Anyone interested in jazz made in Japan, about which we always want more and more information, received the exciting news in October 2023 that a new book on the subject was being prepared: Free and Modern Jazz Albums From Japan – 1954-1988. An initiative of the British label BBE Music, which has been rescuing Japanese jazz gems with the J Jazz Masterclass compilation series – created in 2018 and which already has four volumes –, the book took a while to be ready and reach readers around the world.
In January of this year, BBE Music created a collaborative campaign (pre-sale with extra items, such as t-shirts and test pressings) on Kickstarter to make the edition viable (they had a goal of raising US$ 25 thousand, but only managed to raise US$ 7,800. In any case, enough to continue with the project).
The book was finally ready in mid-May. The entire process, from conception to release, took three years. The edition is what you would call luxurious, hardcover, special paper, a copy that lives up to the music presented. Of course, the final cost is high (price at the publisher: 100 pounds).
And for those who live far away, there is also the high cost of shipping (the book weighs about 3.5 kg!), taxes, fees, and the fact that not all foreign stores that offer the work want to send it to Brazil. But it is fantastic to have one of these in your hands. If you can afford it, be sure to do so.
Compiled by researchers Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, Free and Modern Jazz Albums From Japan – 1954-1988 follows the line of the already classic Jazz Covers (by Joaquim Paulo, from Taschen).
It has almost 400 pages that bring together/present covers of about 500 albums (no matter how familiar you are with Japanese modern jazz, there will undoubtedly be plenty of discoveries to be made in these pages). There are also different texts. The foreword is written by the legendary trumpeter Terumasa Hino, now 81 years old.
A very informative introductory text on the history of Japanese jazz follows. There are also profiles of the record labels that were fundamental to this history, such as East Wind, Garrafa, Three Blind Mice, ALM, King Records and Nippon Columbia.
And interviews with figures such as photographer Tadayuki Naitoh (his photos have graced the covers of countless Japanese jazz albums), and an interesting chapter on the legendary obis, one of the hallmarks of albums released in Japan for decades, which features a statement by Yusuke Ogawa, presented as the country’s leading authority on jazz and record dealer.
And of course, there was a conversation with Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, who highlighted his role as an LP collector. The book concludes with a selection of albums by foreign artists that were originally released only in Japan.
The edition is completed with a CD compilation featuring 10 pieces of modern Japanese jazz.
