Japan's largest citizen music festival "Jozenji Street Jazz Festival"

There is a ``music culture'' that continues to grow along with the ``community'' and ``people.''

A drum set appeared in the middle of the road as he continued walking, his ears drawn to the sound of a girl's singing that he heard from nowhere. When I looked around me, I noticed that many of the people I passed were carrying musical instruments of some kind. Live music is heard all over the city, and children innocently ride the sounds played by their father's band.

Photo by Jozenji Street Jazz Festival in Sendai-Citizen Hiroba /Size-adapted.

The Jozenji Street Jazz Festival (JSF), a rare citizen music festival in the world, is held in the center of Sendai every September, and was founded in 1991 with the concept that ``music is originally something that should be done outdoors.'' I was upset in 2016. There are approximately 90 stages, centered on Jozenji Street lined with zelkova trees, which is the origin of Sendai, the City of Forests, along with shopping streets, parks, building entrances, and museums. Approximately 5,000 people from over 700 bands from all over the country gathered, and 700,000 people attended.

 It's not a "JAZZ" music festival.

Is it “Jazz” because it’s “Jazz Festival”? wait a minute. "Jozenji Street Jazz Festival" is not a "JAZZ" music festival.

Photo by Jozenji Street Jazz Festival in Sendai /Size-adapted.

Photo by Jozenji Street Jazz Festival in Sendai /Size-adapted.

Photo by Jozenji Street Jazz Festival in Sendai /Size-adapted.

The JSF official page says:

"Street jazz" is a genre that inherits the free spirit and expression of jazz, which was born as a new music on the streets of southern America at the end of the 19th century, and is now transmitting new music and its culture from Jozenji, Sendai. This is a coined word that reflects this feeling. We hope that all genres of music will fuse together and that a unique ``street jazz'' will be born that will harmonize gently with the city.''

In fact, at JSF, not only jazz, but also rock, world music, gospel, and even idol songs to club music, you can hear all kinds of music. The fact that there are no restrictions on professional, amateur, age, music genre, etc. for the performers, who are selected by lottery, shows that everyone is trying to create something together.

Looking back at recent performers

Let's take a look back at some of the performers in recent years, although this is only a small part.

Local artists active in Sendai

・Earth, Wind & The Gang

・CLUSTER

Such famous people too!

・Chie Ayato

・Kazunori Kumagai

・Takamasa Hino, DJ Honda

music of the future

There is “something” about JSF. The sight of everyone purely enjoying music is simply dazzling, and it's no longer about musicality. What kind of relationship have I had with music so far? Such questions arise naturally and touch my heart. Considering today's music, which is at the mercy of commercial music, there is definitely something that could become the ``music of the future'' at the ``Jozenji Street Jazz Festival.''

INFORMATION