Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

3/13/2005, Jazz shows: Shopping mall in Osaka

This was yet another brilliant find by Akemi.  Lately, she's doing a fine job of finding lots of free jazz shows around Osaka.  This one was at a shopping mall called Ocat in the Namba area of Osaka.  First, we saw a singer - female, probably African American - do a bunch of standards.  She was with a guitar player and an keyboard player who generally got more applause than she did.  Not sure why.  They were all really terrific.  After that, we thought the show was over.  But, an unadvertised combo made up of college students went up and did several tunes.  They were very much in the Chet Baker quintet style.  Piano, bass, drums, trumpet, saxaphone.  Really tight.  Really full of energy.  Really nice music.  Akemi thought they looked nervous and/or inexperienced, but I didn't think so at all.  Really enjoyable stuff.  A day of free jazz shows is a great thing.

Sorry.  I know all these photos are pretty bad.  I took them all with my cell phone, generally with less than ideal lighting and no flash.

The main attraction group with the singer at the shopping mall.

The college students at the shopping mall.

That night, at Akemi's, I made a chicken casserole.  This was made using a book that was a Christmas present this year from my friends Will and Sandy.  It called for Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup.  It was a challenge finding such a thing here in Japan, but I eventually found it in a foreign foods store.  Imagine that.  Campbell's soup being sold as a foreign food.

Chicken casserole.

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