When His Majesty the King, accompanied by three Danish ministers, visits Japan in the coming days, Jazz Danmark and TEMPI will be present along with two Danish musicians: guitarist Jakob Bro and pianist Nikolaj Busk.

Danish jazz on the program in Tokyo and Osaka

In addition to performing at the Royal Danish Embassy in Tokyo during the official accession reception for His Majesty the King on April 23, Jakob Bro and Nikolaj Busk will also give a concert at the World Expo, which this year takes place in the Japanese metropolis of Osaka.

On Denmark Day, April 24, in the Nordic pavilion, the two Danish musicians will perform together with the legendary Japanese percussionist Midori Takada, with whom Jakob Bro has previously recorded albums. Takada has visited and performed in Denmark on several occasions, most recently as a faculty member at Jazz Danmark’s Summer Session at Krogerup Folk High School.

Strengthens cultural ties

The two Danish musicians have been selected to perform based on their contributions to the Danish-Japanese cultural exchange project Sonic Diplomacy. Sonic Diplomacy is an initiative launched by the Royal Danish Embassy in Tokyo that—framed by jazz and folk music and carried out in close collaboration with Jazz Danmark and TEMPI—aims to strengthen cultural ties between Denmark and Japan.

One of the sub-projects within Sonic Diplomacy, titled Sing Along, centers around the Danish folk high school songbook. Through audiovisual interpretations of Danish songs by Danish musicians and workshops with Japanese students, the project explores intercultural and democratic dialogue in a digital and artistic context.

Network building

In addition to the two performances, the directors of Jazz Danmark and TEMPI, Eva Frost and Laia Canals, will use the visit to strengthen the Danish genre organizations’ networks in Tokyo and Osaka, with a view to future collaborative projects and the promotion of Danish music in Japan.

Read more about the Visit here.

Read more about Sonic Diplomacy on this flyer.