WaJazz - Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol II : Deep, Heavy & Beautiful Jazz From Japan 1962 - 1985

Following the highly acclaimed first volume in the series, Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa continues the WaJazz exploration with another essential collection of music that contains something uniquely Japanese — focusing this time on the King Records catalog. Featuring timeless music by Isao Suzuki, Toshiaki Yokota, Akira Miyazawa, Takeru Muraoka, Yasuaki Shimizu, Masahiko Togashi, George Otsuka, and more!

Japanese jazz has been recognized and celebrated by music lovers worldwide for decades. The origins of this trend may be traced back to the rare groove movement that flourished in the 1990s, but its current deep and wide popularity seems to be connected to the fact that Japanese people have been reevaluating their own jazz since the mid-2000s, locally referred to as WaJazz ("Wa" meaning Japan but also the Showa emperor period, from 1926 to 1989).

Since the beginning of the 2000s, there has been a growing trend to move away from the DJ-focused perspective and to appreciate jazz with a deeper understanding. Nowadays, there is more and more interest in the background and roots in which jazz has developed in Japan, with Japanese jazz as a whole now considered as its own distinctive genre

This 12 track compilation has been carefully selected and compiled by Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa, who is the owner of Tokyo's Universounds record store. It comes on heavyweight vinyl with vast track-by-track liner notes by Ogawa and take sin everything from hard bop to free jazz with plenty of big and explosive moments as well as more deep and introspective sections of calm, all of which has been plucked from the vaults of Nippon Columbia. There is a reason Japanese jazz is so revered, and this record shows why.

"It is my great pleasure to introduce you to the second volume of the "Japanese Jazz Spectacle" series. Following the first compilation which focused on recordings from the Nippon Columbia catalog, this time we are digging into the King Records archives. It is almost impossible to capture the whole picture of Wa-Jazz in a couple of compilation albums since it is such a broad and deep genre, however, by extracting tracks from the Nippon Columbia and King Records collections - both labels having an extensive archive of jazz music - we may be able to glimpse a part of its allure and essence. This time again, I have made the music selection with this idea in mind. The music in this compilation was recorded between 1962 and 1985 and is a brief history of Japanese jazz on King Records. Listening is believing, so I hope these tracks will capture your heart and that you will enjoy the charms of Japanese jazz." - Yusuke Ogawa

Yusuke Ogawa has been running the Universounds store in Tokyo since 2001, specializing in jazz and second-hand, rare, and collector records. He is also a reissue supervisor, label manager, DJ, and music writer. Known for his vast musical knowledge, eye for detail, and archival skills, Ogawa has worked on more than 250 reissues and compilations – including the highly praised Deep Jazz Reality and Project Re:Vinyl series. He is the co-author of the Wa-Jazz Disc Guide and the Independent Black Jazz of America books.

Features

• Essential 12 track collection of “WaJazz” music selected and compiled by renowned Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa, owner of the Universounds record store in Tokyo.
  
• Gatefold 180g heavy double vinyl LP, reverse board print. Comes with extensive track-by-track liner notes by Yusuke Ogawa.
  
• All tracks licensed by Nippon Columbia, Tokyo, Japan.
  
• Mastering and lacquer cut by Jukka Sarapää at Timmion Cutting Lab, Helsinki, Finland.
  
• Artwork by Nker

Tracklist

Side A

• A1. Toshiaki Yokota & The Beat Generation - Clair Deluge
• A2. Tadao Sawai
• A3. Akira Miyazawa - Yamame
• A4. Various Artists - Ma Mere L'Oye

Side B

• B1. Masao Yagi - Blossom In The Water
• B2. Masahiko Togashi
• B3. Yasuko Nagamine

Side C

• C1. Hideo Shiraki - Sayonara Blues
• C2. Masahiko Togashi & His Improvisation Jazz Orchestra - Desireless

Side D

• D1. Takeru Muraoka & His New Group - Lady Boogie
• D2. Yoshio Ikeda - Down To The Sea
• D3. George Otsuka Quintet - Loving You

Notes

• Label: Universounds / WaJazz Series / 180g. Manufactured and distributed by 180g, in collaboration with HMV Record Shop and Universounds. 
• All tracks selected and compiled by Yusuke Ogawa (Universounds).
• All tracks licensed by King Record Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
• Mastering and lacquer cut by Jukka Sarapää at Timmion Cutting Lab, Helsinki, Finland.
• Artwork by Nicolas Kerembellec (Nker.fr). WaJazz hand calligraphy by Shiho Urakawa.
• Liner notes by Yusuke Ogawa (Universounds). English translation by Kozue Etsuzen (introduction) and Matt Lyne (tracks).
• Release coordination by Masato Komatsu (HMV Record Shop) and Greg Gouty (180g).
• Executive producers: Greg Gouty and Maxime Brottes (180g).
• Released January 27, 2023