The first-ever western collection of work from Japanese jazz giant Jiro Inagaki – a great saxophonist in his own right, and a real master of the groove with his Soul Media band! The double-length set is overflowing with gems from the golden age of Jiro and that group – tunes that effortlessly mix together acoustic and electric elements, with occasional nods to Japanese cultural styles – all at a level that's every bit as groovy as European work from the MPS/Saba generation! Jiro blows tenor, soprano, and flute on the tracks – and other players include the great Norio Maeda on organ, Hiromasa Suzuki on electric piano, and Ryo Kawasaki on guitar – on titles that include "Wandering Birds", "That's How I Feel", "Sniper's Snooze", "Head Rock", "Breeze", "Twenty One", "By The Red Stream", "Back Off Boogaloo", "Theme", "Express", "Barock", and "Painted Paradise". (Jazz, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of Japanese soul from the end of the 80s – and one that's got a surprising connection to Prince as well – given the man himself wrote some of the tracks, and also appears on the record himself! Apart from Kahoru's Japanese vocals, the Prince tracks are totally Prince numbers – in that he wrote, produced, and performed all the instrumentation – on both "Mind Bells" and "Bliss" – which were then topped by vocals from Kahoru – in a way that's a totally great blend of city pop modes and Prince's funky groove! Other tracks are pretty great too – and feature arrangements that are equally soulful – on titles that include "Dreamer", "Wild Generation", "In The Rain", "Time The Motion", "Silent Blue", and "Everything's All Right". LP, Vinyl record album

A great blend of funky jazz and wooden flute – the Japanese shakuhachi reed instrument, blown by Kifu Mitsuhashi here – then mixed with some larger backings that almost have a CTI Records sort of groove! The approach is similar to some of the best 70s projects from Hozan Yamamoto – and like those, updates older Japanese styles with just the right dose of jazz – never getting in the way of the soulful lines from the lead instrument, but also really warming things up nicely with Fender Rhodes, bass, guitar, and drums – in wonderful arrangements put together by Kiyoshi Yamaya. Titles include "Yagi Bushi", "Yosakoi Bushi", "Hokkai Bon Uta", "Kuroda Bushi", "Otemoyan", and "Mamuro Gawa Ondo". LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of funky steps here, thanks to a lean 70s fusion groove – served up by a Japanese combo who are heavy on keyboards and guitar! There's almost a CTI-like vibe to the record at times, especially as the rhythms are nice and spacious, and avoid any of the full-on fusion modes that can come from a record that's too jamming – and instead really lets the elements of the instrumentation really find their best place in the groove! There's a horn section on the record, but used in ways that are nicely punctuated – just to augment the sound at all the right moments, yet never overwhelm. Titles include "Morning", "Moderato", "Largo", "Dream Of Love", and "Dance Ritual Of Fire" – all themes from classical, but really transformed via funky jazz – again another influence from CTI! (Jazz, Japanese) LP, Vinyl record album

The Japanese scene had plenty of great artists in the 70s, but few were as fantastic as Tatsuro Yamashita – a singer who effortlessly captures some of the more soulful currents of the American scene at the time, has a way of forging a really universal groove! The production, instrumentation, and arrangements are top-shelf – in the more soulful side of the AOR spectrum, but not nearly as too-polished as chart hits of the year 1980 – and certainly served up with all the right sort of warmth in the instrumentation, which continues to create all sorts of jazzy currents throughout! Tracks include "Silent Screamer", "Rainy Day", "Clouds", "Kissing Goodnight", "Door Into Summer", "Ride On Time", and "Daydream". LP, Vinyl record album