Witness the Yosuke Yamashita Trio revisit their legendary live set, more than fifty years after they burst through the Waseda University barricades to play during the student uprising of July 1969.
TOKYO FM and the Waseda International House of Literature are proud to announce “Haruki Murakami Presents: The Yosuke Yamashita Trio Live—Beyond the Barricades.” This live event—held at Waseda University’s Okuma Auditorium on July 12, 2022, 6:30 pm—commemorates the moment more than fifty years ago when up-and-coming jazz musician Yosuke Yamashita joined the student struggle of July 1969, broke through the Waseda University barricades, transported piano from the Okuma Auditorium, and played a legendary live set to students on campus grounds. We invite you to join us for an evening overflowing with the free spirit of jazz, featuring a conversation between Haruki Murakami and Yosuke Yamashita, live jazz performances by current students, and more.
A Message from Haruki Murakami:
The Yosuke Yamashita Trio`s 1969 concert at Waseda University’s Building 4 has become something of a legend. With the opening of the Waseda International House of Literature, or the Murakami Library, we hit on the wild idea of holding a second “Beyond the Barricades” concert with the same members. This became “Haruki Murakami Presents: The Yosuke Yamashita Trio—Beyond the Barricades.”
More than half a century has passed since the original concert, but no matter. Don’t worry, the wild spirit lives on.
Yosuke Yamashita’s music continues to explore new, unique horizons, accepting and inheriting jazz traditions. Let’s take this as a model, an impetus even, to explore some new horizons of our own.
Haruki Murakami
A Message from Yosuke Yamashita:
Thanks to Haruki Murakami’s guidance, the original Yamashita Trio—with Seiichi Nakamura and Takeo Moriyama—will be able to hold a concert in Waseda University’s Okuma Auditorium fifty-three years on from 1969.
We hope to play with the same feeling we had when we were in our twenties.
Social circumstances have changed drastically from that time, but the world remains as tumultuous as ever.
If our performance can transmit some message to younger generations, we will be overjoyed. And we are certainly looking forward to it.
Yosuke Yamashita