Mar 2026
Currently addicted to Japanese fusion jazz. I never knew I’d ever like jazz, but here we are.
It all started when the gods of Spotify recommended me this song. Yokohama by Hako Yamasaki. I wouldn’t necessarily call it jazz, but it was definitely a gateway drug. From there I discovered Mayumi Kojima. She’s more blues than jazz, really, but we were getting closer.
This is where things get interesting. From that point I went down two distinct sub genres. One more piano-heavy and traditional jazz, the other a fusion of jazz and rock with a sprinkling of orchestral.
For the piano-heavy side, nothing beats songs like Lilac Slumber by Annabel. The instrumentation-and yes, that is a word, and yes I did just make it up so don’t worry about it-is just perfect. Whoever did the mastering really knew what they were doing.
The jazz fusion side was taken up almost entirely by Sheena Ringo’s early work. Specifically her two albums Heisei Fuuzoku (Japanese Manners) and, I’m not jesting here, Reimport Vol. 2: Civil Aviation Bureau. The first album gave me what might be an all-time favourite song. The instruments feel so warm while still being incredibly clear, and it’s just… so good.