... perfectly calibrated, beautiful, intelligent, and one simply allows oneself to be carried away, thinking that with this musician, we are certainly only at the beginning of delightful surprises.
Whether it's his Japanese heritage, or his having lived in various culturally specific cities around America, it's no wonder that identity, landscapes and cultural influences reside so strongly in trumpeter Jun Iida's music. Bellflower is largely the reflection of his move three years ago from Seattle to New York, the music played, relationships made and the many roads traveled up to that time. With a band of new friends who developed this program of mostly originals over the course of a West Coast tour, Iida offers a nod to the resilience of Pittsburgh through the opener, "Rivers and Bridges." "Hotaru Nights" provides views of Japan, but its groove is from the Texas-born sound of the late Roy Hargrove. "Marco the Phoenix" draws inspiration from the beloved anime One Piece, while "Chasing Peace" echoes the sophistication of a classic ballad while yielding something undefinably richer. Bellflower offers songs that are meant to move people and to be enjoyed, wrapped in a collage of sounds that only Iida's personal journey could furnish.
Track Listing:
1 Rivers and Bridges 6:55
2 Hotaru Nights 5:58
3 The Final View 4:22
4 Next Time 4:40
5 Marco the Phoenix 5:18
6 Will They Remember? 6:45
7 No Scuffs 5:06
8 Lovers' Interlude 2:12
9 Chasing Peace 7:23
10 Bellflower 7:43
Music composed by Jun Iida (Jun Iida Music)
except (3) by Nujabes (Mr Bongo, PRS)
Performers:
Jun Iida - trumpet, vocals
Chris McCarthy - piano & Rhodes
Giulio Xavier Cetto - bass
Jongkuk Kim - drums
Masami Kuroki - guitar
Takafumi Nikaido - congas (5)
Zelda Harris - vocals (6)
Production Info:
Produced by Jun Iida
Recorded by Todd Carder at The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY
September 5-6, 2025
Mixed & mastered by Rich Breen, Dogmatic Sound, Burbank, CA
Band photo by Prisca Edwards
Front cover photo by Rengim Mutevellioglu
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Bellflower
Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
5-STARS - Jun Iida's Bellflower Turns Memory, Migration and Jazz Tradition Into Something Strikingly Modern
While rain tap dances against the pavement outside, the studio glows with the muted amber light of late evening. Coffee cups sit half-finished beside tangled cables, and somewhere behind the mixing board a producer quietly nods along to th ...
Making A Scene (Dee Dee McNeil)
This album called "Bellflower" is reflective or Jun Iida's life, both past and present. It's a peek into his musical world but also a diary of sorts to project his inner thoughts and feelings. The "Bellflower" is a perennial plant. There are over 400 species of this lovely purple plant with bell-shaped flowers, much like the bell of Jun Iida's tru ...
Music Without Borders (Jim Motavalli)
Nine Musicians You Need To Hear - JUN IIDA
Jazz with a difference. This Japanese-American trumpet player knows the bop repertoire but is after something new. Instead of the standards, he offers a fresh program of his own compositions. His parents were immigrants who settled in Pittsburgh, but he heard the inevitable call to New York. A striking ...
Jazz Chill (Editor)
Trumpeter Jun Iida has experienced remarkable momentum since the release of his acclaimed 2023 debut album Evergreen. Praised by critics for his warm tone, inventive improvisations, and ability to seamlessly weave together jazz traditions and Japanese influences, Iida quickly established himself as one of the most compelling emerging voices in cont ...
All About Jazz (Paul Rauch)
Jun Iida is a stylish trumpeter who has moved around a bit, in the process taking interpretive fragments of the jazz culture in each city he has inhabited. From his native Pittsburgh, to stops in Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City, he has remained connected to each through personal relationships with the local jazz communities he has embraced. ...
