975 and later returned to the scene in 1977 with the Flush Up live album, where he evolved and deepened his musicality in a more melodic and rhythmic direc…
High-Flying
Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* Hiromasa Suzuki is a legendary composer and arranger, and a key player who has been active in the Japanese music world, including jazz as well as movies, television and commercials. In the late ‘60s and mid-’70s, he was deeply involved in the works of Terumasa Hino, Akira Ishikawa and Jiro Inagaki in their most radical times. The album “High-Flying,” recorded in 1976, showed his innovativeness, which was always one step ahead of the times. This is an essential …
Wandering Birds
Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* This is the first and long-awaited vinyl reissue of this Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media jazz rock masterpiece! With vocals by Sammy and Yasushi Sawada. Backed by Masahiko Sato, Kimio Mizutani, Hiro Yanagida. Essential!
Head Rock
Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* From the opening tune “The Vamp” to the final “Head Rock”, this album is a dazzling jazz rock showcase with dreadnought songs that are filled with ideas and passion. This is a masterpiece that has an overwhelming presence in the history of jazz in Japan, as an heresy left on the prestigious jazz label Takt.
Memory Lane
Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, played a part in the development of jazz rock in Japan. This work, "Memory Lane" recorded in 1980, was the final work under the same name. Inagaki said about this work, "We tried to create this work while predicting the fate of fusion music" and it is true that the sound is completely different from ordinary fusion. The mellow and emotional "Memory Lane" the stormy and refreshing "I Will Give You Samba" and the groovy and edgy "Take My Hand". The sound that was c…
Funky Stuff
*2025 much needed repress!!* Fresh reissued magic of Funky Stuff, formerly a rare exquisite by jazzmaster Jiro Inagaki, originally released in 1975. An enduring, pioneering fusion of jazz, funk, soul and rock - the album features some of the best and most acclaimed Japanese musicians of the time, enlisting the talent-wares of Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Akira Ishikawa on drums and Takeru Muraoka on sax.
In The Groove
2025 much needed repress!! Since its formation in 1969, Soul Media had been advocating a fusion of jazz and rock. The next step along that line was this album, In the Groove, recorded in 1973. The sharpness of jazz is brought to the forefront, with rock melting in to give it an edge, and funk injected to imbue it with power and resilience. The result was a strong, sophisticated, and simply "cool music" that could not be categorized within existing genres such as jazz rock, jazz funk, or fusion. …
Debut
This is the first album by Takao Uematsu, who played in the George Otsuka Group. His blackness of blowing, spirit and technique, which are directly descended from Joe Henderson, set him apart from other Japanese players.
Midnight Sugar
This is the monumental first album by Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, who later became one of the two major artists on the TBM label along with Isao Suzuki. A groovy and heartwarming popular disc by the Japanese piano trio
Magnificent Little Dudes Vol. 2
Chihei Hatakeyama, who has become a leading figure in the ambient/drone music scene in Japan, has now announced his second collaboration with jazz drummer Shun Ishiwaka. The two had been sharing the stage together in live performances since meeting on a radio show recording, and in May 2024 they released the first of a two-part series, "Magnificent Little Dudes Vol.1", and this is the second installment.This album includes the album's opening track, “M3,” featuring award-winning British cellist …
Sensational Jazz '70: Vol. 1/2
The agony of hard bop, the rise of jazz-rock, and the emergence of free jazz. The definitive live recording that captures the chaos and climax of jazz in Japan. Japan's jazz scene around 1970 is very interesting. The agony of hard bop, the rise of jazz-rock, and the emergence of free jazz. New music and values were born one after another, and chaos was reached, and up-and-coming musicians ran at a speed that shook off the meter.
This album "Sensational Jazz '70 Vol. 1/2" is famous as a live soun…
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
Originally released in 1974, this album features Kunihiko Sugano, often referred to as a piano magician, who is the sole leader remaining in TBM following the 5 Days in Jazz concert recordings sponsored by TBM. Echoes of Erroll Garner's "Genius Kuni" can be felt throughout the music.
Now reissued by the legendary "Wa-Jazz" label, TBM (Three Blind Mice), this iconic label has gained popularity in Europe, the U.S., and beyond. The long-awaited reissue of the original titles on vinyl has been exper…
New Jazz In Japan
Gatefold packaging. Nobuo "Hara," whose real name is Nobuo Tsukahara, is a Japanese saxophonist who became known in 1951 with his big band, the Sharp & Flats. Together they recorded more than a hundred album during their career. Hozan Yamamoto is, for his part, a Shakuhachi player, a traditional Japanese flute, enjoying such recognition in his country that he was awarded a Living National Treasure in 2002. The first record bringing together the two musicians is a live recorded in 1967 during the…
Piko + 3
The second in the Masaru Imada reissue series that jazz collectors all over the world have been eagerly awaiting! A solo piano album that allows you to fully enjoy the beautiful tone and fluid touch of jazz piano poet Masaru Imada. The album features Imada's signature tune 'Pico', as well as 'Sum Time A Go', which was also performed by Chick Corea.
Blue Eyes
Reissue of Masaru Imada Trio's Blue Eyes. Originally issued on Yupiteru Records YJ25-7029. Recorded on June 25 and 27, 1979. Comes in mini LP replica with obi, four page booklet in Japanese
Seeking Blue
The second in the Masaru Imada reissue series that jazz collectors all over the world have been eagerly awaiting! This is a tour de force of Imada's hard bop style, featuring Shigeharu Mukai on trombone and Seiichi Nakamura on saxophone. All songs are Imada's own original numbers, and he also demonstrates his true potential as a melody-maker.