Pere-Furu is as packed with pleasing tensions as any genre-bending, improvisation-loving band could be. Yet, to describe them that way misses out on how earthy, intense, joyous and wide-ranging the band is. They get on stage and play music stripped of limits: playing in and around and with genres, rhythms, expectations
Read MoreThis intense trio plays straight on for a half hour at one go without the least slack. The intensity is striking, first of all, and then it dawns on you, she’s playing one of the most traditional Japanese instruments of all!
Read MoreSun Alley is one of the best blues bands in Japan. They kicked off their early April set knowing the crowd needed some relief from the worries of the earthquake and they delivered by showing just how restorative the blues can be.
Read MoreIsao Suzuki’s Oma Sound is one of the longer-running groups in Tokyo’s jazz scene. That is, it’s been running with Suzuki at the helm and a cast of hot, young players revolving in and out of the line-up for years. This most recent incarnation is one of the best—high-energy, chop-heavy, and cooler than ever.
Read MoreThis lovely quartet layered the evening with great solos, lush tones and a terrific vibe. Nakajima’s sax swept everyone in the crowded house into her mesmerizing sax styling. Kicking the first set into high gear with “Caravan,” Nakajima played with Art Pepper-like attention to tone.
Read MoreB Flat has gone out of its way, and into its pockets, to offer no-charge nights for years. Now in its current location for 10 years, they wanted to celebrate. No better way to do that than open up the club and let people walk in free for four great sets of sizzling jazz.
Read MoreFumio Karashima plays jazz that lets you know you are in the hands of a master. From the opening notes, the tight swing his quartet lays down flows out from the heart of jazz and never lets up.
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