Akira Miyazawa

Jazz saxophonist Akira Miyazawa was known for his unparalleled love of fishing, and here he gives a masterful performance that conjures the image of silvery fish scales reflecting light through the cold and clear water of a small mountain stream. “Yamame” (the Japanese name for a kind of freshwater salmon) was recorded in 1962 and was Miyazawa’s first album, but the sharpness and avant-garde modernity of the music creates a completely timeless quality. Miyazawa is one of a group of musicians who laid the foundation of the Japanese jazz scene. He wanted to express his cultural heritage by doing something he felt “only someone Japanese” could do, and so he dedicated himself to a pursuit of “Japanese jazz”. Incidentally, the album was originally simply titled “Akira Miyazawa”, but perhaps due to the impression the cover art and the track titles made, it was reissued in 1977 as “Yamame”, and has gone by that title ever since. This is an historic masterpiece of Japanese jazz.

Recorded on May 7 and 14, 1962 at Nippon Toshi-Center Hall, Tokyo, with Masahiko Sato on piano, Masanaga Harada on bass and Kanji Harada and Takeshi Inomata on drums. On the second side the group grows with Sadao Watanabe on alto saxophone and flute, Tadayuki Harada on baritone saxophone and clarinet, Akira Nakano on trumpet and Mitsuhiko Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Tomoto and Takeshi Aoki on trombones.

King Records reissue on black vinyl, in a tip-on sleeve with obi, first released in January 2026 and repressed for February 2027. Originally released in 1962 (KC 20). The Pure Clear 180g edition of August 2026 is a separate page.