What brought you all together was the song “Momentum”, which appears in “Blue Giant Momentum”. What were your impressions of this song when you first heard it?

Julius Rodriguez: When I came into contact with the piano demo and the score, I had the impression that it was like a blank canvas. I thought it was a song that would give us a rich sense of space both for ourselves and for the listeners. Of course, as a musician, I could relate to what was portrayed in “Blue Giant”. Who do you play with, what do you do when each musician is at a different level, what are your priorities, what are your goals? Based on all of this, we created something like that, and I think that by knowing the episodes of these stories, we were able to breathe our own vitality into the song.

Shinichi Ishizuka: The story of “Blue Giant Momentum” is set in New York, and Julius is from New York, so it means a lot to have a top artist from the city perform the song. I really appreciate it.

NUMBER8: And they recorded a lot of takes, and every take was very cool.

Ishizuka: How many times have you actually been to Japan?

Julius: This is the fourth time, but the first time with my band.

Ishizuka: What is your impression of Japan?

Julius: I feel an energy in Tokyo that is a bit like New York. It’s fresh, the food is delicious, and the people are kind. When it comes to Japanese audiences, I feel more enthusiasm than in any other country.

Ishizuka: I have the impression that Japanese audiences listen more quietly.

Julius: It’s not so quiet that you think you’re not hearing anything, and it’s not too loud either. You can feel that they are listening attentively.

Ishizuka: You’re based in Los Angeles now, right?

Julius: I wanted to change my pace a little bit from what I did in New York. I’m a workaholic, so I want to work on everything myself. I forget about rest and immerse myself in the work. New York is really fast-paced, and I feel that by working in Los Angeles, I have been able to take better care of myself, or rather, I have been able to take care of myself.

Ishizuka: I’d like to ask you about the music scene in New York.

Julius: I think each city in the U.S. has its own personality, but I think New York is the center. Everyone gathers in New York to hone their skills, and what is born there becomes the standard. I feel that if it works in New York, it will be fine in any city.

Ishizuka: Last year, I stayed in New York for about two months and went to various jazz clubs. There’s a lot of spiritual and experimental stuff, but my personal impression was that there were not many fun things. I was playing your NPR Tiny Desk performance on Youtube, and that was the best Tiny Desk Concert for me.

Julius: Thank you. I want to bring jazz back to being music to dance to. There was a time when jazz was music that you could dance to and enjoy. I want jazz to be something that people can relate to, that responds to what people need today, rather than just preserve history.

Could you tell us about a jazz musician who changed your life, one you especially love?

Julius: Chick Corea. When I saw the last show of Return to Forever in 2008, my view of jazz changed dramatically. The sound of electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and synthesizers was shocking. I’ve loved jazz and rock since I was a kid, but I never thought the two would go together. In my opinion, in order for jazz to continue to be what it is, we need to be open to other music, cultures, and technologies. Just as Dizzy Gillespie once incorporated Cuban music.

Julius: I think it’s important for an artist to be stylish, not just in terms of sound, but also in terms of visuals. Hiromi is one of them, she’s expressing her own world.

Ishizuka: Dizzy’s crooked trumpet and Monk’s sunglasses were stylish. As for the previous question, I really like so many musicians, I can’t narrow it down. I love Dizzy too…

What is the appeal of Julius’s music to you?

NUMBER8: It’s bright and very positive. It’s a lot of fun to listen to and you’ll never get bored.

Ishizuka: When I listen to the album “Evergreen”, I appreciate that there are songs. There are melodies, or rather a certain familiarity in Julius’s music. Plus, it gives you a good feeling.

Julius: You can’t ignore the influence of pop music. I also have a strong desire to have more people of my generation, that is, people in their 20s, listen to jazz, which is the music that I like.

What would you do if Dai Miyamoto, the protagonist of the Blue Giant series, invited you to join the band? And if you were to join, what kind of band do you think it would be?

Julius: Of course I would. Dai thinks more about delivering his sound to the listeners than what kind of venue he will play at. I share that idea, so if I’d join his band, I think I could contribute something good. With the drummer Tamada, Dai’s high school classmate and drummer of the jazz band JASS, there was a certain difference in ability at first. He was not the best player for Dai, but I still like that he put him in the band. When I choose band members, I make a certain kind of investment as well, or rather, I look into the future. The most important thing is to be able to communicate with your emotions, no matter what your style is.

I’m looking forward to seeing even more collaborations between the “Blue Giant” series and Julius in the future.

Ishizuka: Before the pandemic, we had an event called “Blue Giant Nights.” We’d have high school students selected through auditions stand on stage and collaborate with professional musicians such as Kendrick Scott and James Francies, and when this event resumes, we hope that Julius will join us.

Julius: I’d love to be a part of that. When I was in high school, I came to Japan for the first time as a member of the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and played with students my age in Japan. I would be happy to have the opportunity to interact with Japanese students again.

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_{Header image: NUMBER8, Julius Rodriguez and Shinichi Ishizuka.}