Jazz Art Sengawa 2013

The alternative to Tokyo Jazz Festival is both far less commercially minded and rather more predictable in its booking choices. The same musicians tend to pop up at every installment of Jazz Art Sengawa, most of them plucked from the orbits of the event's three main organisers: Hikashu leader Koichi Makigami, cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto and bassist Kiyoshi Fujiwara. Highlights this year include outlandish free-jazz-vaudeville outfit Hihokan, a duo between bassist Kiyoto Fujiwara and volatile psych musician Keiji Haino, and – of course – the climactic performance of John Zorn's 'Cobra', conducted by Makigami himself. The main concerts are supplemented by gigs at the nearby Jenny's Kitchen and Kick Back Cafe, though note that these must be paid for separately.