Orquesta Libre
Orquesta Libre is a Japanese large-ensemble project led by drummer and composer Yasuhiro Yoshigaki. Active since 2011, the group reimagines melodies from jazz, rock, film and theater as a flexible “mini‑orchestra,” often with guest vocalists and collaborators.
In July 2012 they released two debut albums on Glamorous Records: a two‑disc vocal set featuring Yoichiro Yanagihara and Yuichi Ohata, and an instrumental album called Can’t Help Falling in Love. They toured Europe that year, including the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and played at Fuji Rock Festival in 2012.
From 2013 to 2014 they issued Plays Duke, an Ellington tribute with pianist Suga Dairo and tap dancer RON×II, which attracted attention in English‑language jazz media.
Orquesta Libre grew from a 2011 concert at Shinjuku Pit Inn in Tokyo. Yoshigaki designed a flexible, song‑centered orchestra that could turn any strong melody into a standard, blending 1960s–70s rock and pop, Brecht/Weill, and film music for winds, brass, vibraphone, guitar and rhythm, sometimes with tap dance or guest vocals.
Core members include Yoshigaki on drums and percussion, with a rotating lineup that has included saxophones, trumpet, trombone, tuba, vibraphone, guitar, bass and percussion, plus guests such as Suga Dairo and RON×II, and vocalists Yanagihara and Ohata.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:55 (CET).