Any seriÂous readÂer of HaruÂki MurakaÂmi — and even most of the casuÂal ones — will have picked up on the fact that, apart from the work that has made him quite posÂsiÂbly the world’s most beloved livÂing novÂelÂist, the man has two pasÂsions: runÂning and jazz. In his memÂoir What I Talk About When I Talk About RunÂning, he tells the stoÂry of how he became a runÂner, which he sees as inexÂtriÂcaÂbly bound up with how he became a writer. Both perÂsonÂal transÂforÂmaÂtions occurred in his earÂly thirÂties, after he sold Peter Cat, the Tokyo jazz bar he spent most of the 1970s operÂatÂing. Yet he hardÂly put the music behind him, conÂtinÂuÂing to mainÂtain a sizÂable perÂsonÂal record library, weave jazz refÂerÂences into his ficÂtion, and even to write the essay colÂlecÂtions PorÂtrait in Jazz and PorÂtrait in Jazz 2.
Image comes from Ilana Simons’ aniÂmatÂed introÂducÂtion to MurakaÂmi
“I had my first encounter with jazz in 1964 when I was 15,” MurakaÂmi writes in the New York Times. “Art Blakey and the Jazz MesÂsenÂgers perÂformed in Kobe in JanÂuÂary that year, and I got a tickÂet for a birthÂday present. This was the first time I realÂly lisÂtened to jazz, and it bowled me over. I was thunÂderÂstruck.” Though unskilled in music himÂself, he often felt that, in his head, “someÂthing like my own music was swirling around in a rich, strong surge. I wonÂdered if it might be posÂsiÂble for me to transÂfer that music into writÂing. That was how my style got startÂed.”
He found writÂing and jazz simÂiÂlar endeavÂors, in that both need “a good, natÂurÂal, steady rhythm,” a melody, “which, in litÂerÂaÂture, means the approÂpriÂate arrangeÂment of the words to match the rhythm,” harÂmoÂny, “the interÂnal menÂtal sounds that supÂport the words,” and free improÂviÂsaÂtion, whereÂin, “through some speÂcial chanÂnel, the stoÂry comes welling out freely from inside. All I have to do is get into the flow.”
With Peter Cat long gone, fans have nowhere to go to get into the flow of Murakami’s perÂsonÂal jazz selecÂtions. Still, at the top of the post, you can lisÂten to a playlist assemÂbled by YouTube user RonÂny Po of songs menÂtioned in PorÂtrait in Jazz, feaÂturÂing Chet BakÂer, CharÂlie ParkÂer, Stan Getz, Bill Evans, and Miles Davis. (You can find anothÂer extendÂed playlist of 56 songs here.) Should you make the trip out to Tokyo, you can also pay a visÂit to Cafe RokuÂjiÂgen, proÂfiled in the short video just above, where MurakaÂmi readÂers conÂgreÂgate to read their favorite author’s books while lisÂtenÂing to the music that, in his words, taught him everyÂthing he needÂed to know to write them. And elseÂwhere on the very same subÂway line, you can also visÂit the old site of Peter Cat: just folÂlow in the footÂsteps takÂen by A Geek in Japan author HĂ©cÂtor GarÂcĂa, who set out to find it after readÂing Murakami’s remÂiÂnisÂcences in What I Talk About When I Talk About RunÂning. And what plays in the great emiÂnence-outÂsider of JapanÂese letÂters’ earÂbuds while he runs? “I love lisÂtenÂing to the Lovin’ SpoonÂful,” he writes. Hey, you can’t spin to TheloÂnious Monk all the time.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
MurakaÂmi, Japan’s Jazz and BaseÂball-LovÂing PostÂmodÂern NovÂelÂist
In Search of HaruÂki MurakaÂmi, Japan’s Great PostÂmodÂernist NovÂelÂist
HaruÂki MurakaÂmi TransÂlates The Great GatsÂby, the NovÂel That InfluÂenced Him Most
1959: The Year that Changed Jazz
ColÂin MarÂshall hosts and proÂduces NoteÂbook on Cities and CulÂture and writes essays on cities, lanÂguage, Asia, and men’s style. He’s at work on a book about Los AngeÂles, A Los AngeÂles Primer. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.