Christal Zone - Rai Rai / Kanashiyana

Since 2018, BBE Music’s J Jazz Series of compilations and album reissues has been at the forefront in focusing attention on the hitherto cloistered and rarified world of Japanese jazz. True to the ethos of the series, curators Tony Higgins and Mike Peden have once again dug up a truly rare gem in the form of a 45 from the mysterious Christal Zone, originally released in 1971 only as a promo and reissued here for the very first time.

Several years before pianist Tohru Aizawa and brothers Tetsuya and Kyoichiro Morimura formed the now-celebrated Tohru Aizawa Quartet, whose 1975 private- press spiritual jazz LP Tachibana Vol 1 has become a cornerstone of the J Jazz canon and previously reissued by BBE, they were already venturing into bold, experimental territory. Their 1971 single Rai Rai, released as a promotional 7-inch on Liberty Records under the short-lived moniker Christal Zone was written and arranged by koto player and composer Hideakira Sakurai. An almost unclassifiable hybrid of jazz, Japanese folk, Algerian raï, and free improvisation. Sakurai’s visionary approach dominates the track, blending traditional Japanese instrumentation with a dense polyrhythmic groove that evokes not only avant-garde jazz but also the raw street energy of Algerian raï — celebratory, unfiltered, and joyfully unrestrained.

The story behind the recording of Rai Rai is as spontaneous as the music itself.

While casually rehearsing at Sakurai’s villa, the group was overheard by producer Kunihiko Murai, who was so stunned by what he heard that he arranged a studio session for them the very next day. The resulting 7-inch — Rai Rai / Kanashiyana, released under the one-off Christal Zone name, is now one of the rarest artefacts in Japanese jazz, with original copies fetching astronomical prices among collectors.

BBE Music has faithfully reproduced the original artwork and packaging to celebrate this extraordinary and super rare piece of J Jazz history. A piece that bridges the ancient and the future, Japan and North Africa, in under four minutes of controlled chaos. A truly one-of-a- kind artefact, Rai Rai is a manifesto from a generation unafraid to rip up the rulebook and follow their own path.