Japanese "death-jazz" innovator Soil & Pimp Sessions will perform in Ha Noi for the first time on March 2. - Photo itsallthewaylive.net

HA NOI (VNS) - Japanese jazz band Soil & Pimp Sessions will join local jazz funk group Nga Tu Mat Dien in a performance in Ha Noi on March 2.

Taking place at the Viet Nam Culture and Arts Centre, the event will mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and Viet Nam. It expects to entertain music lovers with a show of funky music led by French DJ GiGiMix, who never fails to keep crowds in the party mood with upbeat, feel-good sets that cross genres and cultures.

Starting out by playing in Tokyo clubs in 2001, the band quickly became notorious and attracted worldwide attention for their new brand of aggressive, energetic and danceable music which they called "death jazz". Before long, the band was being championed by musical tastemakers like Giles Peterson who released six of the group's seven albums on his Brownswood recordings label.

Since 2005, the band has played at the biggest festivals in Europe, such as Denmark's Roskilde Festival, Glastonbury in the UK, Fuji Rock in Japan and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. They have also appeared on Later with Jools Holland, the UK's longest running and most respected live music television programme.

The band's live show is famous the world over for being an interactive experience, something that sets them apart from other jazz groups.

As the band members themselves say, "we always felt that in the world of jazz, there was an unwritten rule that the musicians were to concentrate on their techniques and the audience were simply there to admire, like a transmitter/ receiver relationship. We wanted to break away from that and create exciting jazz with far more interaction between the players and the audience".

The band pulls this off with both their infectious rhythms and their energetic frontman Shacho, who acts as "the agitator", playing a key role by in connecting the audience to the band.

Vietnamese quintet Nga Tu Mat Dien has been playing shows in Ha Noi for more than 15 years and has a tight enough sound to prove it. At the Ha Noi performance, the group will "reinvent" jazz standards through a lens of funk and Latin beats.

The outdoor concert will kick off at 8pm. Tickets are free and can be obtained from CAMA ATK, 73A Mai Hac De Street and the Japan Foundation, 27 Quang Trung Street from February 20. VNS