Jazzed Out, Tokyo

The Jazzed Out series seeks to sketch a scene at the very top of modernity. Pulling jazz from its 20th Century home of smokey nighttime joints, it thrusted this bold and living music into the open air. With specials films cut in New York, Oslo, Paris, London and more, musicians interact with their surroundings, filling them with music that represents the spectrum of life, from the bustle and the chaos to the sweetness and the solitude. The series creators claim that Jazz has never been so real and, as this snapshot of the modern scene attests, the musicians seem to come alive in a different way once taken out of their natural habitats. 

For the Tokyo edition the series travels to a country that has always produced singular and towering musicians, from Makoto Ozone to Toshiko Akiyoshi and Ryo Fukui. Here, the marvellous Indigo Jam Unit share the line up with the likes of crossover jazz-electronic masters Kyoto Jazz Massive, Sleep Walker and the modern cool-jazz four piece, Quasimode.