Soil & "Pimp" Sessions emerged as a Japanese jazz ensemble whose sound draws from the classic traditions of bebop, Latin jazz, and cool jazz while incorporating a pronounced funky pulse and the raw aggression, intensity, and drive associated with rock & roll. Five core instrumentalists define the lineup—Josei on piano, Tabu Zombie on trumpet, Motoharu on sax, Akita Goldman on double bass, and Midorin on drums—alongside Shacho, listed as “agitator and spirit,” who stalks the stage during performances and interjects with gravel-voiced exhortations.
The collective originated when Tabu Zombie and Shacho began frequenting Tokyo dance clubs that hosted jazz nights; as DJs played groove jazz recordings, Zombie improvised on trumpet while Shacho energized the audience, and the enthusiastic reception prompted them to assemble a full band capable of delivering complete live sets independent of any DJ. Their growing profile on the local club circuit led to a milestone in 2003, when they became the first unsigned act invited to the Fuji Rock Festival; the following year they issued their debut album Pimpin’ on JVC Victor, initiating a consistent sequence of further albums and EPs.
British DJ Gilles Peterson, founder of the Acid Jazz label, encountered the group through regular airplay on his BBC program and subsequently booked them for a London appearance in 2005. They subsequently joined his Brownswood Records roster for European and U.K. distribution, establishing themselves as frequent participants on the global festival circuit where audiences responded to their instrumental prowess and high-energy delivery. A brief 2008 licensing arrangement with Koch Records brought their first American release, Planet Pimp.
After touring Europe in 2009, the musicians returned to a Japanese studio and completed the album 6, issued that same year by Victor domestically and by Brownswood in Europe in 2010. December saw the release of Soil & "Pimp" Sessions Presents Stoned Pirate Radio, a twenty-track covers collection featuring their interpretations of “Mack The Knife,” “Shaft In Africa,” “Imagine,” and “One Step Beyond.” Magnetic Soil arrived less than a year afterward, followed in early 2013 by Circles, a combined live audio and video package documenting the band’s tenth-anniversary concerts with contributions from Jose James, Rhymester, and Shiina Ringo.
The group moved to the Victor-affiliated T-Annex imprint for the 2014 studio album Brothers & Sisters. Their next international outing arrived with 2017’s Black Track, recorded and mixed by Yasuji Okuda at Studio MSR; the set fused punky postbop, hip-hop, neo soul, electronics, and Latin rhythms into an intense yet immediately engaging whole. International color came via guest appearances by Filipino-American rapper Bambu, R&B vocalist Nia Andrews (Solange), and French singer Xavier Boyer of Tahiti 80. Victor released the album, licensing it for North America through Red River.
