Itiberê Zwarg is well-known in his native Brazil, and in the past few years he has spent time in Japan. On one of his recent (2019) stints in Japan he put this group together to explore a confluence of Brazilian and Japanese jazz.

Itiberê Zwarg & Orquestra Família do Japão Orquestra Família do Japão (Torto Disco/Scubidu Music)

The pieces do veer a bit from one extreme to the other, but much of the time there is a fruitful friction. At its best, jazz takes familiar ideas and gives them a creative twist. Some of these songs wrench a bit more than twist, but they really work hard to find the sweet spot.

And this is an orchestra. There appear to have been more than 25 musicians playing for this live performance at Shizuoka. That number lends a fullness of sound without losing any of the nimbleness these intricate pieces require.

There's fusion, and then there's something like this. The ideas flow quickly, and the performances are up to the task. Quite the document of what must have been a wonderful show.

Jon Worley