A final couple of belters in Okayama and one of the weirder interactions we've ever had in a joint. And James defeats a fence.

As the end of our latest regional adventure beckons, we take

a walk down the Avenue in Kurashiki and visit the charming Gojitoma, a jewel of a joint in the middle of nowhere.

Thanks as ever to Brian for his patience and assistance with sound.

At the Vanguard, but not the Village by Philip Arneill & James Catchpole

It's May 2024, and after an Onomichi underwater detour, we find ourselves in nighttime Hiroshima, where Mother Teresa and Charles Mingus meet in perfect harmony.

Taking professionalism to new heights, this week we are live (and barely audible) from the incredible Pithecanthropus Erectus, birthplace of the Tokyo Jazz Joints project, the joint featured on the slipcase cover of the Tokyo Jazz Joints photobook, and our spiritual home. Even we don't know what we talked about...

We ring in the new year with some new kids on the Tokyo jazz kissa block, and a fair bit of coughing.

Thanks as ever to Brian for audio assistance.

All the Ks (and a 'P') as Philip wraps up the last day in Tohoku alone and finally (!) heads home to Tokyo as a special guest makes hi presence felt.

Planes, trains and taxis assist Philip's epic 1,500km odyssey to check out the incredible Elvin to see if James was overstating how incredible it really is.

Thanks as ever to Brian for assistance with sound.

A mixed bag in Miyazaki with windswept Sonny Rollins photos to die for and a rather melancholic end to the visit, before Philip sets off on an epic one day journey north.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.

The band breaks up to pursue solo careers, as James heads home with a man and and a squid, and Philip takes off across Kyushu in a search of four more highly-rated joints.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.