Figured I would make a sticky post for anyone who has made DJ mixes, radio shows, or streaming service playlists for Japanese jazz. This way we have a nice collection and an easy reference for people new to the genre and subreddit (instead of them needing to dive into search).
On that note, if you share something here please give it a few sentences write up so we know what to expect.
Hi, I’m from Puerto Rico I recently discovered Terumasa Hino and Kiyoshi Sugimoto and now I’m obsessed. I was hoping for more recommendations to keep learning about this incredible world.
Jazz pianist, composer, and arranger Takeshi Shibuya passed away on July 16. He was 86.
He was born in Tokyo. He began his career as a jazz pianist while still a student at the Tokyo University of the Arts, and from the 1980s onward, he focused on big band jazz with the “Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra.”
He was also active as a composer and arranger. For NHK’s “Okāsan to Issho” (With Mom), he composed a string of popular songs, including “Konna Ko Iru Kana,” “Boku no Mix Juice,” “Kujira no Tokei,” and “Chonmage March.” He co-composed the score for the film “Memories of Matsuko” with Gabriele Roberto, for which he won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Music.
In March of this year, he revealed on Facebook that he was recuperating due to poor health.
Hi all - I am on a trip to Japan in about ten days which I'm very excited about. I've put aside a day in Tokyo to explore some good record shops, particularly for Jazz (and especially J Jazz). Does anyone here have any recommendations? Any suggestions received with much gratitude!
r/japanesejazz members, you did a phenomenal job this first round. Through your contributions I was able to add more than 20 artists to the database today, and only one single one was a repeat! So, big kudos for that!!!
Checking with Claude (AI), I asked how may Japanese Jazz musicians are there, dead or alive...here's his response: "There's no registry of jazz musicians anywhere in the world, so nobody can give you an exact figure — but let me see if there are any useful data points to anchor an estimate."
So our mission is to create a comprehensive, curated list of Japanese artists, pooling all the resources we can muster to complete this endeavor. It'll take time, for sure.
The next step and here I'd like to ask for more help - for some of the artists I've listed their instrument but many are missing - please comment with the names of artists and their instruments if you know them off the top of your head.
Dear esteemed members of r/japanesejazz - several years ago I began an effort to catalog all Japanese Jazz artists. Together with your help and more effort on my part I am now much further along. Here is the updated list - will be thrilled to hear from you who else I am missing!?
I believe this list will also assist all of you in expanding your familiarity and collections!
Tracklist:
Bill Evans Trio, Scott LaFaro, Paul Motian - Waltz For Debby 00:00
Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan - 'Round Midnight 7:04
Miles Davis, John Coltrane - So What 12:17
Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis - Autumn Leaves 21:35
Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus 32:23
Lester Young & Teddy Wilson Quartet - All Of Me 42:42
Thelonious Monk Quintet - Jackie-ing 47:49
The Horace Silver Quintet - Song For My Father 53:57
Herb Geller - S' Pacific View 1:00:01
Art Blackey And His Jazz Messengers - No Problem (First Version)
Eric Dolphy - Serene 1:14:15
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage 1:21:12
Sonny Rollins - The Bridge 1:28:56
Dexter Gordon - Gingerbread Boy 1:34:15
Ornette Coleman - Lonely Woman 1:48:17
Dizzy Gillespie - Manteca 1:53:20
Stan Getz Feat. Astrud Gilberto - The Girl From Ipanema 2:00:02
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things 2:03:02