We have launched a Kickstarter to help fund The J Jazz Book. Exclusives included in the donations.

Since starting in 2018, BBE’s J Jazz Series has set a new standard in jazz compilations. Over the past five years, co-curators Tony Higgins and Mike Peden have explored the deepest corners of their record collections and shared some of the finest and rarest jazz recorded in the last sixty years. To complement the exemplary music, Tony and Mike have now showcased 500 Japanese jazz albums in a 400-page, large-format full-colour book spanning the years 1954-1988, three crucial decades that witnessed the astonishing development of modern and free jazz in Japan.

The book includes a 40,000 word introduction exploring the history of jazz in Japan, plus a foreword by legendary J Jazz icon, trumpeter Terumaasa Hino, interviews with J Jazz figures such as pianist Tohru Aizawa (telling the story of the mythic Tachibana album), and photographer Tadayuki Naitoh (his photos grace the covers of hundreds of key J Jazz albums). Alongside this is a special chapter on obi strips from leading Japanese jazz authority and record dealer, Yusuke Ogawa, plus an interview with noted free jazz record collector and musician Mats Gustafsson. The book also includes a special feature on Blue Note in Japan and J Jazz charts from leading jazz DJs such as Toshio Matsuura (UFO), Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino (Kyoto Jazz), Gilles Peterson, Paul Murphy, and many more. The book also comes with a 10-track CD featuring choice cuts from the BBE J Jazz Masterclass Series.

This huge book has taken three years to produce and, in that time, manufacturing costs have spiraled upwards since the book’s inception to now. So to keep the costs down we wanted to share the last leg of the journey with the Kickstarter community and offer our supporters a chance to jump on board at our early-bird price and also back us to do what we do best, bring real music to real people.

CLICK HERE TO GET INVOLVED AND GET SOME KICKSTARTER J JAZZ EXCLUSIVES
BBE Music

Available rewards:
Early Bird Price for J Jazz Book
£801 item included
Limited edition J Jazz T-shirt & Book
£1202 items included
Test Pressing East Plants X Book
£1802 items included
Test Pressing Miyasaka + 5 X Book
£1802 items included
Test Pressing Koichi Matsukaze x Book
£1802 items included
TP Mal Waldron – Reminicent Suite x Book
£1802 items included
Vinyl x Book x ltd edition Tshirt
£3006 items included
The Ultimate J Jazz Package
£1,00023 items included