Get ready to be captivated by the heat and coolness! DOLPHY 2nd opens in Bashamichi, Yokohama!

I'm completely immersed in jazz again tonight.
File.7 DOLPHY 2nd Bashamichi
Mayuko Niimura (Jazz Cafe Chigusa)

JAZZ SPOT DOLPHY, which has been a venue for the Chigusa Award selection live performances every year, opened in Honmoku in 1980. Later, in 1990, it moved to Noge to further expand the jazz live performance venue. Talented jazz musicians from Japan and abroad perform there every night, making a night in Noge even more enriching.
The owner of a long-established jazz club might seem intimidating, but the owner, Tsunehiko Komuro (whom everyone calls Tsune), is a friendly and cheerful person. Even when I make lighthearted jokes, he listens with a smile. I think his open-mindedness is the reason why he is loved by so many musicians. He sometimes drops by Chigusa for coffee, and seeing Tsune makes me feel at ease.
Apparently, they had been thinking of opening a store in Kannai because they wanted to provide more venues for musicians to perform, but this April they opened Dolphy 2nd in Bashamichi.
At the opening party, not only regulars but also jazz musicians who had finished work came to celebrate, and a jam session with a star-studded lineup continued until late into the night. The interplay of sounds in the unrehearsed improvisation was both fun and wonderful, and I think it was a fantastic opening that showed great respect for Dolphy.
Above all, I will never forget the joyful faces of the musicians.
The venue is located on the fourth floor of a multi-tenant building. It seems to have originally been a pub. While some modifications have been made, such as the installation of a stage and lighting, the interior remains the same as when it was a pub. Despite the new imperial era, the place has a Showa-era atmosphere, which is strangely calming. Musicians apparently say that the sound is better than at Dolphy in Noge.
They plan to actively incorporate acoustic and vocal-focused live performances. Eventually, they'll also hire a chef and serve full-fledged cuisine, so it's sure to become a new landmark in Yokohama.
There are many jazz clubs around Kannai, but musicians rarely clash. It's precisely because it's Dolphy that top musicians gather and captivate audiences.

—You've certainly earned it through your long experience.

Tsune-san says this with a bit of hesitation, but he has been running a place in Noge for nearly 30 years that "increases the livelihoods of musicians," and his passion for jazz, along with his desire to "see more young musicians succeed," must have been the driving force behind the opening of the second location.

—I need to increase my own sources of income too.

He was just laughing.

It's conveniently located near Bashamichi Station on the Minatomirai Line and the north exit of Kannai Station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line, so you can enjoy drinks and jazz and still catch the last train home. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this new development, different from Dolphy in Noge, unfolds.

For more details, please visit the DOLPHY 2nd Facebook page .