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Jamie Cullum's avatar

Hi Ted. You need to check out the podcast Tokyo Jazz Joints and their brand new accompanying photo book. It goes very deep into these wonderful places - it’s a treasure trove of information. I extended my tour in Japan once just so I could visit as many as possible. Dream places!

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Arnav Mariwala's avatar

I just returned from a trip to Tokyo where I visited a number of excellent vinyl bars, some focused on jazz, others mixing funky beats below an underpass on a Monday night, and yet others in what seemed like the proprietor's living room. Jazz Blues Soul Bar with the soup nazi-esque demeanor of Kobayashi-san was pretty awesome, as was Grandfather's Cafe in Ebisu.

The ones I've been to in the Bay/LA (Bar Shiru, In Sheep's Clothing), while nice, lacked the charm and intimacy of the Japanese Kissas. Felt too much like trendy cocktail bars with vinyl as an afterthought, than vinyl bars with good drinks to complement what you listened to. Given that I shipped my vinyl collection to Mumbai after moving here in June, I've now been sufficiently inspired by you to start one here soon.

P.S. Ted, your son Mickey and I are good friends from Stanford. He told me he's visiting Mumbai soon - if you make the trip with him I'll have a collection of 70s Indian funk covers for you to enjoy.

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