Greetings and salutations Hivers. Today let's go into another Three Tune Tuesday post.

As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendation.

It's been a while since I've introduced some Japanese jazz groups here, so I thought today we might look at a few songs from a group I've not talked about before. Let's look at Kurofune

Like many modern Japanese jazz groups, they have more of a fusion sound rather than pure jazz, though it definitely leans more in that direction. They blend traditional Japanese music, including things like Tsugaru shamisen (which I've mentioned in my posts on enka) and Amami folk songs, with jazz. The result is a great sound.

Their name, Kurofune (黒船) is a playful reference to this fusion. Historically kurofune, "black ships", refer to US Commodore Matthew Perry forcing Japan open to the West in the 19th century, leading to the end of Japanese isolation and a period of culture exchange. It is that last part, culture exchange, that they are obviously pointing to with the name.

Let's jump in to some songs.

Hounen Bushi

This is the lead track from their first album CROSSOVER, where they reinterpret a traditional folk song with jazz arrangements. I love the fusion here. This is one of my favorites.

Ikkyun-nyakana Bushi

The lead track from their second album, this song presents a modern interpretation of a traditional folk song from Amami Oshima with a jazz twist. It's a wild fusion that works really well.

CARAVAN

This is their unique arrangement of the 1936 jazz standard “Caravan,” composed by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol. In this version, the original English lyrics are translated into the Amami dialect, and traditional Japanese musical elements, such as the Tsugaru shamisen and island folk songs, are incorporated. It exemplifies Kurofune’s unique fusion of jazz and traditional Japanese elements.

These songs highlight Kurofune’s distinctive style of blending traditional Japanese music with jazz. If you enjoyed any of them, dive into some others that you find on YouTube. All their stuff is great!

So what's your favorite?

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David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.