For the second time in the article series “Where you can find good music in Japan,” music critic Mitsutaka Nagira nurses a cup of coffee at Araiyakushi’s local jazz kissa (cafes) rompercicci, located further north of Nakano Broadway.
For almost a decade, rompercicci has been one of his go-to jazz kissa since its opening. This ordinary “no-talking” jazz kissa might not harmonize well with Nagira, a music journalist at the forefront of the jazz music scene, but what has drawn him for more than ten years?
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Quality time with music from speakers
To begin with, I often go to places where music is playing. I like to be in places where music is carefully selected and played, and I like the kind of mood that can only be found in a space created by people who love music. When I go to such places, I spend time alone with a book or with a friend who I can be with in a few words. It is a special time for me.
Of course, I have my preferences, and there are places where the music suits me and there are places where it doesn’t, but there are a few places that are “amazing” beyond what I like or dislike. There have been times when I went there not to work, but just to relax and have a cup of coffee, but the music selection (or disc selection) was so great that I was inspired to work.
The first of such “amazing stores” is rompercicci in Araiyakushi, located further north past Nakano Broadway.
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Outstanding jazz kissa despite its ordinary-looking
The cafe’s lovely exterior and interior, and conscientiously priced menu, make it a great place to stop by for a cup of coffee and a gateau. I usually have coffee and gateau chocolat. Sometimes pasta if I’m a little hungry. In winter, a cup of spiced cocoa warms me up and helps me relax. In this way, it can be said that I use the shop as a café.
However, there is a large speaker system in the back of the store and a row of vinyl records lined up at the counter. Standing in front of the cash register when paying, one can see two record players lined up in a row. If you look at the bookshelves, you will see a carefully selected collection of jazz books. These are just a few examples of the seriousness of the store. The volume is loud, so this is no ordinary café, and a sign at the entrance asks customers to refrain from conversation. This is a jazz cafe where “conversation is not allowed,” which has become a rarity nowadays.
The selection of music at rompercicci is incredibly unique, and there is no other place like it. It is not that they are not playing the most popular records. There is almost nothing that says, “This is being reevaluated right now! or new releases that are all the rage on social networking sites. There are no so-called “quick-eared” characters at all. If anything, it is more like an “orthodox jazz cafe. Despite this, the Rompercicci is outstandingly unique.
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The fascination with inexpensive vinyls
Mr. and Mrs. Saito, who run rompercicci, both buy a crazy amount of jazz records. They go to record stores every day, buy records, and play them in their store, but their selection criteria are not based on topics or trends. They buy records from their own perspective. They are not buying records based on topics or trends, but from their own point of view. I finally found it at that price, so I bought it,” “I bought a record from this label and it was pretty good, so I bought it because it was cheap,” “The record I bought before was Japanese, but I bought a German one because it was cheap and beautiful,” etc. These episodes are too realistic for those who buy records on a daily basis. I bought it because it was cheaper and more beautiful. It is not about buying popular new releases or rare records with a premium price, but about buying records in the same way we ordinary people do, on a limited budget.
That’s why there are always “not-so-expensive records” playing at rompercicci. The charm of this place is that there are always records that are neither trendy nor new nor premier, but are always excellent. I’m like, “Oh my God, this artist put out a record like this!” “This record is a mystery, but this famous musician is on it! Things like that happen all the time. He picks exquisitely interesting records that are not the ones that everyone wants or the ones that everyone knows. Some of them are albums that I know, of course, and some of them are discoveries and surprises like, “I didn’t know this record was this good. I was surprised to find out how good this record was. The audio system and the atmosphere of the store make the familiar records sound surprisingly appealing.
