Miyuki Moriya’s Cat’s Cradle from 2010 is modern jazz album from an alto sax quartet featuring engaging sounds and improvisation from exciting musicians. The allure of this album is deepened by the sax leader’s catchy originals, and listeners who are stimulated by angular jazz will be pulled into this music and want to return to these songs again and again. Also distinguishing the sound is the edgy, metallic sound of the alto sax and the funky, crystalline drumming, with stylish planes of piano and guitar and gliding over the deeply full bass lines. Drummer Sohnosuke draws attention with a concentrated hip-hop energy driving the odd-meter songs, and, along with steady bass lines from Ikejiri, keeps the listener anchored even through unusual rhythms beyond standard swing patterns (see Sohnosuke’s Rin (2018) for similar sounds.) ...

A novel album in several ways, Gakudan Hitori from musician Reikan Kobayashi contains interesting dimensions and juxtapositions. Kobayashi is proficient on many instruments but has primarily made a name for himself by playing shakuhachi in Japan and using the traditional Japanese bamboo flute in jazz music. As strong a voice the whistling wind of the wooden flute is itself, the incorporation of this characteristically Japanese sound to jazz and other music adds to the originality of this 2011 release. ...

Veteran jazz pianist Fumio Karashima was well-known in Japan for his quick, hard bop style and authentic feel which excited audiences at live concerts and tours as well as on albums. It’s Just Beginning from 2004 is a studio-recorded album with the impulse of a live performance set. Indeed, the tracks were selected by the pianist to showcase the trio and the music performed during a 2003 tour, jazz standards reflecting a passion for genuine jazz with significance to the pianist. Karashima, who spent time with drummer Elvin Jones’ group as well as leading his own trios, gained fans both within Japan and overseas and knows how to deliver a good set, making this an exciting jazz trio album. ...

Similar in concept to Ray Brown’s Some Of My Best Friends Are… album series in which the legendary bassist plays with assorted partners in jazz, bassist Daiki Yasukagawa’s release Trios II from 2015 features the bassist performing with four different trios assembled from multiple pianists and drummers. A followup to Yasukagawa’s Trios (2010), Trios II brings even more musicians into the recording studio and offers up a new album with the various trios performing 11 songs. ...

Bonanza, from 2012, is the debut release from guitarist Yudo Matsuo, whose kinetic quartet performs original songs with influences from electric jazz fusion to pop songwriters, a palette of sounds reflecting his varied artistic sides. The core band is made up of guitar, trumpet, fretless electric bass, and drums, with guest keyboard on three tracks adding a warm bluesy sound for extra soul. While much of the music is built around a fusion jazz/rock mood which runs through the album, the dial also moves to include smooth jazz sounds, evocative jazz waltzes, and pop, including a rendition of “Blackbird” by The Beatles. One track, “Loplop”, comes closest to pure bop guitar with a fast swing beat and walking bass, where Matsuo plays quick jazzy lines in the style of guitarists such as Tal Farlow and Pat Martino. ...

Modern jazz albums like saxophonist Hiromi Miura’s We Don’t Know Yet occupy a special place, offering original compositions with creative elements which remain in the mind and call for repeated listens. Performed with consummate skill from the New York- and Japan-based musicians, the album offers five of Miura’s songs and two cover songs, focusing on intricate modern compositions and interpretations. Miura’s creative songwriting takes on challenges like constructing sweet melodies over shadowy harmonic intervals, odd-metered rhythms, and subtle dynamic changes, also using less tangible influences from snowy weather to fantasy and space. The album was recorded at a time when reflecting on those uncertain moments between transitions, not knowing what will come next but bravely moving forward. ...

Jazz singer Azumi’s 2010 release Almost Like Being in Love is a cheery and ebullient jazz album filled with fresh takes on classic jazz standards. With well-thought-out arrangements and a satisfying choice of tunes, a variation of moods with an undercurrent of lively swing is established right from the inviting title track. Other standards include “On Green Dolphin Street”, “My Favorite Things”, and “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”, played as a cute jazz march. ...

Noriko Satomi brings the passion and vibrancy of jazz violin to an acclaimed jazz composition on her 2019 homage to A Love Supreme, which received a Jazz Japan Award from Jazz Japan magazine in January 2020. No doubt familiar to most jazz fans, John Coltrane’s 1965 masterpiece sets a high bar for any jazz group, with both rote recitation and musical reinvention being risky propositions. At the same time, re-experiencing the classic performance at live concerts or on newly recorded albums can provide a thrilling way for fellow fans and the performing musicians themselves to appreciate the music together. ...

Veteran bassist Hideaki Kanazawa and stellar pianist Sumire Kuribayashi join up for a calm and lyrical jazz duo on Nijuso from 2017. Using a palette of jazz standards, new compositions, and free improvisation, the duo creates a tranquil mood with songs brimming with warmth. The richly-recorded sounds of piano and bass float in and around the melodies with unhurried timing and free improvisation with vocal-like qualities. Unloosing the emotional core may be the goal as the two musicians work together to create beautiful experiences, a canvas of lullabies and spiritual-like visions. ...