Improvised Music from Japan explained

Improvised Music from Japan is a music website and record label.

The website was originally known as Japanese Free Improvisers. As its name suggests, it concentrates on Japanese and Japan-based musical improvisers, particularly free improvisers. It was founded in 1996 by Yoshiyuki Suzuki.^[1]

Releases

In December 2001, a compilation box-set, also called Improvised Music from Japan, was released to mark the fifth anniversary of the website.^[2] It was a 10 CD collection of previously unissued material from a variety of Japanese musicians (some of them collaborating with Europeans and Americans). The artists featured on the release are:

• Tetuzi Akiyama
• Big Picture (band)
• Haco
• Shoji Hano
• Junji Hirose
• Ryoji Hojito
• Yoshimitsu Ichiraku
• Kazuo Imai
• Incapacitants
• Atsuhiro Ito
• Utah Kawasaki
• Kyoko Kuroda
• Brett Larner
• Sachiko M
• Toshimaru Nakamura
• Takehito Nakazato
• Mitsuru Nasuno
• Masahiko Okura
• Aki Onda
• Yasuhiro Otani
• Otomo Yoshihide
• Tetsu Saitoh
• Michihiro Sato
• Skist
• Taku Sugimoto
• Tamaru
• Yumiko Tanaka
• Tsuguto Tsunoda
• Kazuhisa Uchihashi
• Michiyo Yagi
• Seiichi Yamamoto
• Tetsuro Yasunaga
• Ami Yoshida
• Yasuhiro Yoshigaki

The label has since released a number of other records featuring similar artists:

• Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama and guests, Meeting at Off Site Vol. 1 (IMJ-501, April 2002)
• Otomo Yoshihide, Ensemble Cathode (IMJ-502, July 2002)
• Kaffe Matthews, Andrea Neumann and Sachiko M, In Case of Fire Take the Stairs (IMJ-503, December 2002)
• Ami Yoshida, Tiger Thrush (IMJ-504, July 2003)
• Shoji Hano, 48 (IMJ-505, May 2003)
• Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama and guests, Meeting at Off Site Vol. 2 (IMJ-506, May 2003)
• Yumiko Tanaka, Tayutauta (IMJ-507, due January 2004)
• Raku Sugifatti (Radu Malfatti and Taku Sugimoto), Futatsu (IMJ-508/9, December 2003)
• Aki Onda, Bon Voyage! (IMJ-510, October 2003)
• Otomo Yoshihide, Park Je Chun and Mi Yeon, Loose Community (IMJ-511, December 2003)
• Peter Brötzmann and Shoji Hano, Funny Rat (IMJ-512, October 2003)
• Toshimaru Nakamura, Side Guitar (IMJ-513, December 2003)
• Han Bennink and Kazuo Imai, Across the Desert (IMJ-514, December 2003)
• Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama and guests, Meeting at Off Site Vol. 3 (IMJ-515, December 2003)

Other Japanese artists which could be considered free improvisers include:

• Kaoru Abe
• Masayuki Takayanagi

See also

• List of Japanoise artists

External links

• Home page

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bell . Clive . 2014-10-24 . Off Site: Improvised Music From Japan . 2023-06-28 . Red Bull Music Academy.
2. Web site: Olewnick . Brian . Improvised Music From Japan Review . AllMusic.