The Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum in Omotesando, Tokyo, will be hosting the special exhibition "Living Moment by Moment - Taro Okamoto and Jazz" from October 17th to February 24th, 2019.


Taro Okamoto once said, "I live my life ignoring the past and the future. I live my life exploding moment by moment."
Jazz is the music that embodies Taro Okamoto's view of life, one that neither clings to the past nor relies on the future. The essence of jazz is improvisation and dialogue. Jazz has nothing but the "now." Great jazz radiates passion, thrill, and vitality, just like Okamoto's art.
This exhibition, taking a different approach from previous exhibitions, will feature "sound." Okamoto's paintings and jazz intertwine through sound, creating a unique experiential space unlike anything seen before.
Gallery 1 displays paintings related to "sound," including song, voice, and dance. At the center of the exhibit is "Face Speaker" (1971), created by Taro Okamoto himself about half a century ago, making its first appearance. Okamoto's voice can be heard singing the classic "Autumn Leaves" from a speaker restored for this exhibition. Gallery 2 is an exhibition of "sound," featuring loud Japanese jazz, a genre that reached a revolutionary period in the 1970s after the Osaka Expo.


Special live performances featuring leading jazz musicians will also be held during the event. Scheduled performances include Mayuko Katakura (piano solo) on October 25th, a duo by Hikari Ichihara (trumpet) and Yudo Matsuo (guitar) on November 16th, Takashi Sugawara (bass and cello solo) on December 21st, and a duo by Mei Inoue (guitar) and Tetsuji Shiota (bass) on January 25th. Doors open at 6:45 PM each day, with performances starting at 7:00 PM. Reservations are required.

There will also be a "Special "Store Tending" session where jazz lovers active in various fields will play records and give talks. For more information, please visit the memorial museum's official website.
Gallery talks are also planned. They will run for approximately 15 minutes from 2pm on October 25th, November 15th, December 13th, January 17th, and February 21st, and no reservations are required to participate.