Shun Ishiwaka’s Band Teams Up with Aina, Hiromi Uehara, and More at “JAZZ NOT ONLY JAZZ”

On Friday, June 21st, NHK Hall hosted the live event ‘JAZZ NOT ONLY JAZZ,’ featuring a one-night-only special session led by drummer Shun Ishiwaka and his talented band. The event saw a diverse lineup of guest artists and attracted music fans from various generations. The audience was enthralled by performances that seamlessly traversed genres while rooted in jazz, showcasing extraordinary singing and remarkable performances.

After a DJ set by Mitsutaka Yagira, a renowned music critic and DJ, the event began with the Shun Ishiwaka Septet taking the stage. The septet, led by drummer Shun Ishiwaka, opened the night with a rendition of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” adding a contemporary twist to the jazz standard. The band members, including Shuta Nishida (guitar), Tokutaro Hosoi (guitar), Marty Holoubek (bass), Kei Matsumaru (sax), Jojo Yamada (trumpet), and Shota Watanabe (piano), are seasoned musicians in their early 30s who frequently collaborate with Ishiwaka.

The first guest of the night, Yasuyuki Horigome, joined the stage to perform Kirinji’s “Aliens,” eliciting a huge cheer from the audience. Horigome’s clear, timeless voice captivated the crowd, especially during the AOR-styled “New Day,” reminiscent of Donald Fagen. Ishiwaka expressed his excitement, stating, “It feels great to start with ‘Aliens,’ a song that means so much to me.” He then introduced the band members before they performed “Sunday in the Park.” This song is a collaboration between Horigome and MPC player STUTS, known for his work with Gen Hoshino. STUTS has recently delved into jazz, and the influence was evident in the performance, enhanced by Hosoi’s extended guitar solo.

Next up was Takao Tajima of Original Love. Ishiwaka said, “This is our first time to perform together,” and Tajima said of Ishiwaka, “I saw him at Yoshiho Nakamura’s concert, and I thought he was great. Tajima’s presence was outstanding as he sang the standard with a resilient voice that made it his own and played a lively guitar solo. Marty played a lively walking bass on “bless You!”, and Nishida, Hosoi, and Marty took solos. The circle of clapping spread out. Tajima’s passionate shouts at the center of the crowd were a true testament to his versatility.

The boogie “Goody Girl” followed, and midway through the song, rapper PUNPEE appeared on stage, involving the audience with his skillful stage presence and creating a party atmosphere. When Tajima left the stage after this song, PUNPEE said, “I love the Unplugged album that Jay-Z and The Roots did together, and I’m glad we can do it like that today. The fusion of hip-hop and jazz has been an essential topic in jazz since the 2010s, and with The Roots’ drummer Questlove being so important in that context, PUNPEE was an essential piece of the event. piece.

The spiritual “Naima,” a John Coltrane number, was played again, and the next guest was Aina the End, who was invited to perform a standard song that she had written when she was 20 years old. Aina sang “Watermelon,” a standard pop song that she wrote when she was 20 years old, with her unique throat tightening singing style, and her iconic quality was not inferior to any of the other guests who had appeared so far. Nishida, who has participated in Aina’s songs, joined the audience to share their memories of the song, followed by the ballad “My Sincerity,” produced by Yasuyuki Okamura and recorded by Ishiwaka. Aina sang the song sitting down in front of the piano, and when the whole band joined the song, she danced and stepped lightly, danced violently, and sometimes lay down on the stage, as if she were watching a musical. The performance was as if it were a musical, and the audience was captivated by the uninhibited performance. Matsumaru’s saxophone solo inserted in the middle of the performance was also very polished, and was one of the most outstanding performances of the entire event.

The event will be streamed on Streaming, etc. on August 16 (Fri.), which is the birthday of Ishiwaka and Bill Evans, and will also be broadcast and distributed on WOWOW in September. The song “Like a Bird” started with an impressive introduction using a pianica, and the cool and refreshing voice of the trio brought a pleasant breeze to the venue. The next song was “Matilda,” one of the most rock-oriented songs in the Ohashi Trio’s repertoire, which was performed aggressively, with the members taking solos and asking the audience to clap along. You wouldn’t know it unless you stand on the same stage with Shun Ishiwaka, but he is very easy to play with. If there are people here who want to be musicians, I hope they will work hard with that as their goal.” True to his words, the audience sang along to “EMERALD,” letting their bodies fall into Ishiwaka’s rhythm, and Yamada’s trumpet solo was also wonderful.

At this point, all the band members left the stage, and the audience was thrilled to see a grand piano brought in, and Ishiwaka, Marty, and Hiromi Uehara, the last guest of the night, appeared. The piano trio performed “XYZ,” the first song from Uehara’s first album “Another Mind,” released in 2003. Uehara led the ensemble with his skillful and dynamic playing in a progressive composition, and Marty and Ishiwaka followed with their solos in a truly thrilling session. In the 2000s, Hiromi Uehara was the link between Japan and the U.S., contributing greatly to the renewal and expansion of jazz, and this was followed by Ishiwaka and his generation.

Nishida joined the three musicians for the final song, “Return of Kung-Fu World Champion,” featuring synths. In the latter half of the song, Nishida approached the piano and engaged in a passionate improvisational exchange with Uehara, which was one of the best scenes of the day. The performance was so impressive that the audience gave the band a standing ovation and the show came to a close.

For encore, The Shun Ishiwaka Septet performed an original song they had composed especially for the occasion, and when all the guests were invited back, all the members performed “Kiss,” a classic song by Original Love. Aina, Horigome, PUNPEE, Tajima, and Ohashi performed a gorgeous microphone relay, and Uehara played a piano solo one last time to end the event on a high note. 2.5 hours of intense content truly demonstrated “JAZZ NOT ONLY JAZZ” and the further possibilities of jazz, It was an evening that made me strongly feel the further possibilities of jazz and the great joy of music.

Writer: Atsutake Kaneko
Photo: Maho Korogi