Universal Music LLC (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Fujikura Hisashi; hereinafter referred to as “Universal Music”) will release the compilation CD “BLUE GIANT MOMENTUM,” the latest chapter of the BLUE GIANT series, the New York edition, on Wednesday, June 26th.
The hugely popular jazz manga series “BLUE GIANT” has sold over 12 million copies and follows the protagonist, Dai Miyamoto, who aims to become the world’s best jazz player, as he moves from his hometown of Sendai to Tokyo, Europe, and the U.S. Last year, the Tokyo arc was made into an animated film, which grossed over 1.3 billion yen and won the “Excellent Animation Award” and “Excellent Music Award” at the 47th Japan Academy Awards this year.
This is a compilation CD of the latest chapter of “BLUE GIANT” currently being serialized in “Big Comic”, the New York edition, “BLUE GIANT MOMENTUM”. The work was selected and supervised by the author, Shinichi Ishizuka, and includes songs that fully capture the atmosphere of New York, the home of jazz, where the series is currently being serialized, from jazz giants such as John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, to young artists such as the vibraphonist Joel Ross, who is attracting worldwide attention, and Samara Joy, who won the “Best New Artist” award at the Grammy Awards last year. The jacket was newly drawn by Shinichi Ishizuka, and the booklet inside the CD contains a specially drawn original 10-page manga. The liner notes were written by NUMBER 8, the story director of the BLUE GIANT series.
The original song “MOMENTUM”, which was released digitally in February this year, will be recorded on CD for the first time and will be released as a single analog at the same time. Julius Rodriguez, a promising young pianist belonging to the prestigious jazz label Verve based in New York, will perform it and release his album “Evergreen” on the same day as the compilation CD, making his debut in Japan.
In addition to original goods as a first-come, first-served bonus, there will also be a Jazz Classics Campaign where customers who purchase designated products will receive an original sticker as a bonus on a first-come, first-served basis.
Julius Rodriguez – BLUE GIANT “MOMENTUM” music video
“BLUE GIANT MOMENTUM”
SHM-CD Release Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2024
*Sleeve case specification
￥3,300 (tax included)
Bonus details ↓
https://www.universal-music.co.jp/blue-giant/news/2024-04-17/
01. MOMENTUM / Julius Rodriguez
02. Strasbourg/Saint-Denis / Roy Hargrove
03. Central Park West / Joel Ross
04. Maiden Voyage/Everything in Its Right Place / Robert Glasper
05. To Never Forget the Source / Sons of Kemet
06. Stars Fall in Alabama / Christian McBride
07. Synthetics / Kurt Rosenwinkel
08. John Paul Jones / Paul Chambers feat. John Coltrane
09. Parker’s Mood / The Hargrove-McBride-Scott Trio
10. Three Little Words / Sonny Rollins
11. Blue World / John Coltrane
12. The Three Trumpeters / Nicholas Payton
13. I’m Confessin’ / Samara Joy
・Julius Rodriguez / “MOMENTUM”
7inch analog 45rpm[Limited Edition]Release date: June 26, 2024
*Clear blue color vinyl
￥2,200 (tax included)
Product number: UCKJ-9014
https://store.universal-music.co.jp/product/uckj9014/
・Julius Rodriguez / “Evergreen”
SHM-CD Release date: June 26, 2024
￥2,860 (tax included)
Product number: UCCV-1202
https://Julius-Rodriguez.lnk.to/EvergreenPR
■ Details of the Jazz Masterpiece Campaign to Commemorate the Release of “BLUE GIANT MOMENTUM”
https://www.universal-music.co.jp/blue-giant/news/2024-04-17-2/
https://Julius-Rodriguez.lnk.to/MOMENTUM
[About the “BLUE GIANT” series]
The series began serialization in Big Comic in 2013. Written by Ishizuka Shinichi, the author of Gaku, this is a coming-of-age story depicting the growth and friendship of Miyamoto Dai, a young man who devotes himself to jazz and aspires to become the world’s best jazz player. It was ranked third in the Manga Taisho Awards 2016. It has received numerous awards, including the Grand Prize in the Manga Division of the 20th Japan Media Arts Festival (2017) and the General Division of the 62nd Shogakukan Manga Award (2016).
The series includes the Sendai and Tokyo editions of “BLUE GIANT” (10 volumes in total), the European edition, “BLUE GIANT SUPREME” (11 volumes in total), and the American edition, “BLUE GIANT EXPLORER” (9 volumes in total), and the latest chapter, the New York edition, “BLUE GIANT MOMENTUM”, is currently being serialized in “Big Comic”.
(“BLUE GIANT SUPREME”, “BLUE GIANT EXPLORER” and “BLUE GIANT MOMENTUM” were co-authored with NUMBER 8.)
■ Various links
BLUE GIANT MOMENTUM Official Website – https://bluegiant.jp/
BLUE GIANT Official Account X – https://x.com/bluegiant_bc
『BLUE GIANT』Official Facebook Account- https://www.facebook.com/bluegiant.bigcomic
UNIVERSAL MUSIC “BLUE GIANT” Website: https://www.universal-music.co.jp/blue-giant/
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