Asagaya is a quietly hip part of town with a dense nexus of sake bars, music venues, performance spaces and specialty shops. But once a year, Asagaya throws open its streets, clubs and cinemas to two days of jazz, transforming the neighborhood into Asagaya Jazz Streets.
This festival has grown over the years to become one of the best chances to check out the diversity of Japanese jazz. Ten large public venues, 15 smaller cafes and clubs, seven free street stages and one movie theater host everything from bossa nova to big band, free jazz to Dixieland, and shamisen to synthesizer. The music starts at 6 p.m. on Friday and at noon on Saturday.
This year's lineup includes unknowns alongside regulars on the Tokyo jazz scene. One highlight of the event will be pianist Yosuke Yamashita, who has brought his powerful style of very modern jazz to festivals worldwide. Other interesting groups are Yoshiyuki Yamanaka's Super Band and Tomoki Takahashi's intense postbop quartet. Aquapit, a funky, Hammond B-3 organ-based unit led by Yuta Kaneko, will be a sure favorite. Eiji Taniguchi and his group will offer old-style swing and lovely, lyrical solos. Other tips include straight-ahead trumpeter Yoshiro Okazaki, the vocal-guitar duo Fried Pride and the Mike Price group. But don't miss out on the depth of amateur talent.