As mentioned last time in this column, a new restaurant/venue, Tribute to the Love Generation, will open in Odaiba on Tokyo Bay next month. It is not, as you may expect, a hangout for "Dead-heads," or ex-flower power hippies hiding out in Tokyo, but in fact will host mainly "world music" concerts. With the rising popularity of acoustic and roots-based music in Japan, a new venue is certainly most welcome. However, I do have my reservations about TLG (let's just call it that).
TLG is operated by Sony Urban Development Inc. and is part of the new Mediage entertainment center. The venue will be run along the lines of Blue Note, with artists performing two sets over residences of varying lengths from two days to a week. Likewise, the ticket prices are high, typically it seems in the 8,000 yen to 9,000 yen bracket. The idea is to serve the food of the country of the performer. However, they don't seem to have taken note of what has made Blue Note a success.
Blue Note has a constantly impressive line-up of the cream of jazz (although they sometimes come back a bit too soon), but the opening schedule of "Special Lives" at TLG is mostly disappointing. With an apparently above-average budget, it's unfortunate the promoter responsible for booking the world music acts has seemingly chosen the easy option, booking artists they already work with regularly, instead of being more creative.