If you’ve been tuning into Colin Curtis’s weekly Jazz Dance Fusion radio show, which was broadcast on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM channel before eventually moving to The Hitmix 107.5 FM in the UK, you would of heard a heavy rotation of selections by the groundbreaking Japanese quartet Indigo Jam Unit. Active from 2006 to 2016, the Osaka-based group released a number incredible albums and EPs off of the Basis Records, often in extremely limited vinyl quantities. With the help of Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records, Curtis has compiled the band’s best dancefloor-focused material on a new highly anticipated vinyl-only release.

Made up of a combination of two drummers, piano and bass, including Isao Wasano (drums percussion), Katsuhiko Sasai (bass), Takehiro Shimizu (drums), and Yoshichika Tarue (piano), this 8-track recording is firing on all cylinders from start to finish, featuring a heavy dose of Latin-tinged jazz dance grooves. The selections include “Matador” (2007), “Rush” (2009), “Time” (2009), “La Tomatina” (2010), “4 Caminos” (2012), “Danza Eterna” (2012), “Raindance” (2014), and “Descarga” (2015).

With copies of the original releases extraordinarily difficult to come by and often pricey (first time this material was issued outside of Japan!), this well-crafted retrospective is by far one of the must-own releases of 2023, shining a light on one of Japan’s greatest modern-day jazz ensembles. Highly recommended!

Indigo Jam Unit — ‘Colin Curtis Presents: Indigo Jam Unit’
(Jazz Room Records)

1. Rush
2. 4 Caminos
3. Danza Eterna
4. La Tomatina
5. Time
6. Matador
7. Raindance
8. Descarga

BUY RECORD

• Compilation
• Jazz
• Jazz Dance
• Reissue