What is TRI4TH, a five-member jazz band that has been attracting attention, and what is their concept of "danceable jazz"?

Ito.Of course, we create music that jazz listeners will enjoy, but we also hope that people who like other genres of music such as J-pop, rock, and hip-hop will also enjoy our music, and that our music will be different from the so-called "jazz = esoteric" image. We aim to create music that is easy to listen to and enjoyable, which is a departure from the so-called "jazz = esoteric" image of jazz.

Ito.Yes, something like that. Tatsuo Sunaga, a.k.a. "Record Bancho," who produced our first and second albums, and Shuya Okino, who created and led the club jazz movement, originally proposed the catchphrase "club jazz" as a way to promote the music. It was a catchphrase. So we decided to use the word "club jazz" in our activities. How about now?　I think that the number of artists who claim to be playing club jazz has decreased compared to then, but in terms of the popularity of instrumental jazz and piano jazz, I feel that the number of people playing jazz that you can groove to and dance to has increased.

Ito.Young people in their 20s and students enjoy the music, and children and elderly people also get into the groove, regardless of gender or age.

Ito.The costumes were changed this time, and until then, only Mr. Oda had been dressed in kimono and the rest of the members in suits, but for the first time in 10 years, they were dressed in Western-style clothing.

OdaAfter all, it is your major debut....

FujitaWhen I say major, I mean Western-style clothing (laughs).

all of us(Laughing hysterically)

Oda. In the sense of changing the atmosphere a bit, I thought it would be nice to bring a new breeze to the band by changing the look of the band.

FujitaAs a jazz band, we are conscious of our hip image, but we are also a band that gives intense performances, so the styling was done in such a way that each of our characters stands out. I am the sexy one, by the way....

Ito.Yes, that's right. I am in charge of MC for the live concerts, and I have named the members of the group after my own prejudice when I introduce them.

Ito.I am "Tokyo's No. 1 crazy fast pianist. In live performances, the performance part of playing fast comes first, but for me, Tokyo's No. 1 Crazy Pianist = I play like a madman! But for me, the main thing is that Tokyo No. 1 Crazy = "I play like crazy! Not only fast, but also crazy (laughs).

Takeuchi.No, I think there's ...... there (laughs). Personally, I really like the phrase too.

Ito.There is a bizarre part of me, you know (laughs). (Laughs.) And Sekiya, the bass player, is "Tokyo's No. 1 smiley bassist. He has a smile on his face throughout the live performance, which is very characteristic of him.

canyonBassists, and wood bass players in particular, have a strong image of being immersed in their own world, taking a step back and closing their eyes, but I always say, "Forward! Forward!" (laughs).

all of us(Laughter)

canyonYou know exactly what you're talking about!　That's why the suit for the costume is also yellow, which gives a soft and friendly impression (laughs).

Ito.Fujita is "Tokyo's No. 1 sexy saxophonist!

FujitaThe saxophone is one of the characteristics of the instrument, but I also perform live and get close to the audience, which is where I show off my sexiness.

FujitaWell, with a twist to the movement....

all of us(Laughing hysterically)

Ito.The sound of a saxophone has a wet or moody image, doesn't it?　. That's the image I had in mind. At first, I was very torn between sexy and wild, but now I think this was the right choice. The sound of the sound when I say it out loud is important to me . I gave it to you all completely based on whether it was easy for me to say (laughs).

Ito....... "Tokyo's No.1 monk trumpeter". . It's totally about looks (laughs). . When introducing the members, I have to give them a punchline in terms of flow, so I have them take charge of that part.

OdaI am bald just to make that punchline ,.

all of us(Laughing hysterically)

Ito.Originally, we were a trio organization. The word "force" also means "power," doesn't it?　Therefore, we started the band with the idea that we would be able to demonstrate the power of four people, even though there are three of us.

Ito.Yes, I went so far beyond the limits of the Force that it was no longer enough for four people (laughs).

FujitaWell, in my case, I started playing in a brass band in junior high school, and then I got into light jazz music like Kenny G's. . Then I studied classical music, and got into folk music when I was in college. I am a rather mixed type of person.

Ito.I had never heard of listening to folk music before .

FujitaYes, there was a time when I listened only to Homie all the time, for about a year.

FujitaI've also moved on to Scottish and Scandinavian music, and from there I've been listening to Enya for a long time (laughs), etc. It doesn't have much to do with TRI4TH's musicality, but I like compilations to begin with. If I feel something is cool, whether it is jazz or J-pop, I like to listen to it all from a flat perspective. Stevie Wonder also asked, "What do I have to do to make good music? Stevie Wonder was asked the same question, "How do you make good music? He said something like, "There is the essence of good in every sound. From that point on, I started to keep my antenna up for everything, and even now, I try to absorb everything in a flat and greedy way.

canyonI started out as a visual-kei musician, and was influenced by LUNA SEA when I started playing bass, and then I started listening to heavy metal music, such as Yngwie Malmsteen, German metal, and LA metal. I started listening to Yngwie Malmsteen, German metal, LA metal, and so on. . Then, when I wanted to play more different kinds of music, I came across jazz and fusion. I was interested in it, but I had no idea how to play it. I thought, "Well, let's just go to America! And suddenly, I went to the U.S. to study music for four years. I studied bass guitar at a music school there, then switched schools to study jazz composition and arranging, and I've been playing jazz ever since.

Takeuchi.. I had been learning classical piano since I was a child. When I entered high school, I wanted to join a music club, and my choices were the music club and the jazz club. In the former, everyone played rock music and there was no piano. In the jazz club, on the other hand, I had the impression that the pianist was doing something cool. I didn't know anything about jazz at the time, so I couldn't play at all, even if I tried with my existing classical knowledge. I could move my fingers reasonably well, but I had no notation and couldn't improvise. I thought, "I have to learn this properly," so I started learning both classical and jazz piano. I realized how interesting jazz music was. Then, in college, I joined the light music club and experienced playing in a band for the first time. At my university, there were some jazz players and others who liked rock and blues, so I listened to many different genres of music that I had never heard before.

Ito.. I originally started playing music in junior high school when I joined the brass band and started playing drums. After that, I started playing in various bands, and I started digging punk rock, hardcore, and other underground music that was pretty intense. At the time, I would listen to The Clash, Ramones, and so on, starting with early punk music, and then moving on to newer and newer music. Then I started to listen to newer and newer music, and I started to drift more and more toward jazz.

Ito.I was already a total punk in college. I wore painted and studded riders. Mr. Oda, for example, saw those things in real time.

OdaHe wasn't scary, but he was flashy. . and he had pink spiky hair. . but what I study in school is classical music (laughs).

Ito.I had to change my hair back to black for the orchestra's live performance because of the school image, though (laughs). At the time, I was sympathetic not only to the musicality of punk rock, but also to the D.I.Y. spirit that lies at the heart of the "make what you want by yourself" style of fashion. This is still true today. I choose what suits me, and if I don't want to wear it, I don't. I don't think about whether it looks good on me or not. I did not think about whether or not something looked good on me, but rather, I tried to "make it look good on me.

OdaThe bar has been raised.

canyon. it's bows, and it's temple music.

all of us(Laughing hysterically)

OdaLike a wooden fish?　No, sir (laughs). I started playing the trumpet because my father was a professional trumpeter. I was influenced by him, and I studied classical music in college, where I met Takao Ito, a senior. Although I was studying classical music, I was quite omnivorous in the music I liked to listen to from elementary, junior high, and high school days. In high school, I was a big fan of Shibuya-style music. At that time, I went to PARCO in Shibuya and bought all the music on the Trattoria Records label, which was run by Keigo Oyamada. In the process, I became interested in Western music as well. I became interested in alternative rock, bought a SQUIER electric bass, and formed a NIRVANA copy band. From there, I decided that I wanted to play in a band more seriously, and formed a band that would become the predecessor of TRI4TH.

OdaNo, it was alternative rock in genre. . with a maniacal lineup of vocals & guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, and oboe. In the end, it didn't end up sounding good. Even when you played live, there was only one spectacular audience on the floor.

Ito.Moreover, the only spectator was Mr. Oda's father. I still vividly remember that surreal scene (laughs).

OdaMy dad was standing on his knees listening to it. After the show, with tears of joy, he said, "It was great!　It's beautiful to see you working so hard! He praised me (laughs).

all of us(Laughing hysterically)

Oda. But the band regrettably disbanded after that. At that time, I saw a five-member jazz instrumental band called PE'Z and wondered if it was possible to make such a cool band with wind instruments, so I asked Takao-san if he would like to start an instrumental band. I thought to myself, "I wonder if wind instruments can be used in such a cool band," and asked Takao-san if he would like to start an instrumental band, and TRI4TH was formed.

FujitaWe are almost the same age, and we have a reputation in the neighborhood as a band that gets along well with each other. Well, I guess you could say that we have a club-like atmosphere (laughs).

Ito.Yes, I have been teasing Mr. Oda for 20 years!

OdaI'm older than him, but he's been like this for the past 20 years (laughs).

Ito.Mr. Oda is my junior since he entered the university after a year of study, but we graduated the same year since I stayed in school for one year, so we have a complicated senior/junior relationship (laughs).

all of us(Laughing hysterically)

Ito.In this regard, I would like to mention SOIL&"PIMP "SESSIONS, who are also our seniors. Their style of performing at rock festivals and attracting even those who do not listen to jazz has influenced us. If I had to pick only one album, I would recommend "PIMP MASTER".

canyonOne of my influences is a guitarist named Pat Metheny. His songs sound catchy and pop, but what he does is very difficult jazz. I think his beautiful melody lines are easy to understand, even for people who don't listen to jazz at all. . If I had to choose my favorite album among his works, it would be "Speaking of Now".

FujitaIn the sense that it is a band song that is also connected to our music, it is "The Last" by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. When I first heard this album when I first became interested in music, I was shocked, and I thought, "Someday I would like to do this kind of music," which is what I am still striving to do. This album is their fourth best album. If you listen to it, I think you will get some idea of the path that we, TRI4TH, are going to take in the future.

Takeuchi.When I started playing jazz piano, I really looked to Herbie Hancock, who, at 78 years old, is not only a wonderful soloist, but also a superb composer. The song "Watermelon Man" was one of the most shocking. It is easy to play for jazz beginners, easy to learn, and kind of cool. I think the experience of being able to play this song when I first encountered it motivated me to continue playing jazz piano. Therefore, I recommend the album "Takin Off," which contains this song, to anyone who wants to start playing jazz piano!

OdaTatsuo Sunaga, who I mentioned earlier, gave us several CDs when we first started working with him, saying, "Listen to this first! When we first started working with Mr. Tatsuo Sunaga, he gave us several CDs, saying, "Listen to this one first! One of them was a Finnish jazz band called The Five Corners Quintet. Jazz has a unique rhythm called "swing," which can be quite difficult to listen to at first, but the rhythms they create are based on rockabilly and rock 'n' roll, so the rhythms are easy to feel and the melody is easy to understand. The rhythms they create are based on rockabilly and rock 'n' roll, so the rhythms are easy to feel and the melodies are very catchy. I can say that I was introduced to jazz through their music before I heard Miles Davis or Lee Morgan. So, if I were to recommend "HOT CORNER" to jazz beginners, I would say "HOT CORNER". I think it is very easy to listen to!

Ito.The first song I would like you to listen to is "Maximum Shout," which is the lead tune. If you like rock music, you will probably recognize it as "Oh, that's the band! If you like rock music, you may be able to recognize it, so if you are interested in it, you may look up the original. It is a jazz song, but I think you will feel the same passion as rock music, so I hope you will enjoy shouting along with the band and call and response at the live performance. I think this song will become an important song for us to enliven our live performances, and I am sure that people will feel that "even jazz can be so exciting! I think it will be an important song for us to make our live shows more exciting.

Takeuchi.There are many self-covers on this album, and more than half of the songs are retakes. Among them, the third track, "Sand Castle (Anthology ver.)," is the one that I feel has changed a lot from the original. It is arranged in a ska style, and I feel that the essence of ska is a key point of TRI4TH's sound. In fact, I feel that incorporating ska music into live performances enhances the sense of unity with the audience. This song, which was originally the main song on the album, was sublimated into the direction that TRI4TH is now aiming for, "easy to listen to and dance to," by injecting the same essence of ska into the song, and it was also included on the album.

OdaI really like "Final Call," the 11th and last song, which is one of Takeuchi's. Usually we play upper tunes, but Takeuchi, who plays the wind instruments, and I both studied classical music. Usually we play upper-class songs, but Takeuchi and I, who are in charge of wind instruments, have both studied classical music, and we still want to bring the "beauty of tone" to the audience. I am proud to say that we were able to express this more than ever in this song.

canyonI'll be at "Hop (Anthology ver. )". This song is by Fujita-kun and is a remixed version of the song of the same name, which also appears on the previous album "Hybrid ROOTS" It has quite a bright and funky atmosphere among TRI4TH's songs and has a 99% participation rate in live performances, just like Ichiro's. . But it was never a lead tune all the way through, in the position of second best. The engineer for that song has changed, and the take itself is the same, but the sound quality has been brushed up even further, making it even funkier and more danceable and confident!

FujitaI would like to recommend the first song, "Stompin' Boogie". I think people who listen to our music without any prior information will be surprised to hear "Is this jazz? I think people who listen to our music without any prior information will be surprised. But I can proudly say that this song is jazz, and I want people to listen to TRI4TH as "fun and exciting music," regardless of whether it is jazz or instrumental music. It's powerful, danceable, and has a lot of shouting in it. It is a song that is our calling card, so if you come to a live show with that image in mind, you will definitely have a great time!

Ito.That's right. As we call this tour "Shout" Tour, even if you don't know TRI4TH, we are going to make it a live concert where everyone can enjoy shouting and dancing as one, so I hope you can look forward to it!