Biography
In the 60s, a small number of forward-thinking Japanese jazz musicians were starting to work on a new sound. These young musicians were brought together as a collective by guitarist Masayuki “JoJo” Takayanagi (a veteran of the GI clubs) and bassist Hideto Kanai. The association initially included pianist Masabumi Kikuchi and drum prodigy Masahiko Togashi, as well as trumpeter Teramasu Hino and pianist Yosuke Yamashita. Soejima Teruto believes that the first example of music breaking free from modern jazz imitations began in 1962, with the establishment of the regular live event “Friday Jazz Corner”. At that time, Takayanagi was a friend of chanson singer Kudo Ben, and through the introduction of Kudo, a regular live session was organized at the famous club Ginparis (Ginza Paris, the “s” is silent), behind Yamaha, in Ginza. A club in the basement, with seating for a hundred people. Since late Friday night was a little busy time, owner Harada san had decided to use it for jazz, making the “Friday Jazz Corner” a regular rendezvous and leaving the musicians free.
“Once every two or three months, from midnight until the next morning, always at Ginparis, they’d perform their originals, and all because they had access to this space to perform, the movement they started there has had a profound influence on the jazz scene of today.” (from Uchida Osamu’s notes to the Ginparis Session LP)
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