Thanks to a solid base of Japanese fans, acid jazz will probably never go out of style. However, that doesn't mean it won't evolve. Lesser known than acts such as the late Nujabes, Cro-Magnon is a part of that genre's evolution. The band is teaming up with hip-hop trio Gagle for a performance at Daikanyama Loop in Tokyo this weekend.
Cro-Magnon has been jamming worldwide for more than a decade. The three members — Shigekazu Otake (drums and percussion), Tsuyoshi Kosuga (guitar and bass) and Takumi Kaneko (keyboards) — formed the band after meeting in Boston in 1996. Their brand of jazz incorporates funk, electronic and hip-hop styles, but the band doesn't usually provide their own vocals. Instead, the trio prefers to share the stage with artists from other genres to create a performance that might appear more like an impromptu jam session than a carefully rehearsed concert.
Signed with production company Jazzy Sport, which also supports Gagle, Cro-Magnon released its first "all-vocal" album last year featuring some talented guests such as Roy Ayers, Japanese vocalist Twigy and, of course, Gagle.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.