Though Herbie Hancock may not have the fancy footwork of the heroes who usually play Tokyo Stadium, as director of Tokyo Jazz 2002, he still managed to draw over 37,000 people to the soccer pitch the weekend of Aug. 24. This attendance alone would rank the festival, the first in a planned annual series, a considerable success by jazz standards. But it was the music that made the event.
Promoted as an event exploring new directions in jazz, Tokyo Jazz at first looked like it might simply be celebrating a re-marriage of jazz and electronics. Was this another industry attempt to convert rock fans? Did Hancock just want to crank up the synthesizers for a crowd? Was this the start of a DJ-ized jazz movement? Was it just funk for funk's sake?
Well, it was all those things, but mainly it was good music. One performer after another revealed sources of energy and inspiration that depended less on brute amplification or hip electronica than on sheer quality of performance. The festival also showed that jazz can translate to a (for jazz) gargantuan venue. In addition, the fans that turned up in the stifling heat got a superb sound system, a massive video screen, ice-cold beer and a very good vibe.