Name: J Jazz - Free and Modern Jazz Albums From Japan 1954 - 1988
Brand: Tony Higgins, Mike Pedan

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BBE634BK

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

With Book

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2024-05-31

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

The Orchard

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

197189820861

Total Cap

Artist

Tony Higgins

Mike Pedan

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

BBE is a UK based record label, short for Barely Breaking Even. Founded in 1996 by Peter Adarkwah and Ben Jolly, the label releases both original works and compilations. Known for their compilation series such as "The Beat Generation" and "Kings of...," BBE features a wide range of collections in genres like jazz, soul, hip-hop, r'n'b, house, drum'n'bass, and more. With a diverse roster of artists including *J Dilla*, *Pete Rock*, *Roy Ayers*, *Marley Marl*, and many others, BBE continues to be a prominent force in the music industry.
The label's association with German label G-Stone Recordings has further expanded its reach. Since its inception, BBE has released numerous acclaimed albums and compilations that have garnered critical acclaim and commercial success.
With an extensive catalog spanning over two decades, BBE remains dedicated to showcasing exceptional talent from various genres while consistently delivering high-quality music to its loyal fanbase worldwide.

Newest Listed Items

BBE Music is thrilled to present J Jazz: Free and Modern Jazz From Japan 1954-1988, a remarkable large-format book covering some of the deepest, rarest, and most innovative jazz music released anywhere in the post-war era. Compiled by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, co-curators of BBE Music's acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass Series, the book also features a foreword by Japanese jazz icon, Terumasa Hino.

This is the first time a book of this type has been published outside of Japan and the first anywhere of this size and scale. It is a unique collection of over 500 albums of free and modern jazz released in Japan during a period of radical transformation and constant reinvention. An era that saw Japan return from the ravages of World War Two to become a global economic power and emerge as both a technological leader and an international cultural force. 

Through a unique gallery of albums, J Jazz charts the development of jazz in Japan from the first stirrings of the modern jazz scene in the mid to late 1950s and on through the hard bop and modal jazz of the 1960s. It steers the reader into the radical directions of the 1970s when free jazz, fusion, post-bop, and jazz-funk opened up a growing number of Japanese jazz artists to a new global audience before consolidating in the mid to late 1980s with a musical scene that laid the path for the contemporary jazz generation to follow.

 Over 500 full-colour sleeves from many of the leading names in Japanese jazz sit alongside rare and private pressings that tell a story of constant change and musical exploration. J Jazz includes profiles of several leading record labels such as East Wind, Frasco, King Records, and Nippon Columbia as well as critical independents such as Three Blind Mice, ALM, and Aketa’s Disk.

 J Jazz includes interviews with celebrated jazz photographer Tadayuki Naito, and pianist Tohru Aizawa, bandleader on the totemic spiritual jazz album, Tachibana Vol 1, as well as free-jazz record collector and jazz musician Mats Gustafsson. 

The book also features a chapter on albums by non-Japanese artists that only received a Japanese release, with collectible, rare, and obscure releases by figures such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Mal Waldron, Steve Lacy, and Art Blakey. J Jazz includes Japanese jazz charts from some of the world's leading jazz DJs including Gilles Peterson, Toshio Matsuura, Paul Murphy, and Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino. Among the specialist content is a feature on obi strips by record dealer and Japanese jazz expert, Yusuke Ogawa, plus a special article on Japanese Blue Note albums. 

Across its 300-plus pages, J Jazz includes a detailed introduction contextualising the music, tracing the story of Japan's fascination with jazz back before the war. It also features biographical information on many of the key artists involved in shaping the post-war Japanese jazz scene including Sadao Watanabe, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Masabumi Kikuchi, Masahiko Togashi, Terumasa Hino, Yosuke Yamashita, Fumio Itabashi, Masayuki Takayanagi, Takeo Moriyama, Isao Suzuki, and many more.

J Jazz - Free and Modern Jazz Albums From Japan 1954 - 1988

Music GB

Discover J Jazz - Free and Modern Jazz Albums From Japan 1954 - 1988 by Tony Higgins. Explore over 500 rare Japanese jazz albums in this unique book from BBE Music.