Olga Kwaczyńska

The Reception of American Jazz in Japan: An Outline of the Problem

The following article presents the history of Japanese jazz from the first musical contacts to contemporary successes and problems of the jazz music market. For the development and evolution of jazz in Japan, an important role was played by the presence of American military forces in the Philippines (even before the post-war occupation of Japan), which as an American dependent territory had the opportunity to remain in cultural contacts with the United States, where jazz was born at the beginning of the 20th century and became one of the most popular forms of music. Beside the contact with Filipino musicians, who were the first from whom the Japanese learned jazz, the establishment and development of jazz cafes (jazzu-kissa) were also important for the development of jazz in the Land of the Cherry Blossom, which played a huge role in the strengthening the interest in jazz and the shaping of musical tastes. The article also shows the influence of jazz on the formation of a modern, American-based lifestyle of middle-class representatives in Japan. In addition, the article discusses the complex issue of the authenticity of Japanese jazz in relation to American jazz and the influence of world-famous Japanese musicians, such as Toshiko Akiyoshi, on overcoming a given stereotype. The aim of the article is to show the universality and at the same time the locality of contemporary Japanese jazz as well as to show what the specificity of jazz in Japan is.

The following article presents the history of Japanese jazz, from the first musical contacts to its contemporary successes and problems of the jazz music market. An important role in the development and evolution of jazz in Japan (even before the post-war US occupation of that country) was played by the presence of American military forces in the Philippines, which, as an American-dependent territory, maintained cultural contacts with the United States, where jazz had been born at the beginning of the 20^th century and became one of the most popular forms of music. Apart from contact with Filipino musicians, who were the first source of jazz education for the Japanese, the rise of jazz cafés (jazzu-kissa) was also important for the development of jazz in the Land of the Cherry Blossom. The cafés played a huge role in generating interest in jazz and shaping musical tastes. The article also shows the influence of jazz on the formation of a modern, American-type lifestyle among the Japanese middle-class. In addition, the article discusses the complex issue of the authenticity of Japanese jazz in relation to American jazz and the role of world-famous Japanese musicians, such as Toshiko Akiyoshi, in overcoming stereotypes. The aim of the article is to demonstrate the universality and at the same time the local character of contemporary Japanese jazz as well as the distinguishing features of jazz in Japan.