Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 255 - From Jazz to J-Pop: Discovering Honda Toshiyuki

From J-Pop to Jazz… and Now a Deliberate Move from Jazz Toward J-Pop

Up until now, the focus has been on approaches from the J-Pop side toward jazz. This time, we are shifting the spotlight to the deliberate steps jazz has taken toward J-Pop.

In the world of art, new forms of expression have often emerged by breaking away from existing concepts. A clear example of this can be found in the works of Pablo Picasso.
In 1907, he unveiled Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, a painting of women in a brothel located in Avignon, France. The figures in this work deviated from traditional rules of painting such as perspective and shading. This marked a turning point in art history: the birth of Cubism.
Cubism is an attempt to represent subjects not from a single point of view, but from multiple perspectives that’s translated onto a flat surface.

Such attempts have not been limited to the world of art; They have also taken place in music. However, due to the constraint of tonality in music, it has been more difficult to achieve dramatic changes as seen in painting.
Even so, new music has been created by musicians who possess both an excellent sense for breaking conventions and a certain kind of humor. In this article, we’ll explore works by such musicians while considering the fusion of jazz into J-Pop.

■ Recommended Album: Toshiyuki Honda & Radio Club – Radio Club (1987)

If Ringo Sheena represents a successful case of approaching jazz from the pop side, then Radio Club is a prime example of a successful approach to pop from jazz.

This work was released in 1987 by saxophonist Toshiyuki Honda. That same year, his soundtrack for the film Marusa no Onna (A Taxing Woman) generated a lot of buzz. Its melodies leave a strong impression with a mischievous tone that echoed the film’s comedic nature. It was a fresh sound that hadn’t been heard in conventional soundtracks before.
The recording lineup featured a rock-solid team: Toshiyuki Honda, Yoshihiro Naruse (bass), Mishio Ogawa (vocals), Hirokuni Korekata (guitar), and Rikiya Higashihara (drums). Naturally, the album also includes an alternate version of Marusa no Onna featuring Mishio Ogawa’s unique scat vocals and different arrangement.

When I was producing a program on synthesizers in the past, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Honda. I was left with the strong impression that he was someone with a rich imagination and no boundaries when it came to music. Although he is a jazz saxophone player, I vividly remember that during the interview, there was an Oberheim 12-voice synthesizer, the Matrix-12, sitting in the background. He is, by nature, a truly multi-talented individual.

On the other hand, the album also includes a cover of Charles Mingus’s classic Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. In this track, he boldly features a distorted guitar solo, a move that feels very characteristic of him as it’s deliberate and confident. Following that solo, a synthesizer sequence phrase flows in, seamlessly transitioning the piece into an 8-beat pop arrangement. This structure reveals the depth and versatility of Toshiyuki Honda as a musician. This “stew-like mix” might just be the album’s greatest charm.

About three years before the release of this album, Honda collaborated with synthesizer manipulator Yuji Toriyama to produce an album titled Modern. In that work, they experimented with a jazz approach that made full use of drum machines.
I once had the chance to talk with Toriyama through a friend of mine, and he shared an episode where they played the album for Terumasa Hino. Hino reportedly snapped, “You guys, this just isn’t it.” This story shows just how taboo it was at the time to play 4-beat jazz using machines.
It was an era when jazz, despite being seen as a “free” genre, actually had a deeply conservative side.

However, Toshiyuki Honda was a musician with the mentality to break through such established norms. It’s precisely because of that mindset that it’s likely he was able to carve out a new path from the jazz side toward pop through Radio Club.

Recommended Track: “Black Eye”

A standout track from Radio Club, starting with an intro that mimics an old jazz orchestra. Over a swinging 4-beat rhythm, Mishio Ogawa’s vocals unfold as if gliding through the air. The unison of the saxophone playing the melody and the scatting is a masterful display of jazz as a genre. Adding a sense of clarity and brightness throughout the piece is the light, airy vibraphone.

Thanks to its refreshing feel, “Black Eye” was also used in a commercial for a beverage company, which generated a lot of buzz at the time.

■ Recommended Album: Ryutaro Makino – Kind of love (2012)

Ryutaro Makino (born in 1979) is a jazz vocalist. I first heard this album at Tower Records in Shibuya. I was intrigued by the fact that a jazz vocalist was approaching J-Pop-style songs, so I decided to buy the album.

While it's certainly possible for a jazz singer to release a pure jazz album, such works alone don’t often lead to commercial success. Record labels that prioritize sales might hesitate. Whether that was the case here is unclear, but this album clearly conveys an intentional approach to bring jazz closer to pop and J-Pop.
Whereas Toshiyuki Honda’s work was filled with humor and playfulness, this album is a good example of jazz engaging with pop more earnestly.

By bringing jazz closer to J-Pop, this album became something that feels both familiar and entirely new.
What’s most crucial is that Makino fully embodies jazz. He has made it a part of himself and still deliberately chooses to use 4-beat rhythms in his songs.
Music is a medium that doesn’t allow for shortcuts or pretense. This work clearly reflects that Ryutaro Makino possesses a solid foundation in jazz, and it wasn’t something that was just thrown together at the last minute.
It’s truly unfortunate that the album didn’t achieve greater commercial success.

Recommended Track: “I Hear a Song”

The track opens with a jazzy piano trio intro, and the A section begins with a snare roll as the cue. As far as I know, I can’t recall any J-Pop songs that enter with a snare roll like this. The stylish melody and Makino’s refreshing vocal tone don’t immediately evoke jazz.
However, the backing, stripped down to the bare essentials, clearly reveals a 4-beat rhythm. When the chorus hits, a walking wood bass joins in, making it unmistakably clear that this is a 4-beat piece—that is, jazz. It’s truly an example of jazz wearing the skin of pop.

Ryutaro Makino’s voice is delicate, with extremely rich articulation. Even in those details, you can sense his sincere approach to music. In fact, this expressive depth is likely his natural state—and that, in itself, is his version of jazz.

Musicians, Albums, and Recommended Tracks Featured in This Article

• Artists: Toshiyuki Honda, Ryutaro Makino, Rikiya Higashihara, Hirokuni Korekata, Yoshihiro Naruse, Mishio Ogawa, and others
• Albums: Toshiyuki Honda & Radio Club, Kind of love
• Recommended Tracks: “Black Eye”, “I Hear a Song”

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