The Tokyo Sessions
The Tokyo Sessions is Benjamin Herman’s dazzling new album project, set for release on 27 March 2026 on P-Vine Records (Japan) and Roach Records / Dox Records. The album was recorded in Studio Dede (Tokyo) by Akihito Yoshikawa and marks the next chapter in Herman’s deep-rooted connection with Japan, featuring icons from the Japanese music scene including Otomo Yoshihide, Tomoaki Baba and Akihito Obama. The album is a captivating blend of free jazz, new wave tension, sample-based experimentation, and live interplay, capturing the noise, pace, and character of Tokyo while remaining rooted in Herman’s improvisational voice.
You can already listen to the album singles Wasshoi (ft. Otomo Yoshihide), Sugii, and Kazegafuku (ft. Akihito Obama / Ko Ishikawa), and secure your copy of the album:
CREDITS
Benjamin Herman – saxophones, flute
Jimmi Jo Hueting – drums, synthesizers, guitar
Thomas Pol – double bass
Otomo Yoshihide – electric guitar
Tomoaki Baba – tenor saxophone
Shinpei Ruike – trumpet
Ko Ishikawa – sho
Akihito Obama – shakuhachi
Recorded by Akihito Yoshikawa at Studio Dede, Tokyo on 8-11, 14, 15 April 2025
Produced by Jimmi Jo Hueting
Co-produced by Benjamin Herman
Mixed by Robin Hunt
Mastered by Akihito Yoshikawa at Studio Dede, Tokyo
Executive Producer: Benjamin Herman / Roach Records
Photography by Jonathan Herman
Album artwork by MURAKADO
Design by James Hunter
Tracklist
Sugii
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Wasshoi (ft Otomo Yoshihide)
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Kazegafuku (ft Akihito Obama / Ko Ishikawa)
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
NRFS (ft Tomoaki Baba)
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
YAMAN
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Aozora
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Gaa-Gaa (ft Otomo Yoshihide)
Written by Benjamin Herman, Jimmi Jo Hueting, Thomas Pol and Otomo Yoshihide
The Room (ft Shinpei Ruike)
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Tokyo Moon (ft Tomoaki Baba)
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
One For Itsuno (ft Ko Ishikawa)
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Dede (ft Shinpei Ruike)
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Pit Inn
Written by Benjamin Herman and Jimmi Jo Hueting
Jam Jam Radio
Written by Benjamin Herman, Jimmi Jo Hueting, Thomas Pol and Otomo Yoshihide
About the album
The Tokyo Sessions oozes a deep affinity for the Land of the Rising Sun. In 2024 and 2025, Herman – along with bassist Thomas Pol and drummer and The Tokyo Sessions album producer Jimmi Jo Hueting – found themselves knee-deep in Tokyo’s hyper-eclectic musical underbelly – districts like Shimokitazawa and Koenji where underground scenes in the city continue to flourish. Minds were ceaselessly and consistently blown: noise artists, freejazz anarchists, math punk outfits… each murky basement a Pandora’s Box of surprising genre-shattering sounds.
Enraptured and infected, Herman, Hueting and Pol found a box of their own to explore their own out-of-the-box mentality to music. Under the deft hands of analog recording sage Akihito Yoshikawa at his legendary Studio Dede – the trio bundled their collective chops to forge fresh sounds through time-honored means. Joining them are some of Japan’s most esteemed names in Japanese music, namely venerated composer/jazz musician Otomo Yoshihide and tenor sax maverick Tomoaki Baba – who stole thunder on the soundtrack of Tachikawa Yuzuru’s Blue Giant (2023).
Shinpei Ruike also returned to perform, as well as two accomplished practitioners of traditional Japanese woodwinds: Akihito Obama on shakuhachi and Ko Ishikawa on sho. Having such riches in energy and eclecticism bore almost too much fruit. Through live instrumentation, sampling and recording – Herman and his hermanos enter a collective space of feeling, where styles like freejazz, noise and new wave coalesce within the same express lane. Guided by the inspired production chops of Hueting, The Tokyo Sessions became an album where friendships translate into a tapestry of distinct sounds and sensibilities, bundled together in a chaotic, high rolling adventure.
Release tour
Benjamin is excited to announce Japanese key-wizard BIGYUKI to join his trio for the The Tokyo Sessions release tour 3-13 April 2026. This remarkable musician and producer is known for his futuristic crossover of jazz, hip-hop, soul and electronic music. BIGYUKI’s unique fusion of his Japanese roots and the vibrant scene of his current homebase New York already caught the attention of icons such as Mark Guiliana, Meshell Ndegeocello, Marcus Strickland, Q-Tip, Bilal and Talib Kweli. He also left his mark on legendary productions including “We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service” by A Tribe Called Quest and “4 Your Eyez Only” by J. Cole.
See the tour dates for all shows and ticket links.
The Tokyo Sessions [documentary]
The Tokyo Sessions is accompanied by a documentary on the creative process behind the album. Captured through the lens of his twin brother, filmmaker Jonathan Herman, the documentary follows Benjamin and his band from first ideas to final takes. Filmed partly in Tokyo’s Studio Dede, the story highlights unique collaborations with Japanese artists including Otomo Yoshihide, Tomoaki Baba and Akihito Obama. It is an intimate portrait of music in motion—where inspiration, improvisation, and cultural exchange converge.
The Tokyo Sessions premiered on 18 September 2025 at Expo 2025 Osaka as part of the Dutch cultural program curated by Nieuwe Instituut.
Credits
Directed, filmed and edited by Jonathan Herman
Featuring: Benjamin Herman, Thomas Pol, Jimmi Jo Hueting, Akihito Yoshikawa, Otomo Yoshihide, Tomoaki Baba, Shinpei Ruike, Ko Ishikawa and Akihito Obama
Supported by Nieuwe Instituut