Various Artists - J Jazz Vol. 4: Deep Modern Jazz from Japan - The Nippon Columbia Label 1968 -1981

With J Jazz volume 4, the BBE J Jazz Bullet Train continues its journey traversing the expansive landscape of modern Japanese jazz. Volume 4 is the latest in the universally praised compilation series exploring the best, rarest and most innovative jazz to emerge from the Far East. Please take your seats for a first-class ticket to J Jazz central. This latest station stop off is with the famed Nippon Columbia label, one of the biggest labels in Japan, whose jazz output embraces every possible style imaginable.

Focussing on the key years 1968-1981, J Jazz volume 4 sees compilers Tony Higgins and Mike Peden dig even deeper into their record collections and pull-out tracks that span styles ranging from solo to big band, jazz classical interpretations and heavy jazz rock, to febrile post-bop, white hot samba fusion, and modal psychedelic wig-outs. J Jazz volume 4 features icons such as drum master Takeo Moriyama, keyboard magi Hiromasa Suzuki, Fumio Itabashi, and Masahiko Satoh, and guitar wizards Kazumi Watanabe and Kiyoshi Sugimoto, alongside big band maestros and innovators Nobuo Hara and his Sharps and Flats, and Toshiyuki Miyama’s New Herd.

Thunderous basslines nestle alongside glistening runs of electric piano, bubbling synths and air-tight drumming as the heavy psychedelic modal blues of Jiro Inagaki flows with the infectious samba grooves of Takashi Mizuhashi featuring Herbie Hancock; Shigeharu Mukai’s fusion funk epics take the music to another level and Mikio Masuda’s driving keyboard rhythms brings the heat to an incendiary dancefloor zone.

TRACKLISTING

Disc: 1
1. Exchange
2. Chakkiri-Bushi
3. Trial Road
4. The Ground For Peace
5. A Muddy Muffin

Disc: 2
1. Samba de Negrito
2. Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun
3. 突風 Toppu
4. Scramble

Disc: 3
1. 奥儀伝授式 Ogi Denju-shiki
2. By The Red Stream
3. Kaleidoscope (Edit)
4. Jones Street
5. Micky's Samba

PRODUCT DETAILS

Artist:  Various Artists
Label:  BBE
Condition:  New 
Genre:  Jazz & Blues
Format:  Vinyl LP
Cat Number:  BBE731CLP
Released:  3rd November 2023