Three new color discs of the late masterpieces by master musician Inagaki Jiro will be released at the same time!

2025年08月25日 (月)　13:00

HMV&BOOKS online - Jazz

Three new color discs of the late masterpieces by master musician Inagaki Jiro will be released at the same time!

Polished jazz. Refined rock. Sharpened funk. A strong groove that swallows everything and starts running.

Since its formation in 1969, Soul Media has advocated the fusion of jazz and rock. This album, "In the Groove" recorded in 1973, marked the next step in that line. It brings the sharpness of jazz to the forefront, blends in rock to make it edgy, and injects funk to exude power and elasticity. It is a strong, sophisticated, and simply "cool music" that cannot be categorized into existing genres such as jazz rock, jazz funk, and fusion. This album is also described as a response to The Crusaders, who Jiro Inagaki was paying attention to at the time. The aim was a success. With this album, Soul Media achieved a "refined black feeling" and moved on to their final destination, "Funky Stuff".
Text by Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUND/DEEP JAZZ REALITY)

Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media『In The Groove (Clear Yellow Vinyl)』

Release Date：2025.8.27(wed)
Catalogue Number：HMJY-222
Format：Clear Yellow Vinyl / LP

Track List

Side A
1. That’s How I Feel
2. Blue Blood
3. It’s Impossible
4. Put It Where You Want It
5. Crazy Medicine

Side B
1. Joie De Vivre
2. Papa Hooper’s Barrel House Groove
3. Thrill Is Gone
4. Raven Speaks
5. Samba Chimba

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Vinyl

In The Groove

Jiro Inagaki /Soul Media

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Price (tax incl.): ¥4,950

Release Date: 27 Aug 2025

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A masterpiece of jazz rock by the master, Jiro Inagaki! Going beyond jazz rock. Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, has arrived at a tight and cool ultimate groove.

As Inagaki himself said, "I did black funk" by fusing the explosiveness of jazz rock that he had cultivated up until then with the tenacity and elasticity of black music, his musicality has leapt to another dimension. Combined with the ingenious arrangements of master Hiromasa Suzuki, the groove is polished, glossy, and shining mysteriously. All the songs are worth listening to, such as the dynamism and speed of "Painted Paradise" the coexistence of funkiness and mellowness of "Breeze" and the low-centered and sharp cover of Cool & the Gang's "Funky Stuff". It is now a definitive masterpiece that is in demand all over the world.
text by Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUNDS/DEEP JAZZ REALITY)

Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media『Funky Stuff (Clear Vinyl)』

Release Date：2025.8.27(wed)
Catalogue Number：HMJY-223
Format：Clear Vinyl / LP

Track List

Side A
1. Painted Paradise
2. Funky Motion
3. Breeze
4. Scratch

Side B
1. Funky Stuff
2. One For Jiro
3. Gentle Wave
4. Four Up

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Vinyl

Funky Stuff

Jiro Inagaki /Soul Media

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Price (tax incl.): ¥4,950

Release Date: 27 Aug 2025

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It easily straddles jazz rock and fusion. Mellow, stormy, and groovy.
The sound of born in 1980 is still vivid and fresh when listened to today.

Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, played a part in the development of jazz rock in Japan. This work, "Memory Lane" recorded in 1980, was the final work under the same name. Inagaki said about this work, "We tried to create this work while predicting the fate of fusion music" and it is true that the sound is completely different from ordinary fusion. The mellow and emotional "Memory Lane" the stormy and refreshing "I Will Give You Samba" and the groovy and edgy "Take My Hand". The sound that was created with his ally Norio Maeda, which looks , is of an extraordinary level of perfection in the songs, arrangements, and performances. It is a masterpiece that is still vivid and fresh when listened to today.
text by Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUNDS/DEEP JAZZ REALITY)

Soul Media『Memory Lane (Clear Sky Blue Vinyl)』

Release Date：2025.8.27(wed)
Catalogue Number：HMJY-224
Format：Clear Sky Blue Vinyl / LP

Track List

Side A
1. Memory Lane
2. Somethin’ Good Is Comin’
3. I Will Give You Samba
4. Dried Flowers
Side B
1. Culmination
2. Rain
3. Take My Hand
4. Double Images
5. Bye Bye So Long

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Vinyl

Memory Lane (Clear Sky Blue Vinyl)

Soul Media

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Price (tax incl.): ¥4,950

Release Date: 27 Aug 2025

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