Jazz & Improvisation / Japanese Jazz

*Warehouse Find !!!* The Fulukotofumi is the most important and ancient historical chronicle of Japan. The content of this work becomes an inspiration for the creation of a sound transposition of the legends and myths that most marked the spirit and inspiration of Hiromasa Suzuki, as a musician and as a high-level composer. The music that is concentrated between these grooves is a representation of the best that moved in the early seventies in the jazz-rock orbit at an international level; in ad…

Limited vinyl reissue of the 1978 direct-to-disc classic. Isao Suzuki on piccolo bass with Ron Carter, Hank Jones, Roy Haynes, and strings arranged by Masahiko Satoh. A summit of Japanese and American jazz from Tokyo's golden age of audiophile recording, with obi and liner notes.

On My Spare Time, Isao Suzuki steps out front on piccolo bass in a luminous set of standards and ballads, wrapping bossa, Ellington and songbook classics in a warm, conversational post‑bop glow with some of Japan’s finest players.

Powerful trio music by pianist Takehiro Honda, known for his strong touch and bluesy feeling, together with an American rhythm section. The album features a line up of compelling originals, including the overwhelmingly powerful "Minors Only" and the title track "Salaam Salaam," whose title means “peace” in Swahili.   East Wind was a ground-breaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then known. Over a per…

The first leader album by Ryo Kawasaki, a jazz and fusion guitarist whose talent was recognized by Gil Evans and who went on to work internationally. The album presents a cool cosmic sound, including "Agana," where Kawasaki delivers breath-taking guitar playing over high-speed percussion, and the dazzling jazz-funk number "Phil." East Wind was a ground-breaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then know…

A representative work by popular pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, known for his swinging and bluesy feeling. Backed by Tsutomu Okada and Hiroshi Murakami, Yamamoto gives elegant performances of famous standards such as "Stella by Starlight" and "Alone Together" in a relaxed atmosphere. East Wind was a groundbreaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then known. Over a period of about five years, the label prod…

TBM is proud to present Tomorrow, the new piano trio album by Hideo Ichikawa, a musician defined by two distinctive facets: the consummate technical pianist and the composer whose work shines through innovative, lyrical expression. Released on the TBM label, this record captures Ichikawa at a remarkable creative peak, where precision and imagination meet with rare naturalness. On Tomorrow, Ichikawa reaches extraordinary artistic heights—an album that feels both deeply considered and vividly aliv…

Three Blind Mice is proud to present All Right! by the Isao Suzuki Quartet + 1, from the historic 2021 Stock release. Recorded on November 18 and 19, 1974, this long-awaited installment captures the unmistakable musical voice of Isao Suzuki and the quartet’s dynamic, exploratory spirit. At the heart of the session is Isao Suzuki himself—renowned as a bassist, but equally compelling as a multi-instrumentalist. On this recording, he expands his artistry across electric piano, organ (Hammond), cell…

The pianist Fumio Karashima is best known internationally for his long association with Elvin Jones, having held the piano chair in Jones's working bands for years, a credit that already tells you most of what you need to know about his playing. Gathering, his trio date for Three Blind Mice, is the work of a player who has spent serious time on the bandstand with one of the most demanding drummers in jazz history, and the record's qualities reflect it: a strong rhythmic centre, a left hand that …

A mighty soulful set—where love songs, modal fire, and freer moments collide. Celebrated bassist Takahashi Mizuhashi delivers a deeply expressive performance captured live at Jazz 1974, released as Live In 5 Days In Jazz 1974 – When A Man Loves A Woman. This remarkable record is driven by the kind of playing that moves with conviction: long-form tracks that unfold like stories, shifting from heartfelt warmth to daring experimentation with effortless momentum. The album opens with a soulful readi…

The scent of fresh greenery rising into the air. A youthful Hidefumi Toki weaves a vivid and beautiful story through a one-horn quartet. Making his professional debut while still in high school, Hidefumi Toki went on to perform with groups led by New Herd, Isao Suzuki, Terumasa Hino, Ryo Kawasaki, and Fumio Itabashi. From the late 1970s onward, he also collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tatsuro Yamashita, contributing broadly to Japan’s music scene across jazz, fusion, and pop.This album, re…

This is both a blueprint and a definitive masterpiece. Effortlessly transcending eras and genres, Terumasa Hino continues to captivate audiences around the world. His sound and presence are truly top of the tops. Long before Japanese jazz was labeled as “Wa-Jazz”, and even before the rare groove movement emerged, Hip Seagull has been shaking dance floors, stimulating listeners, and fascinating collectors alike. Since his debut album Alone, Alone and Alone, Terumasa Hino has remained at the foref…

** Black Vinyl edition **  Original masters licensed by King Records Japan. Includes OBI and insert. 'Innocent Canon' is one of the hopelessly obscure Japanese underground albums that few people know about. It is a kind of unreleased delirious groovadelic soundtrack played by an acid-soaked Japanese big band with powerful drumming, heavy jazz fumes and delirious organ/guitar lines and luminary narration.Inomata was a well-known jazz musician at the time, but like many of his contemporaries, he w…

Reissue of the Japanese group Air featuring percussionist Yuji Imamura. Seems like half split between moderate Jazz Rock with monster improvised parts and outlandish Avant Jazz with strong percussion minimalism and tribal rhythms, the instrumental arsenal is huge and promising (various strings, winds, keyboards, electronic equipements). Two side long instrumental tracks, the material is mostly based on individual soloing depending on each musician.

*2022 stock* "A beautifully spare session from the mid 70s – one that features bass and cello from Isao Suzuki – stretching out here in a sound that's totally unique! The trio's a great one – with Donald Bailey on drums and Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes – the latter of which sounds amazing next to Suzuki mellow-stepping lines. If you've heard any of Suzuki's other albums from the period, the style is somewhat similar – quite soulful throughout, but with an easygoing,…

“Spanish Flower” by Tee & Company, an all-star band assembled by producer Takeshi “Tee” Fujii, is an extended (nearly 19 minutes) modal workout very much in the mode of Coltrane or McCoy Tyner‘s 1970s solo work, but the tasteful guitar solo that appears at the 11:30 mark, right after the flute fanfare, is by none other than Masayuki Takayanagi!

*2022 stock* Few, if any, international audiophile jazz recordings have maintained the kind of deep and profound influence over techniques and even entire label repretoire as Three Blind Mice's Blow Up, Midnight Sugar and Misty. Originally recorded in Tokyo in 1974, this Piano Trio release from TBM features Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on piano, Isoo Fukui on bass and Tetsujiro Obara on drums. The of-the-moment realism of Yoshihiko Kannari's recordings and production aesthetic of producer and label head Ta…

Imada's last album for TBM. The lyrical and flowing solo opening "Maki" is a reprise of the title track from his first solo album (JVC), the title track from TBM5003 (2), a reprise of TBM14 with electric piano (3) (2), a reprise of the title track from TBM5003; (3), a reprise of TBM14 with electric piano; and (4), an ethereal synth piece." - Koki Hanawa

*2022 stock* "Hidehiko Matsumoto Quartet – Sleepy released by Three Blind Mice. Album recorded in 1976  and it was DSD mastering from the original analogue master tapes. This record, made in 1976 in a one-horn quartet setting, showcases Matsumoto’s brilliant playing on both tenor saxophone and flute. He is a true master of both instruments and it is a great pleasure to hear him beautifully recorded by the people of Three Blind Mice. A masterpiece, with great sound." - Audiophile Music

*2022 stock* "This is a live recording of "5 Days in Jazz 1976". The album features the seventh release of TBM's "5 Days in Jazz 1976," which concentrates the charm of Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, including his signature tune "Misty," "Summertime," featuring Oyui, and "Cookin' the Blues", which shows off his signature blues feeling to the fullest." - Koki Hanawa

"This is a live recording of "Shuko Mizuno's World Evening" on the fourth day of "5 Days In Jazz 1976", which made the genius Shuko Mizuno known to the world. The massive, fast-paced jazz-rock piece "Concentration" and "Jazz Orchestra '75 Part II" are breathtaking performances. Katsumi Watanabe's superb solo is also noteworthy!" - Koki Hanawa

"Five of Japan's most famous arrangers (Miki, Yamaya, Takahashi, Ueda, Maeda) have come together to create a rare big band work. Highlights include the title track with its electric sound arranged by Miki and the dynamic "Giant Steps" arranged by Maeda. "Koki Hanawa

Kaoru Abe's duo with legendary free bassist Motoharu Yoshizawa, nord, stands as a critical summit between two of the major forces in japanese jazz at the time. recorded in december 1975 and released in 1981 by Kojima, it reveals a different side to Abe.the two had apparently been playing together since the late '60s - Yoshizawa had, for various reasons, and it's probably due to yoshizawa's undeniable heavyweight status that this dialogue is conducted largely on his terms, with abe toning down hi…

Mort à Credit shows Kaoru Abe in a fascinating period of transition, moving forth to something complexly and identifiably new, yet intransigently rooted in what had come before. It consists of two alto improvs from a show on October 18, 1975, and five more (three on alto, two on sopranino) from another performance a couple of days earlier. Released by Kojima on 2LP in 1976, it can be said to mark a significant change in Abe's style. Abe is here a little soften from his usual urgency - this can p…

*2023 stock* "This album, the first under the band's name in six and a half years, is a jazz alternative album with a multilingual and hardcore taste that differs greatly from previous albums.  The recording for this album started in June 2020, during a period when many of our activities were being cancelled due to Covid-19. It had been a while since I last met or played with the members of this band, with whom prior to the pandemic I would regularly get together for gigs at various venues or tr…

Trumpeter Itaru Oki's third album from 1975 reissued, a flamed out free jazz masterpiece. Itaru Oki (trumpet), Yoshiaki Fujikawa (alto sax), Keiki Midorikawa (cello, bass, piano), Gozo Yoshimasu (poetry reading on 5). We are very glad to inform that a long time out of printed OffBeat label LP is reprinted on CD. Itaru Oki visited Paris, France in the 70s and when he came back to Japan temporarily in 75, he organized a elite free jazz troop and recorded in studio. 'Phantom Note' is his 3rd album,…

Otomo Yoshihide's Guitar Solo "LEFT" was released last summer but "RIGHT" is completely different from "LEFT". the 123 short fragments of Otomo's guitar sounds are run by computer programming at random so no one know how the sound played. This CD is one infinity."-Doubtmusic "What is most remarkable about the single, 62-minute track on Otomo Yoshihide's Guitar Solos 2015 RIGHT is how consistent, top to bottom, it sounds. Or, viewed through a different lens, how much coherence (real or imagined)…

**2006 release, long out of print, very few copies available** One of the rarest albums ever from the mighty Masahiko Satoh, a composer and arranger,as well as a key figure in the avantgarde music from Japan. Originally issued on Japan Columbia in 1970, the two sides of very free piano show a sensitivity that's really amazing – still moments of freedom that reflect Satoh's connection to the avant garde of the time, interwoven with his own sense of cosmic creation, in ways that are similar to his…

A much-needed and expanded reissue of this 1970s Offbeat label LP of cellist Keiki Midorikawa in duo with Masahiko Togashi, Masayuki Takayanagi and Masahiko Sato. Keiki Midorikawa (cello, bass), Masahiko Togashi (percussion, drums), Masayuki Takayanagi (guitar) et Masahiko Sato (piano). Recorded on January 16, 1976 at Nichi-futsu kaikan, Tokyo. The original LP of this work has duo with Takayanagi on A side and duo with Sato on B side. But in the concert, Midorikawa played duo with Togashi about …

BBE Music’s celebrated J Jazz compilation series reaches its fifth and final volume in early 2026, culminating in a track list that maintains the exceptionally high standard first set with volume one back in 2018. This final volume features a selection of tracks that is as diverse as it is deep, reflecting the rich and varied Japanese jazz scene that spanned from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, a golden era of innovation and creativity. J Jazz volume 5 sees compilers Tony Higgins and Mike Pede…

Kosuke Mine’s electric album, with a strong rock and funk flavor, is set for reissue as part of "Spin This Now!" Vol. 9. This classic album shines with the outstanding combination of Mine’s saxophone with a wah-wah pedal and Mikio Masuda’s psychedelic keyboards. Label Introduction: East Wind was a groundbreaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then known. Over a period of about five years, the label pr…

A classic album recorded in 1976, featuring a superb lineup including Sam Jones, Kazumi Watanabe, and Fumio Karashima, with expansive cello solos. Highlights include an exhilarating duo number with the seasoned bassist Sam Jones, as well as Kazumi Watanabe’s hip guitar solos throughout. Label Introduction: East Wind was a groundbreaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then known. Over a period of about…

World-famous pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto’s second East Wind release, "Life," appears in the lineup for "Spin This Now!" Vol. 9. Backed by a golden rhythm section with Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums, Yamamoto delivers a supremely swinging performance. His delicate ballad playing on "If You Could See Me Now" is also essential listening. Label Introduction: East Wind was a groundbreaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and N…

The debut album from a free jazz piano trio founded by up-and-coming drummer Masatsugu Hattori, featuring pianist Nana Omori and bassist Masashi Kato, the album includes seven tracks that span free jazz and ambient/electro.

“An ambitious, brand new album has reached the Japanese jazz scene. It is ‘Bakimba – Memories of Africa.’” This is how Akira Ishikawa Count Buffalo Jazz And Rock Band’s album was advertised by the Japanese press in 1970. The Japanese jazz artists were bravely approaching the rock scene, and their choice became an inspiration to jazz-rock groups like Takeshi Inomata & Sound Limited, Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media, and more. The blending between jazz and rock was born in the United States, thanks to …

The first-ever reissue on Studio Mule of the debut album by Japanese jazz legend and bassist Yoshio Ikeda. Having performed with such illustrious figures as Sadao Watanabe, Masabumi Kikuchi, and Terumasa Hino, Ikeda’s first album as a leader features pianist and vocalist Ichiko Hashimoto—also known for her involvement with YMO—Berlin-based jazz pianist Aki Takase, and leading Japanese drummer Motohiko Hino. Avant-garde yet imbued with a distinctly Japanese sense of melancholy, this is a work tha…

Solar Wind, the singular album from OM led by guitarist Seiji Hano, is widely regarded as a milestone in Japanese ethnic jazz. Recently reissued, this masterwork summons a refined blend of acoustic purity, melancholic resonance, and wabi-sabi beauty, drawing subtle influence from ECM contemporaries like Oregon and Codona while breathing unmistakable Japanese spirit. With each track, from the mesmerizing “Windmill” to the final notes, Solar Wind achieves a seamless, moving elegance - a flawless e…

Norio Maeda ignites this trio date with raw, thrilling momentum — one of his most electrifying records. Stripped-down and urgent, the music bursts with kinetic energy: tight, swinging interplay that sparks like vintage 60s bossa bands yet barrels in its own direction. Maeda’s piano cuts through with bold, adventurous lines; Tatsuro Takimoto’s bass is muscular and melodic; Takeshi Inomata’s drumming is sharp, driving, relentless. Standout tracks include "Alpha Ray," "Fifth Column," "Slobber," "St…

Killer jazz-funk from Japan here! Since turning professional in 1960, guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto had been active in many sessions and recordings. From the latter half of the 1960s, he joined groups with Hideo Shiraki, Akira Ishikawa, and Terumasa Hino, gaining attention in the scene, and also solidifying his position with his albums as a leader, such as the magnificent “Country Dream” in 1970 and “Babylonia Wind” in 1972. “Our Time” was recorded with Akira Ishikawa on drums, Hiromasa Suzuki on e…

Skilled guitar dances over the ultimate groove by Marcus Miller and Omar Hakim. This important Japanese fusion album was recorded by guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto, who was extremely busy at the time as a first-call musician, together with Marcus Miller, Omar Hakim, and Warren Bernhardt, who were in Japan for Kazumi Watanabe’s "To Chi Ka" tour. The lively playing of Marcus Miller, then 21 years old and just before being discovered by Miles Davis, is a must-hear.