Huh this makes sense now
It’s that way in almost every country that isn’t America or America-light. Japan does it in over-the-top performative ways, but pretty much everywhere else, people care about random strangers, people invest time into their days and activities being nice just for the simple pleasure of human stuff and taking time to be a human and be pleasing with other people. Food, gifts, clothing, respect and value for travelers and gestures of good-will. If you’re from America, it feels “normal” here but something is clearly missing, and if you ever spend any length of time overseas you see exactly what it is and how badly wrong things are here, that it is missing.
I’m not trying to be prejudiced about it, just saying that every culture has its good stuff and its failings and not giving a shit about other people or life in general is definitely an American one.
I’m Canadian and we’re very America lite.
I grew up in a small town and I miss being young and spending so much time getting to know my neighbours or random people at the diner.
People feel less friendly the last few years, but when you get to know people they are nice. But that consideration for our fellow man is weak lately.
This is why I moved out of a metropolis to a small mountain town. We have our share of assholes and dipshit tourists, but a lot of people genuinely care up here and it’s much easier to be of that mindset when you’re around people of a similar ilk.
Honestly trumpism killed a lot of that spirit in the small town (and its surrounding towns) that I moved to. Now I’m working on moving back to the large city because then I can join some clubs and maybe find some sense of community that was lost thanks to the “fuck your feelings” crowd.
I’ve also now had 2 job changes due to layoffs in a row, so I want to move to where there’s more job opportunities for the next time a workplace decides to do without me, and not find myself up the proverbial creek and forced to accept another job with an hour+ of commuting each direction
Nelson? Revelstoke? Golden? Or proper little like New Denver or Kaslo or something? Considering that change for myself after having already gone from Toronto to Okanagan. Keep finding myself drawn to those kinds of places.
Edit: Previous comment said Canadian, just assumed you were Canadian! Sorry.
Not sure what it has to do with America, but the European countries (or people’s relationship) I’ve lived in are extremely far from being that nice.
I ws defining most of Europe as “America light” here. People in Central America, the Middle East, and Africa all have a particular human way of interacting with each other that is absent in America and sort of muted in a lot of Western Europe. Then at a certain point my perspective flipped and I realized their way was normal, and it’s us that have something unusual about us.
The world is a big place with a lot of variation, and I’m not trying to romanticize any particular place. Just saying that a lot of looking out for each other and being kind has been forgotten about in a lot of America.
I sell on ebay and while I don’t go that far out of my way I do put a little thank you stamp on the packing slip, make sure everything is packed correctly and I go out of my way to make sure that the item is shipped either same day or next day if they order later in the day. People are always grateful that they get their items so fast. I often sell spare parts for things off of already broken items, but even things like cassette tapes I imagine that they want it for the weekend or it’s for a gift for someone.
Oh I love this one. It introduced me to Casiopea and they’re a PHENOMENAL band. Which sent me into a hole of finding more stuff like that, and now I love J-Jazz.
Recommendations? Not even limited to J-jazz — I used to do a lot more active music searching and I’m trying to get back into that, part of which involves asking random people who like different music than I do for recs
I’m not a huge Japanese jazz aficionado, but this is some stuff I’ve found over the years and enjoyed:
- Himiko Kikuchi - Flying Beagle
- Masayoshi Takanaka - All Of Me
- Jiro Inagaki - ファンキー・スタッフ (Funky Stuff)
If you like jazzy stuff in general, maybe you’d like:
- Lund Quartet - Lund Quartet
- Portico Quartet - Memory Streams
- Colin Stetson - All This I Do For Glory
- BADBADNOTGOOD - IV
- Snarky Puppy - Lingus
If you want something a bit different, Gypsy Jazz is really fun. Kinda a jazzy swing sound with a touch of bluegrass/americana mixed in.
My dad’s super big into it but the band I always remember is Harmonious Wail
https://everynoise.com/engenremap-japanesejazzfusion.html
Everynoise is the website for exploring genres. Warning: Time will fly.
Give Takanaka a try.
Satellite Lovers was a nice band. Their music sounds so carefree.
Ryo Fukui
The Album “Scenery” is a ride. I don’t know much about the genre/scene tbh, but this album cuts through whatever I’m experiencing at the time. It really feels like unfettered expression, and it sounds really pretty.
Also, the dude was insane on the keys. How the hell someone’s hands can do half of that stuff is beyond me.
Not the person you responded to, but I got super into Haruomi Hosono last year. Sort of 70’s Japanese electronic jazz. Hosono House and Paraiso are great albums. He also contributed to Pacific, and it’s a great jumping off point for all the other artists on that record.
Cornelius is another really fun Japanese electro band, found them on an old episode of Yo Gabba Gabba.
Quite unrelated, but if you’re into hip hop Mr Giscard was a fun find for me. It’s in French, which I don’t speak, so can’t speak to the lyrical content, but it’s a fun listen. Similarly, Lous and the Yakuza, this time in German.
Happy listening!
I’m not very knowledgeable on J-Jazz, but BBE records has a bunch of compilations and re-releases. I really enjoyed this comp by DJ Muro.
Now I’m curious which tea they got
I’m curious if they left a positive review
Oh man thank you for reminding me of casiopea. Haven’t listened to them since like early high-school I think. Back into weekly rotation now!
I think I ordered a Ratatat vinyl from the same seller, or Japanese discogs sellers are just the best. They sent me a free 1970s Japanese city pop vinyl and a bunch of stickers for fun.
I watched a great Japanese animated film last year about a jazz musician: Blue Giant. Can definitely recommend.
Good ad; didn’t get me into Japanese stuff because I’m already into anime and manga and underage looking girls and excessively gross porn and whatnot (could do without the pixelated junk, though), but it got me to listen to some Mint Jams.
Not exactly my thing (too much like elevator muzak for my taste, read Japanese jazz, expected something more like the Seatbelts 🤷♂️), but not bad, very eighties, could put it in the background while doing something else.
Little too much energy for elevator music IMO, when I think elevator music I think something like Aisha Duo
They remind me of Gran Turismo
you are all not going to like my take on JP music
Western music has a history of taking pride in lack of music education, obviously with rock gods trying to convince their audience that “they don’t know what chords are” and such.
Obviously when compared to a society that prides itself on education and “trying” at hobbies (otaku), then you get to see some insane 6D jazz chords and solos from outer space
Biggest lie Western musicians have sold to their audience is the music theory will “take away” something from their music/originality
Your take on Japanese music is fine. Your take on “western” (whatever that means) music is hot garbage, however.
So you’re just gonna sit there and ignore the vast history and tradition of Jazz, classical, and music education in the west, huh? Neat.
I always saw it as musicians without formal education just want people to know that also works. And it’s OK to be proud of that. I don’t follow all the musicians and know their thoughts, but I can’t recall any vh1 behind the musics where an artist claimed music theory takes away from music. Recall a couple saying both is often the best. Neil Pert, iirc was a real interesting story with regards to that.
What part of this do you think people will not like? It sounds like you are praising Japanese musicians and criticizing Western ones. Your criticism of Western music seems pretty off though, the only musicians that match your description are punk bands.
there are many world class western musicians so people reading my criticism will probably think im targeting western music as whole.
it’s just this weird subculture in western music that I don’t like and it shows through their live performances the most. fou only hear “wow it sounds just like the album” when western groups are playing
The weird subculture you are referring to is pop music directed at teenage girls, generally written by 20 year old boys.
It’s not representative of Western music.
Oh, brother. Only thing I don’t like about your take is that you obviously have no clue of the history of western music in general and still decided to voice an opinion about it.
Maybe this is true in acoustic music but not at all in electronic music
I mean, when your major genres are built on a foundation of music made by folks who often didn’t have access to formal musical education, I kinda get it.
As an Elecki enjoyer I do see your point, though.
Edit: Will say I think you’re being overbroad, but I’m pretty sure you have rock in mind, where there is a tradition of downplaying formal musical knowledge, which kinda makes sense considering where it comes from in the U.S.
don’t lump all of the West in with America. I play four instruments well and pretty much any instrument badly because I got lessons in school and could do both music performance and production in my last two years at school, I performed jazz, church and pop music regularly throughout my childhood and it didn’t feel unusual or privileged. We sang and played instruments every single day in primary school.
Also my English and History teachers would sometimes play us music that related to what we were studying in secondary school.
