Toshiko Akiyoshi’s “The Village”
Toshiko Akiyoshi, one of the most renowned (and one of my favorite) jazz pianists, didn’t always bring her Japanese roots into her music. That changed after she read a 1974 article by Nat Hentoff about Duke Ellington and how his work was tied to his African heritage. It got her thinking about her own background and what it meant for her music. She started experimenting with Japanese themes, scales, and traditional instruments like the kotsuzumi and shamisen, mixing them with her jazz foundation shaped by legends like Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Bud Powell.
The Village is one of the products of that exploration. Inspired by a folk song from the Kisarazu region, it is a perfect example of how she blended Japanese folk influences with jazz.
(I’ve been obsessed with this one lately. I can’t find any transcriptions online, so I’ll probably end up making one myself someday.)
Ryo Fukui’s “Sonora”
Everything Fukui played is super accessible, and for those who don’t usually listen to jazz, he’s a perfect gateway into the genre. Some in the jazz world criticize his style — and Japanese jazz in general — as not being a “true” representation of jazz. While there’s some truth to that (he was self-taught, after all), I think it’s okay to sometimes just enjoy music for what it is rather than what it’s supposed to be. For a genre that can feel pretty inaccessible, I really appreciate Fukui’s albums for being such an easy entry point. That said, I’m a big advocate for properly learning about jazz and its roots for anyone who listens to it regularly. Understanding where it comes from only deepens the appreciation of artists like Fukui.
I plan to play some of his works, including “Early Summer” and “Sonora,” at my school’s winter/spring concert this year. I’m currently working on the transcriptions.
B Minor Waltz, as played by Bill Evans
Here’s my take on B Minor Waltz by Bill Evans! The video quality isn’t great, but I’m thankful it was recorded at all.
Just a short snippet of the full waltz. There’s something about the way Evans touches the piano that makes him so distinctive, and his playing was always incredibly lyrical and intentional. I try to capture a bit of that in my own playing every day.