jazz Archives - Deep Kyoto

Lush Life

July 19, 2023 By Michael Lambe

日本語はこちら

This is a real find to be treasured. An unassuming little café near Demachiyanagi station, I must have walked past Lush Life a thousand times before finally noticing it one day, stepping inside, and bursting out laughing.

Outside, it just looks like your average run-of-the-mill café. But inside – it’s so nice! Like a little wooden jazz-lover’s den, with one wall decorated floor to ceiling with record covers and a nice cozy counter to sit at.

Everyday, there’s a simple but tasty “dish of the day” if you want something to eat. Or you can enjoy some of the luscious looking homemade cake. On the day I visited lunch was chicken curry (the owner was kind enough to make me a vegetarian bean curry instead) which I thoroughly enjoyed while listening to Nina Simone singing her Backlash Blues. And the coffee? That made me laugh too, because it was so good! Better than how I like it!

Here are some more pictures, to put you in the mood.

Lush Life (named after the jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn) has been open here since 1988, but its history dates back to earlier jazz cafés with different names and in different locations – all the way back to the first cafe “SugarHill” in 1966. Judging by the number of regular customers who have their “keep” coffee tickets tacked to the walls, I’d guess Lush Life will be around for a long time to come. Although, it’s a small shop, they have sponsored a number performances at Kyoto’s Kamigamo Shrine by the major jazz pianists Abdullah Ibrahim and the late great Randy Weston. I was fortunate enough to attend two of Randy Weston’s performances at Kamigamo and on both occasions I was blown away by his vitality, profound talent and deep, deep, joyful tunes.

This happy little place is open from 12:00 ~ 22:00 everyday except Tuesdays. Tel: 090-1909-0199.
You can find it to the side of the taxi rank just opposite the Eizan exit of Demachiyanagi Station. Here is a map.

Joshua Breakstone Jazz Guitar Workshops & Shows 2019

December 12, 2018 By Michael Lambe

Jazz fans rejoice! Guitar legend Joshua Breakstone has been in touch with news of his schedule for 2019. Below are the flyers for his ongoing shows in Kyoto and Kobe, and he also has news of some workshops he will be giving in February and March. Here’s Joshua with the details:

“I will be giving a series of workshops on 4 days in February and March in Kyoto, one for instrumentalists and the other for singers.

Workshops will take place on:
Saturday, February 3
Sunday, February 10
Sunday, March 10
Sunday, March 24

There will be 2 sessions:
13:00- 14.45….instrumentalists– Guitar and all other instruments
15:00-16:45….Singers

The place: Le Club Jazz (ルクラブジャズ)
〒604-8082 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 御幸町西入弁慶石町48 Sanjo Dori

I will lead and direct the workshops. Bassist Fukuro Kazuya (福呂和也) will play, assist and also translate when necessary.

Cost: ¥2700 for each day. For anyone who would like to attend all 4 weeks, if they reserve in advance- by emailing me (jzguitar212@gmail.com) or Facebook messaging– the cost will be ¥10,000 for all 4 weeks.

The idea:
Instrumentalists workshop: Learn your instrument: scales, intervals, theory, harmony. Blues. Ballads. Standards and learning songs. Improvisation- How we can play new things in our solos and take the ideas in our solos to new places. How to develop your own voice, your own way of playing.

Singers workshop: Singers should have an equal understanding of music- harmony, music theory, intervals- as the musicians they play with. In short, singers should be musicians, not only singers. We will work on theory, hearing and singing intervals, pronunciation, rhythm, learning standards. Everyone will have many chances to sing, we will explore new songs together.”

About Joshua Breakstone:
Guitarist Joshua Breakstone, from NY, has toured twice a year in Japan for more than 30 years as well as all over Europe, the US, and Canada. He has 22 recordings as a leader with such jazz legends as Kenny Barron, Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Pepper Adams, Jimmy Knepper, Jack McDuff, Mickey Roker, and Al Harewood. He is also the author of “Jazz Etudes: Studies For The Beginning Improviser”, a standard text at many colleges and universities in the US and Europe, and has presented workshops in his travels throughout the world. Joshua moved to Kyoto in June of 2018.

Here as promised are those flyers for Joshua’s shows at Bonds Rosary in Kyoto and Basin Street in Kobe.

*Last Saturday Night Live at Basin Street*

Bonds Rosary is a 4 minute walk from Exit 1A of Hankyu Kawaramachi Station and a 30 second walk from Exit 7 of Gion-Shijo Station. Here is a MAP of the location.

Basin Street is an 8 minute walk north of Sannomiya Station in Kobe. Here is a MAP.

Find out more about Joshua and his music at his website: http://www.joshuabreakstone.com

Jazz Band Fujiya Mountain @ 和音堂

March 17, 2014 By Michael Lambe

Walking up the Kamo river one day, we saw a lively jazz band playing under the Sanjo bridge that were so good we decided cross over and have a look.

They were young, fun and funky, so we picked up a flyer for their next gig, which happened to be on the following day. The location 和音堂 (WA・ON・DO) was convenient and the price was only 1000 (+ another 500 for a drink) and let’s face it, you can’t see many jazz bands at that price. So we decided to go.

和音堂 is pretty cramped inside so it was hard to get a full band picture, but Mewby took the panorama shot above with her i-phone. If it looks a little weird that’s because they were jigging about to the music. It was good music! Here try some!

They also had a support band, Cocopelie, playing Irish music. I didn’t recognize them at first but I have seen some of these musicians playing at Irish pub Gnome in the past…

For one song Tomoko Sato from Cocopelie and Fujiya Mountain played together:

A great night! This band are a lot of fun and jazz at that price is such great value. We felt like we had made a wonderful new musical discovery! Fujiya Mountain play a regular monthly show at 和音堂 and next month they are playing with the support of “jazz-metal-comic-band” Dead Hot Chilli Peppers. We are definitely going to see them.

Here are the details:

Fujiya Mounatin @ 和音堂 Vol. 7
Date & Time: April 29th Open: 7:00pm Show: 7:30pm
Charge: 1000 yen (+ 500 yen per drink)
Guests: Dead Hot Chilli Peppers
Location: 和音堂 is just off Kawaramachi Street on the north side of 竜馬通り (one street south of Sanjo). Here is a map.

I will leave you with the band’s joyful rendition of “Stand By Me”.

See also Fujiya Mountain’s schedule on their website.

Shakuhachi & Flamenco Live with Yugao – This Weekend!

September 3, 2012 By Michael Lambe

Our old friend the shakuhachi player, Koichi Yoshida, and his band Yugao have an autumn show at Zac Baran this weekend and the wonderful flamenco dancer Carmen Alvarez is back from Spain to join the performance! You can see some clips of Carmen in action with Yugao from a performance last year here. A little birdy tells me that Koichi is planning to move to France soon… so this might well be our last chance to see this unique blending of musical cultures here in Kyoto for quite some time.

Blending jazz, classical, traditional Japanese and Indian music, Kyoto’s most popular fusion ensemble forms something a little greater than the sum of its parts. Three years of tinkering with structures and honing sonorities have only made this new and arresting sound even harder to classify — and more difficult to forget. Don’t miss your chance to hear YUGAO, live at ZAC BARAN!

8th (Saturday) Open: 18:30 / Start: 19:30
9th (Sun) Open: 17:00 / Start: 18:00
Advance tickets: 2000 yen / On the door: 2500 yen
Booking: http://yugao-music.com/ticket/ticket.html

Location: Zac Baran is a legendary cafe/bar/music spot on the north side of Marutamachi a short walk east of Higashioji Dori.　Here is a map.

To learn more about Yugao and their music please visit their website. You can also view several videos of their performances there.

Links to the performers’ websites:
Yugao
Yoshida Koichi
Ikeda Ippei
Fujisawa Bayan
Carmen Alvarez

Bobby Ricketts in Kyoto

August 25, 2011 By Michael Lambe

Jazz fans rejoice! Denmark-based American saxophonist Bobby Ricketts will be playing two shows in Kyoto next month, and one of them is for free!

9/03 (Sat)

Place: On Oike Dori outside the Kyoto Hotel Okura (Map)

Time: Two sets from 16.45-17.30 and 18.00-18.45

This show is FREE

Performers: Bobby Ricketts & local singer Alicia Saldenha.

9/06 (Tue)

Place: Live Spot Rag (Map)

Open: 18:00, Start: 19:00

Advance: 2,500 yen, Door: 3,000 yen

Student Price: Advance: 1,500 yen, Door: 2,000 yen

Performers: Bobby Ricketts & local singer Alicia Saldenha.

Click here to check out Bobby Ricketts’ music.

Many thanks to George Bourdaniotis for sending me the information on these shows.

Yugao & Carmen Alvarez

February 6, 2011 By Michael Lambe

“Flamenco is a gypsy/Andalusian art with its own language, which is spreading throughout the whole world, from Andalusia to Japan, and reaching the depths of all hearts without discrimination.”
– Carmen Alvarez

Another fantastic show from Yugao at Parker House Roll last night, and it was made all the more special when their special surprise guest, Carmen Alvarez, joined them on stage! Not content with their current blend of jazz, classical, traditional Japanese music and Indian percussion – they have added flamenco to the mix! Here are three videos from their performance.

This tune, “Takeda’s lullaby” (竹田の子守唄) is a traditional tune from our own dear city of Kyoto. Koichi opened our “Voices for Umekoji” event with this same tune a couple of weeks ago.

Carmen Alvarez joined Koichi on stage for “Tribute to Kumano Kodo” (熊野古道に捧ぐ). I wonder if anyone has danced flamenco to this tune before? It’s an unusual combination – but it works!

Finally, here is Carmen again with the full band and their rendition of Chick Corea’s “Spain”. I saw them play this last summer and at that time Carmen happened to be in the audience and supplied some hand claps and jaleo type shouts. This time she was part of the performance and she was beautiful!

~~Yugao & Carmen Alvarez are playing again tonight (Sunday February 6th) at Zac Baran. Check here for details.~~

Shakuhachi player Yoshida Koichi will also be joining folk band Udonya Mentei’s Super Band (another “Voices for Umekoji” participant) for a show at legendary live house Jittoku on Sunday February 13th. Tickets are only 1000 yen and the show starts at seven. Here is a map.

Links to the performers’ websites:

Yoshida Koichi
Ikeda Ippei
Fujisawa Bayan
Carmen Alvarez

Zac Baran

January 10, 2009 By Michael Lambe

I first met Yoshida Koichi in the music bar Hawkwind. A shakuhachi player, he told me he plays in many styles, not just traditional, but jazz, folk, avant garde, new age, pretty much anything. In Hawkwind we were listening to some hip-hop. “How about this then?” I challenged him with a grin. And do you know, he stood up immediately, he played, and it was wonderful. I was very impressed (not least because he had obviously had a few). Koichi is still but a student of shakuhachi though, so he supports himself by working part-time at the jazz cafe, bar and diner Zac Baran. I decided to go and visit him there in the New Year.

Zac Baran, is listed in 新版京都音楽空間 (Kyoto Music Spot Guide) as one of the “legendary places” of Kyoto. It first opened in 1977 during Kyoto’s jazz boom along with other great jazz cafes like Yamatoya and Lush Life. Zac Baran is not so strict about the jazz as those other locations though. In the entryway you will find a stash of over 2000 old vinyl records that includes blues and latin music and the current management are clearly not averse to a bit of rock guitar too. When I visited I found myself watching DVDs of The Police, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Nirvana on the big screen. Not what I was expecting! Among the succession of owners Zac Baran has had over the years, one was clearly a fan of the Freak Brothers as their images are all over the walls. I asked current owner Nakano Koji what kind of people come here now. “We get musicians, not so many salarymen… students from the nearby university… doctors and nurses from the nearby hospital…”
“And maybe a few patients too!” quipped regular customer Kikuchi Yousuke. He himself is a jazz pianist. “Why don’t Koichi and I play a little something for you?” he said and so they gave an impromptu performance which you can see at the end of this post. First here are some pictures to give you a flavour of the place:

The drinks menu here is reasonably priced. A draft beer will cost you ￥600. Spirits and cocktails cost between ￥600 – ￥750. They also have coffee and soft drinks. Food is cheap too and they have a big range of dishes to choose from (on an English menu!): pizza, curry, noodles, stir fries, quiche, etc. Live music events are frequent, and the space can be rented for parties. As for the atmosphere? It’s a dimly lit but friendly place in which to meet interesting and sometimes very talented people. Zac Baran means frank speech or straight talking, and that being its guiding principal, this is a place where you can relax and freely speak your mind.
Zac Baran is on the north side of Marutamachi a short walk east of Higashioji Dori. Here is a most convenient map. Open everyday 18:00 ~ 04:00.
Tel: 075-751-9748
Here’s that video for you:

boogaloo cafe & deli

September 29, 2008 By

Here’s a pleasant respite from the madding crowds of Teramachi. Escape to the soft lighting and background jazz of the 2nd or 3rd floor cafes and order yourself a healthy lunch. This is also a bakery so pasta, pizza or a nutritious salad can be ordered for lunch with a パン食べ放題 or all-you-can-eat-bread deal. Here are some items off the lunchtime menu:

●pasta lunch (today’s pasta & salad & all-you-can-eat bread selection & one drink): ￥997
●salad lunch (today’s salad & soup & all-you-can-eat bread selection & one drink):￥892
●pizza lunch (today’s salad & soup & all-you-can-eat bread selection & one drink): ￥840

Not sure about the pizza lunch, as we had all-you-can-eat bread with ours… but maybe we weren’t supposed to!

Here’s a link to the Japanese menu. Be aware that the menu for the 3rd floor shop is different. Opening hours are 12：00～23：00 (lunchtime:12：00～15：00) with no holidays! Boogaloo Cafe & Deli is on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the 詩の小路 (shinokoji) building on Teramachi, between Shijo and Nishiki Dori. Here is a most convenient map.

Telephone (2F):075-213-1610 (3F): 075-213-1066

This is a chain so you can also find boogaloo cafes on Shijo and Karasuma. Check out the website for some nice pictures: LINK

Yamatoya

December 11, 2007 By

This delightful cafe first opened in 1970 and has since become another of Kyoto’s much loved “legendary places”. I guarantee you will be pleased as punch to find this cafe. Though the menu is not especially pricey, the interior is absolutely gorgeous. No expense has been spared on the state of the art audio equipment, the elegant furniture or its upkeep. And you may find yourself wanting to bow down and worship before the fantastic jazz collection in the far corner of the establishment. The key thing about Yamatoya is the loving attention to detail, which extends even to using the freshest spring water (drawn that day from the source) for their coffee. And their coffee tastes good. Come in, relax, soak up the elegant atmosphere, listen to some classic tunes and spoil yourself – all for the price of a ￥500 cup of coffee. You may never go back to Starbucks again. Here are some pictures. As always you can click through to flickr for a closer look.

To find Yamatoya, go east on Marutamachi Dori, and not long after you have passed Higashioji Dori you should see a sign on the road reading “Yamatoya Jazz Spot” and pointing you down a wee alleyway on your right. Here is a map.
Tel: 075-761-7685
Open 12:00 p.m. ~ 24:00 a.m. every day but Wednesday.

GOSPEL

October 20, 2007 By Michael Lambe

GOSPEL is in a word: posh. It’s the sort of place you would bring your mum or a favorite aunty when she comes to visit. I’d recommend treating her to the scone set with a hot pot of orange pekoe tea. She’d like that.

This beautiful old western-style building sits on a corner of Shishigatani Street looking like something out of a fairy tale. Step in through the rose garden and on up to the second floor (the ground floor is an antiques shop) then enter the spacious cafe. Many of the stylish ladies and gents here are wearing kimono and yukata and the style of the place makes you feel like you have stepped into a novel from the 1920s. The name “Gospel” refers to “good news” and not the music, for on the turntable gentle jazz is spinning and soft light filters in through the windows. Let’s take a look at the menu.

Blended Coffee: ￥600 Lowenbrau Beer 1 pint: ￥800 1/2 pint: ￥550
Viennese Coffee: ￥650 Guiness Beer 1 pint: ￥800 1/2 pint: ￥650
Cafe au Lait: ￥650 Scone: ￥700
All Herb Teas: ￥850 Cake: ￥500
Scone Set (with a pot of tea / coffee / juice): ￥1,300
Cake Set (as above): ￥1,050
Herb Tea Set (with cake or scones): ￥1,300

Please note that the scones are freshly baked after you order them and so they take about twenty minutes (but they are rather good). They also have a range of spaghetti and gratin dishes at ￥900 and various curries at around ￥1,200. Here are some pictures you can double click on for a closer look:

To find Gospel Cafe, go east on Imadegawa Dori, cross Shirakawa and continue up Tetsugaku no michi (The Philospher’s Walk) until you reach Shishigatani Street (鹿ケ谷通), turn right onto that and it’s a little way down there on your right. It’s big and white like a wedding cake and you can’t miss it. Here’s a map just in case: MAP. Opening hours: 12:00 p.m. – 12:00 am every day but Tuesdays. Tel: 075-751-9380.