Shaun Miller · Oct 21 · 4 min read⋮Sinsuke Fujieda Group: INFORMEL 2LP and the Rise of Tokyo Spiritual Jazz
By Shaun Miller | The Jazz Bureau
If you collect spiritual jazz or modal jazz on vinyl, the Sinsuke Fujieda Group is a name to know. The Tokyo sextet’s debut album Fukushima became one of the most talked-about limited jazz pressings of 2025, and now their next big release, the INFORMEL 2LP, is heading to The Jazz Bureau, marked “In Stock Soon” on our site and supplied direct from the artist’s label.
Here is a guide to the band, the records, and why this one belongs on your shelf.
Who are the Sinsuke Fujieda Group?
The Sinsuke Fujieda Group is a Tokyo-based sextet led by saxophonist, flutist and composer Sinsuke Fujieda, originally from Mito, Ibaraki. Their sound pairs emotionally rich melodies with grooves that recall 1970s modal and spiritual jazz, blending in classical, world and East Asian influences.
The line-up:
- Sinsuke Fujieda: tenor and soprano saxophone, flute, composer
- Fumiko Takeshita: violin
- Shinichi Tsukamoto: piano
- Shigeru Kato: bass
- Kensaku Ohsumi: drums
- Daisuke Alkhaly: percussion
Fujieda runs his own independent label, SoFa Records, which gives him full artistic control over the music. Before the group took its current shape he came up through the Tokyo club scene, working with broken beat and downtempo producers and playing with the Japanese cumbia collective Mumbia Y Sus Candelosos.
INFORMEL 2LP: the record that started it all
INFORMEL is the point of origin for the group as we know it today. In 2020, with live performances halted by the pandemic, Fujieda used the time to reconsider what he truly wanted his music to say. His answer was to return to jazz and push for the most intense ensemble music he could imagine.
The album is built from a live recording made on 22 October 2020 at Live Music Jirokichi in Koenji, Tokyo, a formative night out of which the present-day group emerged. Fujieda has now re-edited, remixed and remastered the recording from his 2026 perspective, so it works as a fresh album rather than a simple archive release.
What’s on the record
The six compositions, all written and arranged by Fujieda, are Fukushima, Gentle Erosion, Informel, Bamboo, Nobody Knows and Parade. The music moves from quiet concentration towards elevation and sudden bursts of energy created through improvisation.
The performance was conceived with live painting by Taiki Kusakabe, created at the same time as the music. The title comes from Art Informel, the postwar French art movement, which fits the album’s focus on spontaneity, physical gesture and forms that emerge without a fixed plan.
Format and pressing
- Limited edition 2LP on 180g vinyl
- Gatefold sleeve with obi strip
- Supplied direct from the artist’s label
Limited pressings like this tend to move quickly, so keep an eye on the shop.
Fukushima: the album that put the group on the map
If INFORMEL is where the story began, Fukushima (2025) is where the wider world noticed. Recorded in May 2023 at Groove Studio Matsudo, the five-track album was released on vinyl in Europe by Paris-based Superfly Records in April 2025 and reached No. 1 on the Juno Records jazz chart.
The interplay between Fujieda’s tenor and soprano saxophones and Takeshita’s violin is the heart of the album, with the violin taking the space where a second horn might sit. The tracks are Fukushima, Float in Oriental Spring, Silent Night, Nobody Knows and Perspective. The first pressing sold out, and further pressings have followed.
Listeners can already hear the seeds of Fukushima inside INFORMEL, including early versions of Fukushima and Nobody Knows. Hearing the two albums side by side is one of the real pleasures here.
Who will love the Sinsuke Fujieda Group?
If you enjoy any of the following, this is your kind of record:
- 1970s modal and spiritual jazz in the Coltrane and McCoy Tyner tradition
- Classic Japanese jazz and the jazz kissa listening culture (see our Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Kissa)
- Chamber-style jazz with violin and flowing piano
- Limited-run vinyl with beautiful packaging (read why in Are Limited Jazz Pressings Worth Collecting in the UK?)
Where to buy Sinsuke Fujieda Group vinyl in the UK
The Jazz Bureau is a UK online shop for limited jazz vinyl and CDs from independent labels worldwide. You can find the latest news and availability on our Sinsuke Fujieda page, and browse more on our New Releases and Jazz CD pages.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sinsuke Fujieda?
Sinsuke Fujieda is a Tokyo-based saxophonist, flutist, composer and producer. He leads the Sinsuke Fujieda Group and runs the independent label SoFa Records.
What style of music does the Sinsuke Fujieda Group play?
Spiritual jazz and modal jazz with classical, world and East Asian influences, in the spirit of 1970s Japanese and American jazz.
What is INFORMEL?
INFORMEL is a limited-edition 2LP on 180g vinyl, built from a live recording made in Koenji, Tokyo, in October 2020 and newly edited and remastered in 2026. It marks the origin of the current group.
Is the Fukushima LP still available?
Fukushima has been through several sell-outs and repressings via Superfly Records. Availability changes quickly, so check with the shops that stock it.