Welcome to Jazz of Japan!
This website is dedicated to showcasing modern jazz albums from Japan and Japanese musicians.
On Jazz of Japan, my motivation is to provide straightforward descriptions of jazz recordings from Japanese musicians with photos, audio clips, and links to more information. Rather than a music critic’s album reviews, these are simple, honest introductions of new music to enjoy related to Japanese jazz.
In addition to albums, some articles also explore the world of Japanese jazz in real jazz bars, clubs, and live spots in Japan.
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About this site
Jazz of Japan is a website at jazzofjapan.com with an email newsletter powered by Substack.
You can view, browse, and search the website for free and without an account. And, if this topic appeals to you, then you can also sign up for the free newsletter to get updates in your email or through the Substack app.
About the Albums
The album articles relate to jazz albums from Japan and are free and readable by all. Subscribers to the newsletter will get an email each time a new article is published.
The archive currently has hundreds of articles that I have written since 2018, with new articles being added on an ongoing basis. I strive to make each article brief but descriptive: a straightforward overview of an album with photos of the CD and links to audio and video. I include short audio excerpts to get a taste of the album, and sometimes I translate and include portions of the liner notes as well.
The focus of each article is on the music itself with the goal of sharing it with a wider audience. In most cases, these are modern-day albums from current musicians who are still playing in Japan and can be seen at live performances.
To view and search for albums and musicians, browse the Albums or Archive pages, or use the search function (a magnifying glass icon) built into the website. There is also an Index with links to musicians’ websites and related albums.
About the Clubs
In addition to the albums, I also write articles about live jazz venues including clubs, bars, cafes, and similar places in Japan. For both albums and clubs, all information is gathered through my direct experience, and all photos were taken by me (excluding official album cover art images).
These club articles are mostly about specific venues in Japan, and also occasionally feature extra information for interested readers, with more photos and guides about Japanese jazz.
Reach out
Future features and updates are always possible, so don’t hesitate to reach out with your suggestions or comments. An easy way to contact me is by replying to the newsletter email.
Q&A
What’s this website about?
For sharing information about jazz and related music from Japan and Japanese musicians, mostly through albums released during the last twenty years.
How can I find a specific musician here?
Search the archive or check the Index, which has links to musicians’ websites and albums.
How can I find albums with vocals, solo piano, violin, bossa nova, subgenres…
Search the archive for keywords like “straight ahead”, “bebop”, “solo piano”, “bossa nova”, “Brazilian”, “violin”, “duo”, etc. For albums where the primary artist is a vocalist, or most of the songs feature vocals, try the Vocals tag filter.
Where can I buy these CDs?
Check hmv.co.jp, amazon.co.jp, tower.jp, and cdjapan.co.jp (not all sites ship overseas). You may also be able to buy CDs directly from the musicians at their live shows or through their websites.
How are the names of Japanese musicians displayed here?
The musicians’ names on this website are shown in “first-name last-name” order when written in English (given name first), and “last-name first-name” order in Japanese (family name first). For example:
Akane Matsumoto is 松本茜, where Akane is 茜 and Matsumoto is 松本, typically read in Japanese in the order 松本 (MATSUMOTO) 茜 (AKANE).
Fumio Karashima is 辛島文雄, where Fumio is 文雄 and Karashima is 辛島, typically read in Japanese in the order 辛島 (KARASHIMA) 文雄 (FUMIO).
Although some official organizations and media use the traditional Japanese name order as standard, in many cases (such as on albums and music catalogs) Japanese musicians’ names are shown in “first-name last-name” order when displayed in English, such as with an artist or a band name.
Publishing since 2018 as “J Jazz: Modern Jazz From Japan” (WordPress from Jan 2018), “J Jazz Substack” (Substack from May 2021), and “Jazz of Japan” (GitHub from Jan 2022, Substack from May 2023).
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