As a person who just returned from Tokyo and sometimes plays with traditional jazz bands, I’m going to say Tokyo has a great atmosphere and thirst for jazz but rarely did I ever hear anything comparable to New York or New Orleans. It’s not lack of talent, Japanese musicians are incredibly talented. I think it’s more a lack of exposure to jazz pre-1950 or outside of the lounge genre context. It’s even hard for some professional American musicians to get because of trad jazz’s distinct feel.

Throw on Basie’s “Jive at Five” or Ory’s “Savoy Blues” and you can get an idea of the genres (swing / nola jazz).