Which nation has developed into the greatest market for jazz? Few will dispute that the honor belongs to Japan. Almost every famed American jazz musician wants to tour Japan at least once a year to rake in more money than it is possible to make for the rest of the year back home. Tokyo has concerts by the big names in jazz throughout the year, the jazz clubs flourish even when they have cover charges prohibitive by New York club standards. The following for jazz is enormous - their "Swing Journal" monthly is usually 1 inch thick, lavishly published with plenty of exclusive stories by writers who are flown all over the world and studded with beautiful pictures, mostly in colour. It is the best jazz magazine in the world. Unfortunately it is entirely written in Japanese so outsiders must remain content merely by looking at the photographs.

Sale of recorded jazz in Tokyo is higher than in any other city anywhere. The Wave record building at Tokyo's fashionable Rappongi district has several floor loaded with CDs with an amazing jazz section where they sell jazz from all over the world at around $ 30 per CD. Japanese collectors of jazz on LPs pay lavishly to get what they want, for example a Jutta Hipp 10" Blue Note LP recorded in the "50s would fetch $300.

Being an eager observer of the Japanese jazz scene since my first month long visit there in 1952 I have been increasingly puzzled and concerned as to why Japan, the great "supermarket" for jazz, has not placed more than three internationally famed artists on the jazz map of the world. Toshiko Akiyoshi, Sadao Watanable and Yosuke Yamashita are the main figures followed by not too many lesser known ones. This is an intriguing proposition for inquiry.

The Japan Foundation has regularly sponsored Japanese groups' participation in our JazzYatra Festivals and we have had the opportunity to listen to plenty of Japanese artists. However, while their level has been consistently high, we miss listening to "original" music such as has been provided by several Europeans - Grappelli, Manglesdorff, McLaughlin, Louis Sclavis, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Ernst Reijsegar.

When I had the opportunity to visit Japan again after a gap of 12 years I made it a point to investigate first-hand as to "why the greatest market for jazz has not provided the outside world with more than three high ranking musicians".

Everything in Japan costs too much! From hotel, taxis (minimum fare is $6), food, concert tickets, visit to jazz clubs - it is all quite steep. So the noble invitation from The Japan Foundation to visit their great and beautiful country was most welcome. In my search for answers to the above, I met several musicians, critics, record company executives, club owners and fans. I picked up an assorted variety of possible answers and there seems to be some truth in all of them. With no way to prove these answers to be right or wrong I can only list them and let the readers decide.

1. Unlike the European whose musical traditions have direct links with the birth and development of jazz, Japan's own traditions are quite different.
2. Jazz by nature involves too much "individuality" in which one has to shine on his own. The Japanese are more attuned to grow and develop in a group situation, most decisions are taken by consensus.
3. Jazz requires one to be "street smart", an uncharacteristics anomalous attitude not easy for the Japanese to attain.
4. It is comparatively easy for musicians to find work in Japan than in the outside world. When even ordinary jazz musicians make a comfortable living within Japan what is the need to go out in the fiercely competitive situation in America where even world famous jazzmen do not find work easily and frequently?

   More unusual answers came from an armature anthropologists! They deal with racial characteristics, I mention them as received from a Japanese friend.

5. The Japanese bone structure does not lend itself to fluid body movements. Music, needs (body) movement, specially jazz. The Afro bodies has a natural swing, much more than the Caucasians. The Momgolians have it the least.
6. The Language Problem - I. The traditional (folk, classical) Japanese music is not based on rhythm. The music, like their spoken language goes high and low. For example in most languages one can add a musical lilt to the words "Good morning" whereas in Japanese "O High Oh Go-Zai Mas" is spoken in rather a dead-pan monotone manner.
7. The Language Problem - II. Japanese language is controlled by the left side of the brain while Aryan and European languages enter the right side of the brain which is also the creative, artistic side. Music is linked to language and so the Japanese find themselves on the wrong side.
8. Sports, music, creative, instinctive things are located on the right side of the brain. There is a time lag for the Japanese to move the impulse from the left side to the right side. This creates some problems for the Japanese to respond to rhythms. It was pointed out that in Japanese folklore the beat is hardly there. Thus playing, say, a violin without a beat is less problematic than swinging in jazz.

Some of the above seems logical but then why would jazz be so very popular in Japan? Jazz in Japan is much more than "just a fad", its popularity is not just because it is the "in thing". I venture to say that jazz has more to do with the spirit of freedom, with the uplifting of the soul than with bone structures or the cranium. As humans, the Japanese have as much soul in them as anyone else.

I was constantly on the lookout for "original" and "creative" artists in Japan, it involved wading through a large stack of CDs. Two artists stand out over all others. They are Masahiko Satoh and Tsuneo Imahori. Pianist, composer Masahiko Satoh has been around for quite a while. His album "Randooga" (on Nippon Crown records) has unique and creative blending of jazz with Japanese music which is most appealing. He has added the Japanese Koto and various percussion sounds as well as voice to the standard jazz instrumentation. He has collaborated with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Lew Tabakin Big Band by adding Japanese sounds to TALT jazz. He is so very busy within Japan, doing studio work and live music in a variety of situations that he has no time to worry about cutting a niche for himself on the international scene.

Tsuneo Imahori is a guitarist leading a sextet named "Tipographica" (God Mountain Records). Although there are no Japanese sounds in their music, it is most contemporary, different and very listenable.

Japan has somehow produced more than a fair share of female pianists. Toshiko Akiyoshi is world famous as a pianist but more so as a composer and leader of her big band. Aki Takase is a wonderful pianist, with masterly technique that can build up much excitement. Her duets with David Murray (on Enja) are extremely satisfying. She now lives in Berlin, Germany. A little known pianist Haruko Nara has made New York her home. While her technique may not be dazzling, she scores with a rare depth of emotion on her "My Favorite Things" album (Pony Canyon records) which could be inspired by a Bud Powell. Last but not the least is Junko Onishi, the fast rising star. Her first album "Wow" (on Somethin' Else Records) is with a Japanese trio - full of everything one would wish for. The Japanese record producers have found that unless there are American names on an album of however outstanding a Japanese artist , the sales will be disappointing. So Junko's next album "Cruisin" has the Americans on it - the result: good sales but musically, despite Billy Higgins and Rodney Whitaker, not on par with her all-Japanese first release.

The Fujitsu-Concord jazz festival was on while I was in Tokyo, I got tickets for the 2-day festival. To my surprise the same artists did the same concerts on the second day as on the first. It turned out to be a one day "festival" repeated on the second day as well! Unlike Europe and USA, jazz festivals have not been very popular in Japan perhaps because the Japanese prefer ro hear their favorites individually in a concert - they have great deal more jazz presented in concerts than in any other country.