All That Jazz

You’d be forgiven for not knowing about these Studio Ghibli commissioned jazz reworkings of much-loved classic soundtracks with the three-piece All That Jazz being one of Japan’s best kept secrets until now. Originally put together by the power-house animation studio for a series of jazzed-up covers, the group took off with their simple yet moving set-up of piano, bass and drums, and afterwards went on to do another record of anime classics. Sprinkled with complementary instruments, the project is tied together by the soothing vocals of Yukiko Kuwahara. On this second record, you can find the main theme of Spirited Away, three cuts from My Neighbour Totoro, the theme to the more recently appraised Only Yesterday and carefully curated tracks.