A record with a staid sort of cover, one that hides all the great funky energy underneath – as the set's a killer album from Japanese drummer Takeshi Inomata, working here with his Sound Ltd group in a wonderful blend of jazz, funk, and psychedelic mode! There's a fantastic swirling of elements going on here – including guitar from a young Ryo Kawasaki, plus trumpet from Shunzo Ohno, flute from Toshiako Yokota, and tenor from Takao Uematsu – as well as trombone from Takashi Imai, who handled the arrangements with Inomata and Norio Maeda. The record is a key evolution of the late 60s Japanese way of serving up new jazz takes on American hits – as the record is funky, yet filled with original material that really pushes the boundaries – on titles that include "It Better End Soon", "Sometimes In Winter", "South California Purples", "Tell All The People", "Tag 5 Tune", and "Pacific C55". LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing innocent about this record – because the groove is hard and heavy, wild and trippy – a really heady brew of funky jazz and more psychedelic influences – all recorded with some weird sounds in the background too! The album's a great one from Japanese groove pioneer Takeshi Inomata – and it's almost a fusion of earlier 60s funky band jazz with some of the more tripped-out modes of the jazz rock era. Vamping rhythms and full-on organs are undercut by wiggy guitar parts and soaring organ lines – all augmented by spoken Japanese passages, sound effects, and production styles that abstract out some instruments into very unusual modes. There's plenty of soulful and funky moments throughout – and titles include "The Death Of Janis", "Child & I", "Blue", "Alone", and "Go For Nothing". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer funky group from early 70s Japan – a slightly large ensemble, but one with some really heavy drums at the bottom – plus some great use of organ and electric guitar! There's a tight brace of horns at the top – flute, tenor, trumpets, and trombone – but the rhythms are what really drive the record, and give the whole thing a sometimes-funky, always-groovy quality that never lets up! The mode is almost soundtrack funk at times – jazz, but filled with some rich colors and expansive tones too – and there's a sophistication here that really rewards repeated listenings, but never gets in the way of the groovier moments too. Titles include "Theme Mustache", "Tak's Tune", "Joint", "Monster", "Lullaby For Yuh", and "Scotland Scene". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a very bleak sort of cover image, but a wonderfully warm sound within – strongly resonant quartet work that features great vibes from Kinta Hamada, plus Takeshi Inomata on drums, Kinta Hamada on vibes, Naoki Nishi on piano, and Kenichi Uchiyama on bass! With a lineup like that, you might expect a bit of a Modern Jazz Quartet approach – but these guys have moved way past that, and are instead in the warmer, more expressive territory opened up by the Japanese piano scene of the 70s – working in a well-recorded format that sparkles with plenty of warmth and relaxed imagination. Most tracks are nice and long, and titles include "CTA", "Adjustment", "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set", "That Old Black Magic", and "Angel Eyes". CD

One of those records that you might pass by in the racks, as the cover image almost seems more like a metal set than a jazz one – yet a date that really opens up with all the best charms of the Japanese jazz scene at the time – mixing the vibes of Kinta Hamada, piano of Naoki Nishi, bass of Kenichi Uchiyama, and drums of the great Takeshi Inomata on drums – all in a setting that's wonderfully understated, gently swinging, and with a lot of warmth throughout! Titles include nice takes on "Bluesette", "Blue Rondo A La Turk", and "The Summer Knows" – plus "Des Sasser" and "It Don't Mean A Thing". CD

A Japanese set that hearkens back to a mode used by Contemporary Records in the late 50s – a trio date with Norio Maeda on piano, Kenichi Uchiyama on bass, and Takeshi Inomata on drums – featuring music from My Fair Lady on one side, and West Side Story on the other! LP, Vinyl record album

All-star jazz from the Japanese scene of the early 60s – a record that's almost in the Verve Records jam session or JATP style – as it features some of the greatest players on the Japanese scene of the time, coming together on some really long tracks that take off in a beautiful way! The set features two cuts, each taking up a side of the record – and that leaves plenty of room for long solo contributions from musicians who include Sadao Watanabe on alto, Akira Miyazawa on tenor, Norio Maeda on piano, Takeshi Inomata on drums, Shungo Sawada on guitar, and Akira Nakano on trumpet. Players are different on each side of the record – changing things up nicely, to present the range of new Japanese jazz voices that were making the start of the 60s such a key part of the scene – and the titles include extended takes on "Moanin" and "Walkin". LP, Vinyl record album

An essential collection of work from the Japanese scene of the 70s – as set that really gets at the "something special" that made jazz from this generation so unique! Japanese musicians were early adopters of American modes – and the scene had great bop recordings from the 50s onward – but as the 70s approached, old and young musicians really started experimenting with a whole new range of styles – some mixed older Japanese instrumental modes with contemporary jazz, others tried a poetic approach to modal jazz, some were spiritual, and a few even got downright funky – but in ways that were very different than American jazz funk! This set brings together key examples of all those great styles – in a package that features detailed notes from Yusuke Ogawa, the man who's taught us plenty over the years – with titles that include "Mustache (live)" by Takeshi Inomata & Sound Ltd, "Fourth Expression" by Masahiko Togashi, "Do It" by Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Tochi Mo Kurumi Mo Fukiotose" by Masahiko Sato, "Breeze" by Soul Media, "Adult's Day" by Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd, "Sakura Sakura" by Tadaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, "Muraiki" by Minoru Muraoka, "Mago Uta" by Count Buffalo & The Jazz Rock Band, "D51" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, and "Breath Prologue" by Hozan Yamamoto, Masahiko Togashi, and Yosuke Yamashita. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Japanese-only live date from Anita O'Day – material recorded for television with a groove that's quite similar to some of her best late work for Verve! Most of the tracks here are arranged by Buddy Bregman – who handled some of Anita's best studio sessions – and backings are by Japanese bandleaders Toshiyuki Miyama and Takeshi Inomata – both of whom bring just the right of hard-swinging energy to the date to match O'Day's great vocals. The tunes here have only ever been issued on DVD before – making this CD the first album appearance of the tracks – and titles include a great version of "Four Brothers", plus "Stella By Starlight", "Tea For Two", "Night & Day", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Boogie Blues", "Travelin Light", "Bewitched", "Avalon", and "Let's Fall In Love". CD

Beautiful overseas work from Mal Waldron – from that time when he'd almost disappeared from the US recording scene, but was making some of his most inventive music in Europe and Japan! The trio features Yasuo Arakawa on bass and Takeshi Inomata on drums – and titles are all long, very modern, and include "Japanese Island", "Rock For Jimbo San", "Mount Fujiyama", and "Atomic Energy". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Japanese session from vocalist Helen Merrill – one of a few key 60s recordings she cut on the Tokyo scene, after initial fame in the US! The album features a great small group arranged by drummer Takeshi Inomata, played by a combo that includes alto, baritone, and trumpet – all used in a cool and laidback mode that resonates nicely with Merrill's more familiar 50s sides on Mercury – but which also stretches out more, too – not as "cool", and with a sense of inflection that's mighty nice. Helen's in great form vocally – often singing in that almost-effortless mode that we love in her classic work – and titles include "It Never Entered My Mind", "Bewitched", "You Do Something To Me", "Teach Me Tonight", "Good Morning Heartache", and "My Favorite Things". CD