The start of summer comes with the start of the first round of selection for the Chigusa Award!

Immerse yourself in jazz tonight
File.2 "Chigusa Award" to discover new talent in the jazz world
(Mayuko Niimura/Jazz Cafe Chigusa)

In 2013, Jazz Cafe Chigusa established CHIGUSA Records to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Mamoru Yoshida. At the same time, the Chigusa Award was established to discover and award outstanding newcomers once a year, inheriting Mamoru Yoshida's desire to "nurture young jazz musicians in Japan."

While there are long-running jazz competitions across the country, the Chigusa Award may be a young competition in its sixth year. However, the purpose of its establishment is the story of Mamoru Yoshida's extraordinary love for jazz and his passionate support for young musicians.

After the war, the occupying forces flooded into Yokohama, and American military facilities were built one after another in the city. At the same time, jazz became a big boom, and the number of young Japanese players performing at camps and nightclubs increased dramatically. Chigusa , which always stocked the latest hot records, was a popular hangout spot for band members.
Eventually, the number of American military clubs decreased, and the number of performance jobs for Japanese bandmen gradually decreased. As jazz musicians from the United States began to come to Japan one after another, the opportunities for Japanese players to perform became increasingly limited.
These were very difficult times for young Japanese jazz musicians who wanted to learn more about the essence of jazz and pursue their own sound.

Meanwhile, Mamoru Yoshida, who watched young, unknown players continue to visit Chigusa , listen to records for hours, and work hard to play, looked after them in various ways, such as finding venues and arranging concerts. Perhaps he saw himself in the young musicians who were single-minded and serious about jazz, and pursued his dreams together with them. He was called "eccentric," "stubborn old man," and "scary!", but it is no exaggeration to say that his dedicated activities became the foundation for the development of jazz in Japan.
This passion and love has been passed down and embodied in the Chigusa Award .

The previous recipients of the award are female vocalist Mari Kanemoto in the first year (2013), bassist Sadamu Endo in the second year (2014), flutist Erika Ogawa in the third year (2015), male vocalist Akira Wada in the fourth year (2016), and pianist Takehiro Chiba in the fifth year (2017). All of them are talented young jazz musicians who have been active since receiving the award. If Mamoru Yoshida were alive today, he would have been happy, even if he had some complaints.

Applications for the sixth round of selection began on July 1. The second round of selection will be a live event, scheduled to take place at jazz spot Dolphy in October.

If you believe you have the passion for jazz, please apply.

*For details about the Chigusa Award, see below.
https://chigusa-records.jimdo.com/