Saxophonist Benjamin Herman has been fascinated by Tokyo’s hyper-eclectic underground scene ever since his first tour of Japan in 1989. That fascination led him to his latest album The Tokyo Sessions, recorded in April 2025 with Herman’s trio – Thomas Pol on bass and Jimmi Jo Hueting on drums – and a selection of his favorite Japanese musicians, including guitarist and noise legend Otomo Yoshihide and traditional woodwind players Akihito Obama (shakuhachi) and Ko Ishikawa (shō).

The result is a diverse tribute to Japanese music culture, ranging from underground jazz to anime soundtracks and traditional salon music. For this tour, Herman expands his trio with Japanese keyboardist BIGYUKI, who has previously collaborated with Mark Guilliana, Meshel Ndegeocello, Marcus Strickland and Q-Tip.

Benjamin Herman alto sax, BIGYUKI keyboards, Thomas Pol bass, Jimmi Hueting drums