A brilliant early album from Japanese drummer Hideo Shiraki – a jazz session that bristles with the same intensity as key late 50s work by Benny Golson or Gigi Gryce! Although Hideo's leading the group on drums, his work on the kit is remarkably subtle – done with the snappingly rhythmic style that marked some of Golson's best modern experiments of a few years before – not nearly as bombastic as his stint with Art Blakey, and more in the rhythmically stepping quality of his work with Art Farmer in the Jazztet. Key players on the session include Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute and Yuzuru Sera on piano – both of whom give the album a fluid grace that's really beautiful – and soulful edges that allow the record to stand equally next to anything coming out of the US at the time. One track features a bit of koto at the start – echoing Shiraki's later world jazz experiments – but most of the set is straight modern hardbop, with tracks that include "Blue Romeo", "Etude No 1", "Just One Or Eight", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

Bossa jazz from 60s Japan – a set recorded right around the same time that Verve first started hitting bossa grooves in the US! The sound here is sharper than a Verve bossa album, though – with some of the same hardbop inflections you'd hear on other Hideo Shiraki albums from the time – thanks to flute and tenor from Sleepy Matsumoto, and trumpet from Hisaya Omata. The tenor and trumpet come together with almost a Blue Note-styled sort of sound – but the bossa vibe is still nicely maintained in some of the looser percussion touches in the rhythms – a great blend that makes the album a real standout in the Japanese jazz scene of the 60s! Titles include "Sayonara Blues", "Gypsy Blue", "Deux Step", "Groovy Samba", "Orfeo Negro", and "Tico Tico". CD

A rare soundtrack session from Japanese jazz legend Hideo Shiraki – maybe one of the earliest recordings we've ever seen from the drummer – and one that also features work from pianist Takeshi Inomata and saxophonist Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto as well! The cover's somewhat unassuming, but the music inside is quite vivid and rich – jazz tracks used as a film score, often with a quality that's like the best jazz soundtracks coming out of French and Italian cinema at the end of the 50s – with a very different vibe than some of Shiraki's later albums as a leader! There's a nicely moody, late nite quality to many of the tracks – and instrumentation shifts throughout, but includes vibes, tenor, guitar, and piano – all elements used without as much heavy drum work from Hideo as you might expect. The set features dozens of short tunes, and runs for over 70 minutes in length – a huge document of this rare Japanese jazz material from the postwar years. CD

Not sure what they mean by "Ameriachi" in the title – but from the sound of the music, there's definitely a great A&M Records-styled mix of jazz, Latin, and South American modes! The set begins with a set of cookers from drummer Hideo Shiraki – working with an excellent group that features tenorist Hidehiko Matsumoto handling arrangements – often in ways that have this upbeat, swinging, and pretty darn groovy way of moving along – sometimes with a bold Herb Alpert-styled trumpet in the lead – other times with a bit of marimba vibes. Titles include "Ashita Ni Nareba", "Akasaka After Dark", "You & Me", and "Ginza Wa Koi No Jujiro". The second half is handled by Takeshi Inomata & His West Liners Plus All-Stars – a group that has an equally great A&M approach to the groove – thanks to arrangements from pianist Masao Yagi! The whole thing's a great illustration of the way that 60s Japanese jazzmen could also work in some groovy instrumental styles in the right setting – and titles include "One Rainy Night In Tokyo", "Omoide", "Goodbye Mr Tears", "Koi Wa Akaibara", and "Aitakute Aitakute". CD

Bossa jazz from 60s Japan – a set recorded right around the same time that Verve first started hitting bossa grooves in the US! The sound here is sharper than a Verve bossa album, though – with some of the same hardbop inflections you'd hear on other Hideo Shiraki albums from the time – thanks to flute and tenor from Sleepy Matsumoto, and trumpet from Hisaya Omata. The tenor and trumpet come together with almost a Blue Note-styled sort of sound – but the bossa vibe is still nicely maintained in some of the looser percussion touches in the rhythms – a great blend that makes the album a real standout in the Japanese jazz scene of the 60s! Titles include "Sayonara Blues", "Gypsy Blue", "Deux Step", "Groovy Samba", "Orfeo Negro", and "Tico Tico". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark session of world jazz! This is one of the first entries in MPS' "Jazz Meets The World" series – and it features the quintet of Japanese drummer Hideo Shiraki (featuring a young Terumasa Hino on trumpet), working with additional traditional instrumentation by three female Koto players. The combination of postwar Japanese hardbop and folkloric melodies is astounding – and the format allows the jazz players to groove at their best, while still interacting nicely with the Kotos. The record is a gem through and through – with a visionary sound that shows that MPS was already one of the most groundbreaking labels in jazz, even at an early age. Titles include "Alone Alone and Alone", "Suvwa", "Yamanaka Bushi", and "Sakura, Sakura". LP, Vinyl record album

A late 50s stormer from Japanese drummer Hideo Shiraki – caught here at a great point in his early career! The album's got a bit more of a swing-based feel than some of Shiraki's later sides – a bit more Verve-like energy than Blue Note style – which is a-ok with us, because the sound of the set is so great! But even more than Hideo's work on drums, the real star of the album is almost saxophonist Akira Miyazawa – who gets in some great solo moments on nearly every track, blowing tenor with a great sense of soul that really lights up the record and makes things shine. Titles include "The Man I Love", "Moritat", "Night In Tunisia", "Drum Boogie", "Around The World", and "I Got Rhythm". CD

An ear-opening set of Japanese jazz from a time when that nation's scene was really taking off – a period in the 70s when all sorts of new artists and new ideas were really flying around – and leaving behind a huge recorded legacy that's been mostly out of reach for us in the west! Japan always had a few big names in jazz that got exported overseas, but the work here is from some of the smaller names who were still turning out incredible music – much of it only issued on vinyl, and not reissued later – brought together here with copious notes that really tell you a heck of a lot about the music! There's definitely a post-Coltrane vibe going on – lots of spiritual elements, mixed with both moments that are funkier and more soulful, and others that are a bit more freewheeling – often stretched out on extended tracks that really let the artists take off and find their space. Titles include "Black Nile" by Hideyasu Terakawa, "Kirisame" by Ryusei Quartet, "Honey Sanba" by Katsuyuki Itakura, "Cumulonimbus" by Shigeharu Mukai, "Song Of Island" by Yasuhiro Kohno Trio + One, "Phoebus" by Hiroshi Murakami & Dancing Sphinx, "Morning Tiede" by Kohsuke Mine, "Kemo Sabe" by Masao Nakajima, "Song For Hope" by Aki Takase, "Planets" by Masaru Imada Trio + 1, "1/4 Samba" by Tatsuya Nakamura, "Acoustic Chicken" by Koichi Matsukaze, and "Cumorah" by Eiji Nakayama. CD features bonus tracks – "Wolf's Theme" by Seiichi Nakamura, "Burning Cloud" by Ryojiro Kurusawa, and "Groovy Samba" by Hideo Shiraki. CD

A wonderfully wide-ranging look at the more unique aspects of Japanese jazz from the 60s onward – a set that mixes together spiritual tracks, bossa nova, and some surprisingly soulful tracks too – all from records that were only ever issued in Japan! If you've heard the great first volume, you'll know what to expect here – but we can also say that the scope of work here might even be better, and there's some great surprises along the way – especially on cuts that show the way these Japanese jazz musicians have taken some inspiration from American music, then really run far in their own new directions with the work. Titles include "Yamame" by Akira Miyazawa, "Loving You" by George Otsuka, "Down To The Sea" by Yoshio Ikeda, "Clair Deluge" by Toshiyaki Yokota & The Beat Generation, "Saynoara Blues" by Hideo Shiraki, "Blossom In The Water" by Masao Yagi, "Day Of The Sun" by Masahiko Togashi & Isao Suzuki, "Summer Wind" by Yasuko Nagamine & Yasuaki Shimizo, "Desireless" by Masahiko Togashi, "Lady Boogie" by Takeru Muaroka & His New Grup, "Constant Rain" by Tadao Sawai & Toshiyuki Miyama, and "Ma Mere L'Oye" by Jun Date & Masayki Takayanagi. LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty of crazy rhythms here – as singers Chiemi Eri and Carl Jones are joined by Japanese jazzmen who include Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats, saxophonists Sadao Watanabe and Sleepy Matsumoto, guitarist Shungo Sawada, and the Hideo Shiraki Quintet! The backings on all tracks are superb – and elevate the already-great team of Eri and Jones to a wonderful new level – one that easily matches some of the hippest vocal jazz sessions cut in the US during the same period, especially some of the more inventive albums on the soul jazz side of the spectrum. Titles include "The Big Twister", "My Funny Valentine", "Just Squeeze Me", "Love Is Here To Stay", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Midnight Sun Will Never Set". CD