Kyoto Jazz Massive ft. EOANDO

The genre-defying project, KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE (KJM), founded by the OKINO brothers and revealed by Gilles Peterson, made a remarkable comeback on the European stages 3 years ago, after a 15 years hiatus. Led by Shuya Okino and featuring Vanessa Freeman on lead vocals, KJM is now backed by the powerful Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra (EOANDO) aka Jéroboam, celebrating KJM 30th anniversary with this brand new line and some fresh music. The KJM EOANDO LP,  born out of this exclusive collaboration, is to be released on vinyl in september 2025 !

More than ever, they keep spreading their unique cross-over vision from jazz-funk, broken beat to soulful house, cosmic grooves and everything in-between… Probably one of the best live acts around in a long time !

Line up :

• Shuya OKINO (musical director, vocals, percussions)
• Vanessa FREEMAN (lead vocals) (Indy EKA when Vanessa Freeman not available)
• Indy EKA (vocals)
• Agyei OSEI (vocals)
• Jean-Baptiste PALIES (drums)
• Carel CLERIL (bass)
• Eli FROT (keyboards)
• Kevin LEBELLEC (guitar)
• Roman REIDID (trumpet, keys)
• James MÜLLER (percussions)

Bio KJM / Shuya Okino:

KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE is an innovative project led by two hugely influential DJs and artists among the Japanese music scene in Shuya Okino (Kyoto Jazz Sextet & owner of The Room in Shibuya) and Yoshihiro Okino (owner of Especial Records).
Revealed and named KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE by Gilles Peterson in the early 90’s, the DJ duo formed by OKINO brothers, pioneered Japanese club jazz and crossover music worldwide. In 1994, their first production came out, a compilation entitled “KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE V.A.”. But their breakthrough came while signing their first single “ECLIPSE” on the German label Compost, followed in 2000 by their milestone album “SPIRIT OF THE SUN” ! KJM gained international recognition, as both critics and audience acclaimed their innovative crossover style, blending electro, jazz, house, funk and broken beats.

In 2004, they formed the “Kyoto Jazz Massive Live Set” featuring Vanessa Freeman and Tasita D’Mour on vocals, which performed throughout Europe and Asia (from the Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival to the North Sea Jazz Festival). Thereafter, numerous collaborations and remixes were released as well as several EP’s, earning them the reputation of outstanding producers.
In the meantime, Shuya Okino followed his own path, as a recognized DJ, traveling all through the globe and also producing a number of successful artists such as Mondo Grosso, Sleep Walker, Cosmic Village, Hajime Yoshizawa, ROOT SOUL and DJ KAWASAKI. He even made a name for himself as a writer, with three successful books “What makes a good DJ”, “The first Jazz Club book” and the business book ‘Filter your thinking for success’.

In 2006, he finally released his first remarkable solo album “United Legends”, for which he invited ten vocalists and ten producers only communicating using Email. This unprecedented technique of making music has made it of special interest to the music scene.
With “Destiny” in 2011, Shuya made it big by bringing together Navasha Daya (Gil Scott Heron’s niece), N’Dea Davenport, Clara Hill, Divinity and Pete Simpson. The single “Still In Love”, the Rose Royce’s disco hit cover, is a banger, played by many DJ’s around the world, Giles Peterson for BBC Radio One, Kevin Beadle, Patrick Forge among many others. Several remixes of “Still In Love” were even compiled as a special release on Defected Records.

Since 2015, Shuya Okino revives the Kyoto Jazz brand under the name Sextet, producing two magnificent albums with spiritual and straight ahead jazz influences inspired by the likes of the great Pharoah Sanders.

But it was not until 2022 that Kyoto Jazz Massive returned with their (only) second and long-anticipated album. The wait has definitely been worth it as Kyoto Jazz Massive have once again delivered another incredible genre-defying recording that continues to be forward looking. With “Message From A New Dawn”, KJM offers an ultimate vision of a modern, deep and jazz dancefloor crossover, including elements of house, afrobeat, soul and funk. Not to mention the irresistible voice of Vanessa Freeman and the exceptional participation of legendary Roy Ayers!

After a 15 years hiatus away from the European stages, Shuya Okino decided to support KJM’s new release with a small tour in the UK and France, pulling up a brand new lineup. Led by Shuya Okino and featuring Vanessa Freeman on lead vocals, this powerful backing band based in Paris and named Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra, has provided outstanding performances and sold out several shows in Paris New Morning and London Jazz Cafe, followed by acclaimed participation at Southport Weekender and We Out Here festivals in 2023.

2024 will be Kyoto Jazz Massive 30th anniversary, promising and announcing several live celebrations across Europe, along with brand new material and recordings such as a collaboration LP with The Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra, including their amazing rendition of KJM classic broken house anthem, Substream.

KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE “KJM EOANDO” – LP (june 2024 digital -september 2025 vinyl)

In 2024, Kyoto Jazz Massive released their third album as a digital-only project, 30 years after their debut. It now receives the honor of a special vinyl edition, featuring brand-new exclusive mixes by Young Pulse—elevating these already great tracks to even greater heights, for both your ears and your feet. This marks the first and exclusive collaboration between KJM and Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra (aka Jéroboam), the unique Parisian band that has been performing live with KJM across Europe for the past three years. On this occasion, KJM recorded four new tracks with EOANDO, including three original songs (“Power”, “Love Wars”, and “Impulsive Procession”) and a new rendition of “Stand Up”, a previously released composition. To complete the album, you’ll also find a stunning cover of KJM’s iconic track “Substream” by EOANDO, as well as their signature piece, “EOANDO’s Theme”. “Power” and “Stand Up” were recorded with Vanessa Freeman, while “Love Wars” features Bembe Segue. This London-based duo has been singing live with KJM since 2004. “Power” is a crossover anthem, blending jazz-funk and French disco with a gospel touch. Vanessa Freeman’s uplifting lyrics call for collective awareness and energize audiences. “Love Wars” is a live-band interpretation of broken beat with a boogie spirit, enhanced by Bembe Segue’s sharp and spiritual vocals. “EOANDO’s Theme” was specially composed by Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra for KJM, capturing the Okino Brothers’ love for boogie-funk jams with Brazilian and Balearic influences reminiscent of Azymuth. “Impulsive Procession” fuses Afro, funk, jazz, fusion, soul, rock, house, and techno—drawing inspiration from several of KJM’s most respected musical heroes. A brand-new version of “Stand Up”, originally released in 2008, was re-recorded live in the studio with EOANDO and fresh vocals by Vanessa Freeman. The album closes with a reimagined version of “Substream”, one of KJM’s most beloved tracks, covered by EOANDO for the official Tokyo Crossover/Jazz Festival 2023 compilation. This new version was recorded as an organic disco interpretation at Danilo Plessow’s studio in Paris by EOANDO and even won the JAPAN JAZZ AWARDS of the best Cover in 2024.