Media Release
For Immediate Release | July 30, 2026
Japan Jazz Nights: Celebrating 50 Years of Australia–Japan Friendship
Discover the next generation of Japan’s thriving jazz scene with Japan Jazz Nights, a touring jazz program that will take place in seven Australian cities in October 2026.
Touring Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, this exciting lineup features four groundbreaking Japanese artists at the forefront of the contemporary jazz scene: BIGYUKI, STEREO CHAMP, Tenors In Chaos and Misaki UMEI.
While Japanese jazz has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity worldwide, the current generation of contemporary Japanese jazz artists remain largely undiscovered by global audiences.
Featuring solo shows, group performances, collaborations with local Australian artists and more, Japan Jazz Nights gives Australians the rare chance to experience firsthand the creativity, diversity and vitality of Japan’s contemporary jazz scene.
Presented by The Japan Foundation (JF), Japan Jazz Nights is being held in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Japan and Australia. Through the universal language of music, this initiative aims to foster meaningful connections between Japan and Australia and strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
For both longtime jazz lovers and newcomers to the genre, Japan Jazz Nights is an unmissable opportunity to experience these musical icons, as they showcase the beauty of their craft and shape the future sound of modern jazz.
Further performance details to be announced mid-August.
PERFORMING ARTISTS
BIGYUKI
BIGYUKI is a New York-based keyboardist, composer and producer. He began playing the piano at the age of six and started his career as a session musician while studying at Berklee College of Music. After relocating to New York, he has collaborated with artists including Lauryn Hill, Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper and J. Cole. He also contributed to A Tribe Called Quest’s final album as both a performer and songwriter. Acclaimed for his distinctive musical voice that seamlessly bridges jazz, hip-hop and electronic music, BIGYUKI continues to captivate audiences at major festivals and concert stages around the world.
STEREO CHAMP
STEREO CHAMP are a band led by guitarist and composer May INOUE. Working from sharp rhythms and improvisation, they make music in which structure and freedom arrive at the same moment. Most of the repertoire is co-written by Inoue and bassist Ren YAMAMOTO. Within these carefully designed structures, each player’s choices and responses accumulate, and the music is remade on the spot every time. The line-up is May INOUE (guitar), Ren YAMAMOTO (bass), Shinpei RUIKE (trumpet), Shota WATANABE (piano, keyboards, synthesiser, kettle), Yasushi FUKUMORI (drums) and James MACAULAY (trombone). Rooted in jazz but never confined by it, their music is where beat, texture and improvisation intersect — and it comes into its own on stage. STEREO CHAMP play music that can only exist in that one moment.
Tenors in Chaos
Tenors In Chaos are a supergroup fronted by three tenor saxophonists working at the forefront of the Japanese jazz scene: Yu KUGA, Akihiro NISHIGUCHI and Tomoaki BABA. Kuga graduated top of his class from Berklee College of Music and has since ranged from Mrs. GREEN APPLE to Junko ONISHI, while leading the twelve-piece orchestra he writes and arranges for. Nishiguchi fronts his own band FOTOS and is among the most trusted players in the scene. Baba, who made his major-label debut on Universal Music, continues to build momentum. Behind these three very different voices are David BRYANT (piano), Takashi SUGAWA (bass) and Kazu ODAGIRI (drums). The band formed in Kobe in December 2021 and began in earnest in 2023 under trumpeter Takuya KURODA, who also gave them their name. They released Chaos on Kuroda’s aTak Records that November, followed by More Chaos in 2025. Their Blue Note Tokyo debut sold out immediately, and they have since supported KNOWER in Japan and played festivals around the country.
Misaki Umei
Misaki UMEI was born in Hyogo in 2002. She began piano at four and the Electone at six, starting to compose at the same time, and went on to study composition at Tokyo College of Music. A pianist, electronic producer and singer, she moves freely between acoustic ensembles and electronic production. In 2025 she was named one of 25 artists representing Japan in Rolling Stone Japan’s Future of Music. That July she released her first solo album, Asleep Above Creatures, on her own label .plum(es). Buoyant piano trios, finely worked string arrangements and electronica carrying her own voice sit together across the record — a vivid demonstration of her range. The album was nominated for the APPLE VINEGAR -Music Award- 2026, the prize founded by Masafumi GOTOH of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. On stage her reach has been just as wide. In February 2025 she joined Geordie Greep (formerly of black midi) as a member of his Japan tour, and in July she played ROOKIE A GO-GO at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL ’25. In April 2026 she gave her first solo headline show at Shibuya WWW.
EDITOR’S NOTES
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Program Details
October 2026
Admission
Tickets available via festival and venue websites
Media Enquiries
(02) 8239 0055
General Enquiries
(02) 8239 0055
Presented by
Held in Commemoration of
