Episode 28: This week we are back in the comforting arms of Mother Tokyo as we pick off another handful of epic and lesser known joints around the capital. We find out where to get some pricey minty peas, and why you should bring your own drinks to the irrepressible Intro in Takadanobaba.

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

Episode 27: This week our international jazz joint journey of discovery continues as we bounce from North America to South and uncover the amazing Black Forest, hidden under a beautiful bookshop in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, and run by Jali and his partner Marcela. Jazz kissa culture really is irrepressible!

All photos of Black Forest courtesy of Magdalena Diehl.

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

Episode 26: This week we are down in the old imperial capital to check out some of Kyoto's finest, where we encounter among other things an absolutely massive red fish and photos of Abdullah Ibrahim playing in a Japanese temple.

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

A fictionalised version of our first visit to the incredible, inimitable Basie in Northern Japan, the jazz joint to end all joints.

Story written by Philip Arneill.

Soundscape by Brian of Grooves Ahead.

Basie photo ©Philip Arneill 2020.

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Credits

Sound Effects:

(freesound.org)scottyhigh20, cantikfrantik, sinatra314, bplayers, soapuel, khenshom, joanzz, vital-sounds, shcluppipuppie, timjpower, macdaddyno1, soniaespi

Music: (jamendo.com):

AFTER WORK - Mack The Knife, Hugo "Droopy" Contini - Dexterity, Gray Mic Records - Swing With Me, Christian Petermann - Jazz Rendezvous

Episode 25: Sometimes less is more, and this is one of these times. This week we finally make it to our destination in this final instalment of a series of 3. Basie, the jazz joint to end all joints, speaks for itself.

This episode also includes a fictionalised version of our visit to Basie.

Story written by Philip Arneill.

Soundscape by Brian of Grooves Ahead (groovesahead.com).

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Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

Additional music credits under Creative Commons licence.

Sound Effects:

(freesound.org)scottyhigh20, cantikfrantik, sinatra314, bplayers, soapuel, khenshom, joanzz, vital-sounds, shcluppipuppie, timjpower, macdaddyno1, soniaespi

Music:

(jamendo.com)

AFTER WORK - Mack The Knife, Hugo "Droopy" Contini - Dexterity, Gray Mic Records - Swing With Me, Christian Petermann - Jazz Rendezvous

Episode 24: James auditions for the Northern Japan Tourist Board and boasts about his step count this week as we continue to bicker like an old couple on our trip up north. In the second part of this trilogy we visit the deceptively named Abbey Road, a couple of other cracking joints in Yamagata, and uncover a mysterious Ron Carter business card, before being delivered by jazz joint taxi to the doorstep of the whole reason we started this northern journey in the first place…

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

Episode 23: Hear about the 'human cost' of the project...this is the first of a trilogy as we venture north to meet 'The Don' who presides over THE Mecca of Japanese jazz joints. We see a different side to Fukushima before hitting Sendai to experience Count, Kelly and Kabo, and finish up in the middle of nowhere in the back of a taxi (again) to uncover the incredible Ray Brown.

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

Episode 22: This week we are in the Bay Area. Not Tokyo or Yokohama though, but Oakland... Check out our interview spanning 3 continents and time zones as we chat to Daniel Gahr & Shirin Raza about the birth of Bar Shiru, their awesome, Japanese-inspired jazz joint proudly flying the kissa culture flag on America's west coast. Check them out on barshiru.com

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

Episode 21: We’re back and as inarticulate as ever! This week we take another deep dive into Tokyo's myriad collection of lesser known joints as we hit the beautiful Ragtime, Adirondack, an Owl cafe in Ikebukuro (but not that type!) and the incomparable Corner Pocket with the second part of our ‘Tokyo Deep Cuts’ series. We even throw in a bonus buddhist bar at the end…yes, a buddhist bar. Enjoy.

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.

Episode 20: We've reached our halfway point for the podcast project! As proud Tokyoites we nevertheless cross to the dark side and visit the Kansai region, taking in four awesome joints in Kobe and Osaka. James gets a somewhat less than friendly welcome in exact same place where Philip gets the red carpet treatment and an impromptu gramophone demonstration. Discuss.

Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.