There is some uncertainty about the beginnings of jazz music in Japan, but some believe it started with an increase in luxury liners between Japan and the western coast of the United States. These liners were equipped with orchestras and bands that played for the passengers, and often this included jazz music. Passengers whose interest had been sparked would purchase records and sheet music at various ports of call during their travels.
Jazz dance club in 1933 from Mainichi Shinbun in “Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan” by E. Taylor Atkins
The popular song, Tokyo March, with its reference to dance halls and a flapper-like culture, was one of the first mediums through which jazz music and culture became nationally known in Japan. For more information about Tokyo March, see the previous Focus on Rekion article here.
Jazz music in Japan was starting to take off in the early twenties, right at the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake. After the disaster, many musicians fled to the western regions of the country, shifting much of the jazz culture to Osaka and the surrounding area.
There is some debate over the authenticity of jazz music in a Japanese cultural context. Some early Japanese jazz musicians were criticized for only covering songs and imitating styles of the great African-American players. However, in the post-war years up to today there have been a number of Japanese players who have reached recognition for their musicianship in the genre.
Rekion access in OSUL — A large number of Jazz compositions are available through Rekion by using ジャズ (Jazz) as the search term. Here is a sampling of melodies from 1930s to 1940s by several popular Jazz composers and performers including Ryōichi Hattori (服部良一), Fumio Nanri (南里文雄), the “Queen of the Boogie-Woogie” Shizuko Kasagi (笠置シヅ子), Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴), Dick Mine (ディック・ミネ or 三根徳一) and the Japanese American singer/actress Alice Fumiko Kawabata (川畑文子) :
- 流行歌：街の人気者 info:ndljp/pid/1317095 Release Date: 1934
- ジャズコーラス：リズムかっぽれ info:ndljp/pid/8268841 Release Date: 1935
- ジャズソング：三日月娘 info:ndljp/pid/3577231 Release Date: 1935
- 上海リル info:ndljp/pid/8270455
- ジャズソング：山寺の和尚さん info:ndljp/pid/2912929 Release Date: 1937
- ジャズソング：私のトランペット info:ndljp/pid/1325512 Release Date: 1937
- 流行歌：タリナイ・ソング info:ndljp/pid/3576541 Release Date: 1940
- 歌謡曲：東京ブギウギ info:ndljp/pid/2913266 Release Date: 1947
For a critical analysis of the development of jazz music in Japan, OSUL carries the following title, Blue Nippon, which is available as both a physical copy and an e-book format:
- Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan by E. Taylor Atkins (Duke University Press Books, 2001) (e-book version here)
- For an overview of the history of Jazz in Japan, visit “How Japan Came To Love Jazz” – a conversation between E. Taylor Atkins and NPR’s Patrick Jarenwattananon.
OSUL also has the following title, Jazz Journeys to Japan: The Heart Within. It is told in a narrative format and speaks about the popularity of jazz in Japan:
- Jazz Journeys to Japan: The Heart Within by William Minor (The University of Michigan Press, 2004)
NOTE: This is one of a series of posts highlighting content available in Rekion (れきおん), the Historical recordings collection of the National Diet Library (Japan), which is available at a dedicated computer in the Music and Dance Library at Ohio State. See the Introductory post in this series for more information about the database.
