Takuro Okada
Konoma
Jason Landry, contributor
Spiritual…Dreamy…Jazzy. This is what you’ll find on the recent instrumental album Konoma by Japanese musician Takuro Okada.
Released in November, 2025 on the L.A. based label Temporal Drift, graceful guitar tones pair with synth sounds, double bass, saxophones and percussion instruments to deliver something akin to jazz, yet textured giving it more of a cinematic whimsical flair.
Growing up in Tokyo, Japan on a steady diet of blues, funk and jazz records, Okada had up until now lived in this gray area. Making music became the ultimate tightrope walk: honoring the soul of African American music without "borrowing" from their identity. It wasn’t until more recently when he could finally create something that blended those influences and felt more of his own. He doesn’t just play these sounds; he interrogates them, balancing a lifelong obsession with the music that motivated him against a profound respect for the history behind every note.
The six original tracks plus covers by Jan Garbarek and Hiromasa Suzuki are highly improvisational. This album brings a ton of different elements and perspectives together to tease the mind—taking you on an elegant and elaborate ride.
I picked up this gem on vinyl during a recent Bandcamp Friday. Make sure to support independent musicians whenever possible. It matters.