One of the great esoteric thrills of music is connection. Whether you are connecting with the audience, the band, other musicians, one’s instrument or the music in general, connection is one of the hidden joys that music brings with it. As such, musicians generally feel the need to share music, passing on their “connections” for others to explore and enjoy. It’s such a great thing because it’s how we all learn about new music. And who better to share music with besides musicians?

Today, the hidden gem of Masayoshi Takanaka is my gift to you. I kept hearing a track “Tokyo Reggie” (Seychelles, 1976) on the Air Tight Experiment channel on Pandora. At first I thought it was a newer band with a retro feel but after some digging I discovered a whole new world of funky guitar jazz–from Japan! And apparently, there is this whole other thing called “J-Fusion” that goes with it. I’ll let the reader swim in those seas at their own pace. However, I did find some nice live footage of Masayoshi Takanaka, circa 1980 that I wanted to share with you all. Enjoy! (And pass it on!)