Recommendation of Wa-Jazz: A Masterpiece of Japanese Jazz—One Must-Listen Album
If you’re not particularly interested in jazz as a genre, you might just think of it as music from abroad.
In fact, here in Japan, we’ve produced many world-class players, and countless remarkable classic albums have been released.
This time, we’re presenting a selection of essential “Wa-Jazz” masterpieces by Japanese musicians.
While focusing on timeless classics from the ’60s and ’70s, the lineup also turns its attention to works released in the ’90s and 2000s.
Please enjoy jazz music with a distinctly Japanese flavor—something a little different from overseas jazz!
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Recommendation of Wa-Jazz: Masterpieces of Japanese Jazz – One Must-Listen Pick (51–60)
SunnyAyado Chie
Chie Ayado is probably one of the most famous female jazz singers in Japan.
Beyond her musical career, she’s also well known to the general public for her wide-ranging activities, including acting in dramas and serving as a TV commentator.
When she made her album debut as a jazz singer in 1998 with “For All We Know,” she was 40 years old—a decidedly late bloomer.
The album featured here, “Your Songs,” is her second overall, released in 1998 under the name Chie Ayade.
Even before her debut, Ayado was renowned in live houses for her overwhelming talent, and on this album she delivers exquisite performances of everything from jazz standards to classics by rock and pop artists such as the Beatles and Elton John.
For those who want to savor Ayado’s allure both as a pure jazz singer and as a singularly gifted vocalist, this work can surely be counted among the very best.
Memories of LyllyanNakamura Hachidai
Hachidai Nakamura, known as a composer and jazz pianist, was a key figure in Japan’s music scene who was active on the jazz circuit from the 1950s and later produced numerous classics such as “Ue o Muite Arukō” (“Sukiyaki”).
Released in 1961, Memories of Lillian is an excellent piano trio album featuring Hachiro Kurita and Jimmy Takeuchi.
Comprising all original compositions, it captures exquisite performances that incorporate elements of modern jazz while showcasing a uniquely Japanese, delicate sensibility.
In June 2023, an analog LP reissue using the latest remastering technology made it possible to enjoy the original sound with high fidelity.
Celebrated as a historically important masterpiece of “Wa-jazz,” this album is recommended not only for jazz fans but also for those who appreciate innovative expression revealed within a calm, refined atmosphere.
Heavenly Rock CaveSuzuki Hiromasa
Hiromasa Suzuki, who devoted himself to jazz piano while still a student at Keio University, has long demonstrated his extraordinary talent.
As a composer and arranger, he has also been active across a wide range of fields—anime scores, television soundtracks, and more—leaving a profound mark on Japan’s music scene.
Rock Joint Biwa, released on the RCA label in 1972, is an ambitious work inspired by Japan’s classical literature, the Kojiki.
Featuring leading figures of the Japanese jazz world at the time, including Kunikazu Inaba and Kiyoshi Sugimoto, and welcoming biwa player Fumihisa Miyake, the album achieves an innovative fusion of traditional instruments with jazz-rock.
Its psychedelic, ethereal tracks retain an undimmed allure even today and are highly regarded as a landmark of Wa-jazz.
It is a must-hear for those interested in encounters between Japanese tradition and contemporary music, and for listeners seeking truly original musical expression.
MichelleSatō Masahiko
Masahiko Sato is a jazz pianist and composer with a dazzling pedigree: born in Tokyo in 1941, he graduated from Keio University and then studied at Berklee College of Music, where he learned the fundamentals of composition and arrangement.
In addition to producing superb leader albums as a jazz musician, he has earned worldwide acclaim through collaborations with a wide range of artists, and, as a label founder and composer of music for commercials and films, he stands as one of the key figures in the Japanese jazz scene—his monumental achievements are beyond question.
His landmark first leader album, Palladium, was released in 1969 as a trio featuring Yasuo Arakawa on bass and Masahiko Togashi on drums.
The album won the Japan Jazz Award at that year’s Swing Journal Jazz Disk Awards and is regarded as a classic.
Aside from a cover of the Beatles’ masterpiece Michelle—presented as an ensemble performance running nearly 15 minutes—the album consists entirely of Sato’s original compositions, offering a riveting experience marked by unerringly intellectual and delicate expression, razor‑edged tension, and a distinctive lyricism.
Recommendation of Wa-Jazz: Masterpieces of Japanese Jazz — One Must-Listen Pick (61–70)
Find Your WayBlu-Swing
While rooted in orthodox jazz, this Blu-Swing masterpiece delivers greater accessibility and a refined sound.
Though uptempo, it maintains a gentle touch and soft vocals that leave a smooth impression.
Overall, it’s polished, with a flowing elegance that resonates well with Japanese listeners.
Softly As In A Morning SunriseHonda Takehiro
Even just declaring “This is me” in the album title is the height of cool and confidence, but paired with the monochrome cover featuring the profile of a bearded man with an afro, it’s a record you’ll want to buy for the jacket alone.
Let me introduce This Is Honda, released in 1972 under the name Takehiro Honda (credited here as Takehiro Honda/Takehiro Honnda), a jazz pianist also known as a founding member of the legendary fusion group Native Son.
It’s a piano trio album with Yoshio Suzuki, one of Japan’s premier jazz bassists, and Fumio Watanabe, drummer and younger brother of Sadao Watanabe.
The album is regarded as one of Honda’s signature works, having won the Best Recording Award in Swing Journal’s Jazz Disc Awards.
All six tracks are covers of standards—precisely the kind of material that reveals a performer’s individuality—and from that angle alone you can fully appreciate their superb playability and taste.
Honda’s piano overflows with a distinctive blues feeling: it’s steeped in soulful “blackness,” yet clearly stamped with a uniquely Japanese sensibility.
His occasional audible grunts add vivid immediacy, too.
The rhythm section’s work is flawless, of course.
This is a fiercely cool alternative to a tidy little piano trio—an album you’ll want to soak up with your whole body.
Mrs. RobinsonHiroki Miyano & Earl Klugh
This is a signature piece by Hiroki Miyano, who gained popularity in the fusion and light jazz scenes with the innovative “Sazanami technique,” a guitar playing method.
He has actively taken on features both in Japan and abroad, resulting in a composition brimming with lyricism.