Greetings and salutations Hivers. Today let's go into another Three Tune Tuesday post.

As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendation.

Today I'm returning to some Japanese jazz. It feels like it's been several weeks or more since I was last in this genre. Today I want to bring you another favorite: H Zettrio.

These guys are a bit unique. The group is composed of a trio, all of whom take pseudonyms that are a play off the band name: we have H Zett M (aka Blue Nose) on piano, H Zett Nire (aka Red Nose) on bass, and H Zett Kou (aka Silver Nose) on drums. Yes, they wear nose make up. Their stated goal is to make both adults and children laugh and dance, so I suppose they are going for a bit of a clown image with the face makeup.

They are really good. Like many modern Japanese jazz bands, they are something of a fusion of jazz styles and music styles in general, bringing a lot of pop and rock sounds to their music as well as others. Their music usually focus on the keyboard, showing that H Zett M must be their most skilled member. To further that idea, he is the only member on the Japanese wikipedia to have a full entry (and to have his real name revealed, which is Masayuki Hiizumi), but the bass and drums are still a big part of the music.

Let's look at three of their songs I rather like as well as a bonus pick.

Fiesta

This might be a good intro to them. It's a high energy piece that according to them is to be evocative of festival. The video shows lots of dancing and is a lot of fun.

Neo Japanesque

This is another good intro song to them. It has a strong theme that they keep returning to.

DERBY

This isn't my favorite, but it is a fan favorite and it's fun enough. As the title suggests, it is suppose to capture the thrill of horse racing.

Bonus: Beat Swing

This may be my favorite of all the ones I've shared here. The video text says it has a playful spirit, and I think that's a pretty good way to put it. It's a fun song.

So what's your favorite?

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.