Improvised Music from Japan is a website and record label.

The website was originally known as Japanese Free Improvisers. As its name suggests, it concentrates on Japanese and Japan-based improvisers, particuarly free improvisers.

In December 2001, a compilation box-set, also called Improvised Music from Japan, was released to mark the fifth anniversary of the website. It was a 10 CD collection of previously unissued material from a variety of Japanese musicians (some of them collaborating with Europeans and Americans). The artists featured on the release are:

  • Tetuzi Akiyama
  • Big Picture
  • Haco
  • Shoji Hano
  • Junji Hirose
  • Ryoji Hojito
  • Yoshimitsu Ichiraku
  • Kazuo Imai
  • Incapacitants
  • Atsuhiro Ito
  • Utah Kawasaki
  • Kyoko Kuroda
  • Brett Larner
  • Sachiko M
  • Toshimaru Nakamura
  • Takehito Nakazato
  • Mitsuru Nasuno
  • Masahiko Okura
  • Aki Onda
  • Yasuhiro Otani
  • Yoshihide Otomo
  • Tetsu Saitoh
  • Michihiro Sato
  • Skist
  • Taku Sugimoto
  • Tamaru
  • Yumiko Tanaka
  • Tsuguto Tsunoda
  • Kazuhisa Uchihashi
  • Michiyo Yagi
  • Seiichi Yamamoto
  • Tetsuro Yasunaga
  • Ami Yoshida
  • Yasuhiro Yoshigaki

The label has since released a number of other records featuring similar artists:

  • Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama and guests, Meeting at Off Site Vol. 1 (IMJ-501, April 2002)
  • Otomo Yoshihide, Ensemble Cathode (IMJ-502, July 2002)
  • Kaffe Matthews, Andrea Neumann and Sachiko M, In Case of Fire Take the Stairs (IMJ-503, December 2002)
  • Ami Yoshida, Tiger Thrush (IMJ-504, July 2003)
  • Shoji Hano, 48 (IMJ-505, May 2003)
  • Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama and guests, Meeting at Off Site Vol. 2 (IMJ-506, May 2003)
  • Yumiko Tanaka, Tayutauta (IMJ-507, due January 2004)
  • Raku Sugifatti (Radu Malfatti and Taku Sugimoto), Futatsu (IMJ-508/9, December 2003)
  • Aki Onda, Bon Voyage! (IMJ-510, October 2003)
  • Otomo Yoshihide, Park Je Chun and Mi Yeon, Loose Community (IMJ-511, December 2003)
  • Peter Brötzmann and Shoji Hano, Funny Rat (IMJ-512, October 2003)
  • Toshimaru Nakamura, Side Guitar (IMJ-513, December 2003)
  • Han Bennink and Kazuo Imai, Across the Desert (IMJ-514, December 2003)
  • Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama and guests, Meeting at Off Site Vol. 3 (IMJ-515, December 2003)

External links