Japan Jazz Nights lands in Melbourne with BIGYUKI, Stereo Champ, Tenors In Chaos and Misaki Umei across three October dates.
Melbourne’s about to get a serious dose of Japan’s new-school jazz, and Japan Jazz Nights is the reason why.
Japan Jazz Nights is a national touring programme rolling through seven cities across October, presented by The Japan Foundation and Eight Islands Co. to mark 50 years of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan. Four names sit at the centre of it: keyboardist BIGYUKI, guitar-led outfit Stereo Champ, triple-saxophone supergroup Tenors In Chaos and pianist-producer Misaki Umei.
Japan Jazz Nights
- 16 October — Max Watt’s, Melbourne (BIGYUKI)
- 17 October — Fed Square, Melbourne (BIGYUKI, free)
- 18 October — Oddio, Adelaide (BIGYUKI)
- 21 October — Sydney (venue TBA)
- 22 October — Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne (Tenors In Chaos, Stereo Champ, Misaki Umei)
- 23 October — Liberty Theatre, Perth (BIGYUKI)
- 23 October — Molly, Canberra (Stereo Champ)
- 23 October — Brisbane (venue TBA)
- 24 October — Canberra Nara Peace Park, Canberra (Stereo Champ, free)
- 25 October — Liberty Theatre, Perth (Tenors In Chaos, Misaki Umei)
- 25 October — The Barn, Hobart (BIGYUKI)
- 29 October — Heaps Normal Health Club, Sydney (Misaki Umei with Cracked Suzies)
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
BIGYUKI is the marquee draw. The New York-based keyboardist and producer has worked alongside Lauryn Hill, Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper and J Cole, and played on A Tribe Called Quest’s final record. His music folds jazz, hip-hop and electronic textures into a single sound, and he’ll tour with Randy Runyon on guitar and Jharis Yokley on drums.
The rest of the bill leans just as far outside the lines. Stereo Champ build everything from rhythm and improvisation under guitarist May Inoue, Tenors In Chaos front three of the country’s busiest tenor saxophonists, and Misaki Umei drifts between acoustic piano trios and electronic production. Several stops also work in collaborations with local Australian players, so no two nights land quite the same way.
Beyond the Melbourne shows, the programme touches Adelaide, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart, slotting into jazz festivals in most of those cities. A few dates cost nothing at all, including the Fed Square afternoon and the Canberra Nara Peace Park set.
For more information, head here.
