Pree Scruby delves into the underground jazz scene of Tokyo with a visit to some of the Japanese capital’s coolest cats.
Few people in Asia love their jazz quite as much as the Japanese, especially in Tokyo, where jazz offers freedom and spontaneity rarely found in the cutesy, conservative Japanese offerings of J-pop, rock, and classical Japanese music.
With an abundance of home-grown talent, today Tokyo’s jazz clubs provide an opportunity for artists to showcase the nation’s very own ‘Japanese Jazz’ genre, and while there are sister clubs of New York’s famous establishments, including Blue Note and Cotton Club in residence, it’s the alternative basement hideouts that continue to keep true die-hard jazz connoisseurs suitably tickled.
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The Pit Inn
One of the oldest jazz clubs in the Japanese capital is underground basement venue The Pit Inn, which has been showcasing Tokyo’s newest talent for over 50 years.
Music is taken very seriously by this smoky institution’s faithful clientele, who arrive in droves to savour the soulful sounds of The Pit Inn’s calendar of local and international artists. Whilst afternoons are open to young, fresh, and aspiring musicians, the evenings are set aside for more established, well-known performers.
With all chairs facing the stage and plenty of standing room at the rear, there are no bad seats in this house, leaving every patron the chance to soak up the full ambiance and appreciate the moving melodies in their own way.
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Sometime
For dedicated jazz fans searching for a quirkier destination, Sometime has been serving up avant-garde jazz, hearty bites and highballs since 1975. Located in the Kichijoji area, a neighbourhood well-known for its array of jazz venues, Sometime has the air of an old saloon bar, with its antique décor almost as fascinating as the music of its artists.
Surrounded by vintage brass cash registers, retro rotary wall-mounted telephones, and grand, time-worn clocks, this stage-less venue positions its musicians in the centre of the room, enticing punters to pick a pew at the bar or enjoy a more elevated view from the upper-level.
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Jazz Kissaten
Of course, jazz doesn’t have to be experienced live to be fully appreciated, and jazz kissaten or jazz cafés also play an important role in Japanese jazz history. Made popular after World War II, serious jazz fans ritually used jazz kissatens as a sanctuary in which to silently sip coffee and focus their attention on vinyl jazz being played through large speakers.
Although the number of jazz kissaten has declined over the years, those icons still remaining welcome a much more varied audience these days, with music now being pumped through state-of-the-art sound systems.
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JBS
A great example is JBS (Jazz, Blues, Soul), a tiny place burrowed in the depths of lively Shibuya district. Run by owner Kobayashi-san, JBS is completely frills-free because here it’s all about the music. His collection of more than 11,000 records is pretty overwhelming, surpassed only by his astonishing knowledge and passion for ‘Black Music’.
Just a handful of lucky customers manage to strike up a conversation with Kobayashi-san, but to be able to see and listen to his incredible, personal vinyl collection, record after record, with a coffee or a whisky in hand, really is a true honour.
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