Kazuhiro Inaba

As unlikely as it might have once seemed, the Japanese have always had a fascination with American music. Their preference for jazz was evident immediately after the end of the Second World War, and with the advent of the '50s

The tributes to Ralph Stanley this past week have been both numerous and poignant, demonstrating how deeply his music and his kindness have touched others over a 70 year career. One that we just received shows that it wasn't just in his

Kaz Inaba sent along this brief report with photos from his annual KazCamp, a premiere annual event for bluegrass fans in Japan. I'd like to report that the 5th annual Kazuhiro Inaba Bluegrass Camp (KazCamp) was held successfully in Minoh, Osaka on

Kaz Inaba sent along this batch of photos from his 3rd annual Kazuhiro Inaba Bluegrass Camp, hosted in the Japanese town of Mino, Osaka on May 17. From the name, you might think this was an instructional event, but it's actually a

The passion that many Japanese people have for bluegrass and country music was a shocker for filmmaker James Payne when he first experienced it in 2007. He was traveling with US Americana act Horseshoe Road for a live concert video, and was amazed

We heard this week from Kaz Inaba, who shared some photos and a few words about a show this week in Tokyo where he welcomed famed Maryland-based fiddler Jon Glik to the stage. "A few days ago, on May 14, my

This brief post and photos are a contribution from Japanese bluegrass artist Kaz Inaba. He wrote to share news about his festival, The Kazuhiro Inaba Bluegrass Camp. To American ears, that would sound like a workshop weekend, but KazCamp was a

Noted Japanese bluegrass artist Kazuhiro Inaba sent along this video tribute to the late Earl Scruggs. I played “The Scruggs Medley” with my great respect and appreciation for Earl Scruggs last night at Mister Kelly’s in Osaka. Since I started to play