OK Jazz Podcast

Back with a guitar heavy episode! Wizardry from Gabor Szabo, Djelimady Tounkara, Donna Grantis, & Syran Mbenza. New music from Kuunatic, the Billy Hart Quartet, rocking grooves from 1970s Zimbabwe, two Soca classics from Trinidad, plus lots more!

Quickie episode today but with great tunes as always! Two of 2025's best new releases so far, 1970s Samba-Rock, Grammy Museum & TV talk, J-Jazz classic & more!

Short but sweet episode with new music from Brazil, recent/new jazz, great re-issue news, 80s funk and respect for RobertaFlack! Plus some bonus light ranting about the USA!

Very special episode today with guest selector Colin Smith! In between introducing some deep jazz cuts from the UK & USA, we have a free-wheeling talk that covers Colin taking me to see Stan Tracey at the Bulls Head in London, the UK jazz scene past and present, Ornette Coleman & Prime Time, and even a hilarious anecdote about Lemmy from Motorhead giving Colin a beer. This was a treat to catch up with an old friend, and one of the biggest music fans I know! (Sorry for some unavoidable sound & editing issues that pop up in this one!!)

A ramshackle episode recorded in California, but with a LOT of great music! New Congolese rock & roll from Jupiter&Okwess, new jazz from the US and Greece, classic reggae, birthday shout-outs to BBKing and ArtPepper, heavy guitar from DonnaGrantis & more! (Plus some raspy voiced intros and evan a little political talk :)

OK Jazz turns 10 years old today! And to celebrate, we're heading to one of the most musical cities on Earth and my favorite ever record label, STAX! From 1957-1975 Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee produced some of the greatest music of the 20th century; on this special edition of the podcast, join me as we look past the big hits to explore some of the deeper cuts from one of the great catalogs of music ever recorded. We're going to Soulsville, USA!!!

OK Jazz returns after a six month hiatus! Tribute to two giants that left us Quincy Jones and Papa Noel, new jazz from the UK, some modern soul, monster grooves the French Caribbean, some personal & music related updates and LOTS more!

2+hour mega-comeback episode of OK Jazz! New music from South Africa, the UK, USA, Mali and Brazil, a classic jazz re-issue, beautiful Congolese Rumba as usual, and a LOT more. Last episode (for awhile..) so turn it up and dive in!

ICYMI, here is the Tokyo Jazz Joints Podcast discussion between Philip and I about the current Eigakan Jazz Kissa Kickstarter Project! Hear all about how it started, the campaign details, and how you can help support us in our quest to take a classic jazz kissa years into the future!

A JAM-packed episode of new music from Cuba, South Africa and the USA, plus my very special Memory Lane Childhood Mix of tunes I loved hearing on the radio as a kid in New York City 1974-1982!

Quick mid-week episode with brand new music from jazz legends CharlesLloyd and AbdullahIbrahim, kompas music from Haiti, South African pop superstar Brenda Fassie & a new/old soul music back-to-back!

OK Jazz is back in 2024! New music from Brazil, Bolivia, Eswatini & Japan, classic grooves from Congo and some Impulse! label treasures!

Part 2 of OK Jazz Episode #167 - 2023 Year End Special! Some of the best new releases and reissues from a year packed with great music, 33 tracks from 18 countries!

Part 1 of the 2023 Year End Special is here! Some of my favorite new releases and reissues of another jam-packed year of great music, 33 tracks from 18 countries!

OK Jazz returns with a packed new episode, new music from Chief Adjuah, Dengue Fever and Eddie Henderson, plus a Los Angeles Mega-Music-Mix inspired by Mr. OK Jazz' recent trip to the City of Angels!

The Autumn Allergy Special! New & classic music from Turkey, brand new release from IrreversibleEntanglements, Japanese Jazz old & new, vintage Franco & O.K.Jazz and LOTS more!

New jazz releases, music from South Africa & Algeria, a wild reissue from France, classic JohnColtrane & more!

New music from Brazil, Jamaica, the US AND my special interview with harpist Brandee Younger, recorded at the Tokyo Blue Note!

It's been the hottest summer in history..so here's a suitable HOT Summer Special on OK Jazz! Soul, Samba, Chicha, Soukous, Funk & more, turn the volume UP for this special episode!

New music from the UK, USA, Mali/Nigeria, and the Abenaki First Nation, a Caribbean island hop, a beautiful kamancheh/kora duet & more!

This is a PACKED episode! New music from the UK, Peru, Korea and Gambia, classic swinging EllaFitzgerald, Philly Soul/Disco, the Soukous Siren TshalaMuana, new from BrandeeYounger & more!

VERY hot new episode with new music from West Africa, Japan and Cuba and Brazil, more classic Congolese Rumba from a departed legend, O Samba, South African Jazz & more!

Tribute to the legend AhmadJamal, new music from New York, Poland/UK, a groovy 1970s Japanese pop reissue, classic Brazilian funky jazz & lots more!

Take a nostalgic trip back to the decade of baggy jeans, backwards caps, the OJ Trial, Bill Clinton and everyone's first ever email accounts, it's a 1990s Mix from Mr. OK Jazz! Hip-Hop, Rock, Ambient, Jazz, WorldMusic, all kinds of tunes that were in his portable CD player from ages 16-26!

Packed new episode with new music from Brazil, the USA, and Haiti. 90s hip-hop classics, a Stax Records medley, respect to WayneShorter & more!

New music from Cuba and Brazil, deep Japanese Jazz cut, classic PFloyd and a Funkadelic deepcut on this episode of OK Jazz!

Another packed episode of super cool tunes, as usual! Laika music from Greece, spaced out grooves from the UK, two new releases from Brazil, space travel with JohnColtrane & more!

A HOT episode kicks off with some wild Japanese guitar mastery from a Takeshi Terauchi reissue, some deep JB, new music from Brazil & France, Japanese Jazz classics & more!

Kick off 2023 with the latest episode of OK Jazz! New music from Nigeria, Germany and Japan, funky jazz re-issue, more from one of 2022's best albums & more!

19 tracks from some of the best new albums of 2022! Mr. OK Jazz shares many of his favorite new releases from the US, UK, Brazil, Peru, Lebanon, South Africa and many more spots around the globe!

(This is the correct, edited version of the pod, an earlier version onilne today was unedited an now taken down!) A very special cross-over episode from the Tokyo Jazz Joints Podcast! We are finally going to publish our TJJ book in Spring 2023, but need your support with some initial fundraising at our Kickstarter page. Check out this episode to learn more (plus hear my riveting stories of jazz joints in Hokkaido on a recent trip up north!)

A very special cross-over episode from the Tokyo Jazz Joints Podcast! We are finally going to publish our TJJ book in Spring 2023, but need your support with some initial fundraising at our Kickstarter page. Check out this episode to learn more (plus hear my riveting stories of jazz joints in Hokkaido on a recent trip up north!)

Episode #150 is here! So long it had to be split into two parts, join Mr. OK Jazz as he goes back over the last eight years to share some of his favorite tunes introduced on the show, music from 18 countries covering all genres!Part 2 continues with some longer tracks, and five of the best pieces of music of the 21st century!

Episode #150 is here! So long it had to be split into two parts, join Mr. OK Jazz as he goes back over the last eight years to share some of his favorite tunes introduced on the show, music from 18 countries covering all genres!

Very special episode of all Charles Mingus tunes, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth!

OKJ returns, slightly under the weather but with the usual great tunes! New music from the JazzIsDead project, classic Bowie, deep Panamanian groove, glorious Samba & more!

Preview of this year's Sukiyaki Meets The World music festival, featuring music from Argentina, Canada, Cyprus, Morocco & Japan! Plus live jazz from the 1970s, the usual swinging Congolese Rumba, modern Blues & more!

New music from the USA, Ghana and Japan, island groove from Guadeloupe, classic jazz from BillyHarper & more!

On this VERY special episode, Mr. OK Jazz & DJ Otsuka interview jazz legend Billy Harper! ! Billy spoke from his home in NYC via Zoom, on a whole range of subjects including: The Cookers band, growing up in Texas, spiritual music, recording for Japanese labels, his version of Japanese folk tune 'Soran Bushi', rare only in Japan albums, a special message from DJ Otsuka to Billy and more! Featured Music: 00:00 - 03:05 / The Cookers - 'Somalia' 08:16 - 10:40 / 'Thine Is The Glory' 19:48 - 21:57 / 'Soran Bushi, B.H.' 30:45 -43:47 / 'Croquet Ballet'

JAM-packed show with new music from Brazil, Peru, London, Wales/Senegal, and Holland. Groovy sounds from Martinique in the Caribbean, classic jazz, one of the 3 Kings & more!

New releases from Brazil and Panama (via Chicago!), deep New Orleans funk, intense Roma music from Istanbul & more!

OKJ returns with a long episode introducing new music from Mali, Argentina, Brazil & the US, Afro-Cuban summit album, an all-time jazz masterpiece & LOTS more!

A special birthday episode as Mr. OK Jazz shares some of his all-time favorite soul music tunes!

Another great mix of new and old tunes in this episode, vintage laika music from Greece, new sounds from Zimbabwe, brand new jazz from the USA, a hymn from JohnColtrane, and even a short background appearance from the OK Jazz Dog!

Another wild trip around the world in this episode! Greece, Cuba, Angola, Japan, swinging jazz, 80s Funk & more!

Deep funk, incendiary Cuban piano, new jazz from the USA, an ancient Greek drinking song & more!

New music from Argentina and Congo, two jazz masterpieces, SarahVaughn getting funky & more!

OK Jazz is back in 2022 with new music from Brazil, Russia and France, a soul classic from OtisRedding, a legend from Okinawa & more!

2021 Year In Review episode, 18 of Mr. OK Jazz' picks from the year's best new releases. Music from the USA, UK, Korea, Japan, Congo, Mali, South Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Cuba & Senegal!

New jazz from Europe & the US, a mini-tour of African deep cuts and classics in Mali, Nigeria, Congo & Angola, DJ Otsuka Remix-Single, funky soul from Los Angeles & more!

OKJ is back on Halloween with some creepy classics, new music from Estonia, the US and Brazil, a monster groove from 1970s West Africa & more!