[Great News!] Minyo Crusaders to release an album from Blue Note in June! [New Release]
I found the release information on my Bluesky timeline this evening and couldn't help but applaud!
Minyo Crusaders (hereinafter referred to as Min-Kuru) will release their album "From Japan with Love" on June 26th from Blue Note (!).
What's amazing about Min-Kuru is their horn section, which gets everyone fired up with their riffs and solos. I'm so happy that the lead single, "Hanagasa Ondo feat. Frente Cumbiero," also features clarinet and trumpet solos!
On June 26, Minyo Crusaders will release "From Japan with Love," a new album that reimagines traditional Japanese folk songs (min’yō) with global rhythms. Pre-save & hear “Hanagasa Ondo”: minyo-crusaders.lnk.to/withlove Pre-order LP/CD on the Blue Note Store: store.bluenote.com/collections/...
— Blue Note Records (@bluenoterecords.bsky.social) 2026-04-24T21:03:34.868Z
When it comes to a pink jacket on Blue Note, it reminds me of Bobby Hutcherson's "Happenings" (lol).
I believe that encounters with different cultures on Blue Note, as seen in Solomon Ilori's "African High Life" (BN4136), represent the "universalization of native music" by utilizing jazz syntax. I strongly support Min-Kuru, who have leaped to the forefront of this movement and continue to deliver music that is "odd-metered but danceable," never shying away from crossing bar lines.
So, let's look forward to the intense chemical reaction between Minyo Crusaders and Blue Note, and wait for the June 26th release!
“We hope this music can travel beyond language and borders, opening new doors and bringing a sense of richness to listeners around the world”
We hope this music travels beyond languages and borders. We believe it will open new doors and bring a sense of richness to listeners around the world.
There is music that needs to be heard precisely when relations between countries, ethnicities, and people are strained and lacking room to breathe.