Japanese jazz musician Yuko Miyawaki’s debut album Song Of Flower from 2011 brims with understated calm, burning steadily through original, mellow sounds and sparkling improvisation. Miyawaki’s trumpet and flugelhorn centers her core jazz quartet, adding a fifth member on tenor … Continue reading Yuko Miyawaki: Song Of Flower
With the jazz album Gift from 2012, pianist and composer Manabu Ohishi reunites the trio from his album Wish (2010) featuring bassist Jean-Philippe Viret and drummer Simon Goubert, and releases another beautifully-recorded album of Japanese/European piano jazz from the family-run … Continue reading Manabu Ohishi Trio: Gift
Pianist Eriko Shimizu’s Sora is her debut album from 2010 on which she leads her jazz combo through seven songs featuring original and colorful arrangements. Shimizu performs with her piano trio augmented with special guests percussionist Saori Sendo, who supplies … Continue reading Eriko Shimizu: Sora
Pianist Yukari Inoue’s Sakura from 2016 blooms with colorful variety as she jumps across genres as brightly as she hops around the keys. This is her first solo piano album, recorded with a beautiful sound in concert-hall quality. The pink … Continue reading Yukari Inoue: Sakura
Jazz violinist maiko pours her heart and soul out on her 2018 release Solo, brimming with graceful elegance and drama through the resonance of her strings. Unaccompanied and pure, the sound is direct and full, as if listening to a … Continue reading maiko: Solo
Vocalist Emiko Voice and pianist Dairo Suga perform jazz standards in non-standard ways on their 2009 release Phase 2~Twist & Shout~, a followup to their previous Phase 1 duo album from 2006. While the track listing is full of jazz … Continue reading Emiko Voice x Suga Dairo: Phase 2
Wordless is Ryosuke Hashizume’s first album released in Japan in 2006, kicking off a rewarding series of modern and absorbing albums from this jazz saxophonist’s stellar group. Through his modern music, with a clean recording sound and deep reverb, the … Continue reading Ryosuke Hashizume Group: Wordless
Jazz pianist Chihiro Yamanaka’s debut album Living Without Friday from 2001 kicks off an impressive run of releases, setting the stage with memorable originals and reinvented standards while introducing new listeners to her amazing technique and creativity. Popular and in-demand … Continue reading Chihiro Yamanaka Trio: Living Without Friday
The album Small Pieces for Flying Padre from Trio Export 63.1.0.X is a special release of a live jazz recording at Kanmachi 63 in Yokohama, Japan. The piano-bass-drums trio performs the set live as recorded, bringing the listener into the … Continue reading Trio Export 63.1.0.X: Small Pieces for Flying Padre
Miyuki Moriya’s Cat’s Cradle from 2010 is modern jazz album from an alto sax quartet featuring engaging sounds and improvisation from exciting musicians. The allure of this album is deepened by the sax leader’s catchy originals, and listeners who are … Continue reading Miyuki Moriya: Cat’s Cradle
A novel album in several ways, Gakudan Hitori from musician Reikan Kobayashi contains interesting dimensions and juxtapositions. Kobayashi is proficient on many instruments but has primarily made a name for himself by playing shakuhachi in Japan and using the traditional … Continue reading Reikan Kobayashi: Gakudan Hitori
Veteran jazz pianist Fumio Karashima was well-known in Japan for his quick, hard bop style and authentic feel which excited audiences at live concerts and tours as well as on albums. It’s Just Beginning from 2004 is a studio-recorded album … Continue reading Fumio Karashima Trio: It’s Just Beginning
Similar in concept to Ray Brown’s Some Of My Best Friends Are… album series in which the legendary bassist plays with assorted partners in jazz, bassist Daiki Yasukagawa’s release Trios II from 2015 features the bassist performing with four different … Continue reading Daiki Yasukagawa Trio: Trios II
Bonanza, from 2012, is the debut release from guitarist Yudo Matsuo, whose kinetic quartet performs original songs with influences from electric jazz fusion to pop songwriters, a palette of sounds reflecting his varied artistic sides. The core band is made … Continue reading Yudo Matsuo: Bonanza
Modern jazz albums like saxophonist Hiromi Miura’s We Don’t Know Yet occupy a special place, offering original compositions with creative elements which remain in the mind and call for repeated listens. Performed with consummate skill from the New York- and … Continue reading Hiromi Miura: We Don’t Know Yet