Introducing 1970s Japanese Jazz

I've only recently had the pleasure of discovering this awesome genre of music, and thought I would put together a list, sharing with you the power and magical mystery and spiritually uplifting beauty of 1970s Japanese Jazz. 

I love disco, but Japanese Jazz is at a whole other level. It's so cool, and so worth listening to, especially for those having an appreciation for progressive rock, jazz fusion, and funk, this is in my opinion some of the best music ever made. 

So, just as a very brief introduction to the genre, here is a sampling of five awesome 1970s Japanese Jazz songs, plus a bonus song, personally handpicked by me, your humble host of Effortless Flow, the blog that sadly apparently no one reads.

1) Ryo Fukui - Early Summer (1976)

2) Hiroshi Suzuki - Shrimp Dance (1975)

3) Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - Breeze (1975)

4) Ryo Kawasaki - The Breeze and I (1976)

5) Hiromasa Suzuki - Scramble (1976)

(Bonus Song) Funk No.1 - TOKYO GROOVE JYOSHI

This one is technically not from the 1970s, but these women are so awesome, are so profoundly talented, that I would be remiss not to mention them. In fact, I have never been so impressed with an all female band as I am with them, and I can honestly say that these women embody the spirit of 1970s Japanese Jazz better than most. Especially noteworthy is the fact that they are probably young enough to be the granddaughters of the pioneers of this genre. How mind blowing is that?