Yasunori Henmi (Vocals & Guitar)
Takashi Watanabe (Guitar)
Akihiro Izumi (Bass)
Tetsuo Usami (Drums)
Jitterbug is a four-man rock band formed in 2005.
In their early years they released 2 mini albums, “Jitterbug” (September, 2005) and “Jitterbug 2” (July, 2006) and won the Character Award at the NEXT MUSIC AWARDS and the Special Finalist Nomination by Jury at the Tokyo FM LOCK Contest.
Jitterbug’s sound fuses a wide range of musical genres, including jazz, blues, funk and rock, in pursuit of a new form of “Japanese Rock ’n’ Roll.” They are famous for their high-octane live gigs and the combination of wild punk and funk in their music and lyrics is unique and electrifying.
Their lyrics are infused with a sharp commentary on the systematic and desiccated world of contemporary Japan, and a pursuit of a more real and authentic “life.” Some critics have compared them to the literature of the early Showa Period. That is what makes their stunning live performance truly remarkable.
Jitterbug’s song, “KAZENINARE” was picked as the theme song of the 2009 film Crows ZERO II. The song was used in the climactic battle scene where “Suzuran High School, lead by Takiya Genji(Oguri Shun) confronts “Housen Gakuen,” lead by Narumi Taiga (Kaneko Nobuaki).
Their single with 4 songs, “BASUE GALLERY,” including the theme song, was released on April 9. The lyrics of “KAZENINARE” were quoted for 18 pages in the introduction of Takahashi Hiroshi’s comic, WORST (Monthly Shonen Champion).
“Why did I put Jitterbug’s song in episode 1 of the third season of WORST? Are you kidding? Jitterbug are pretty damn good, that’s why!
(Hiroshi Takahashi)
“Melancholic melodies, and a swooping beat! Japanese rock has risen from its grave! This is music to shoot you right through the heart!
(Ryo Ishibashi)
In November in 2009, Jitterbug released their debut album, Jitterbug, the title of which is a reverse English translation of their name, Jiruba, which is how Jitterbug is pronounced it Japanese.
The album includes 13 songs including songs written before their debut, new songs, and the standard numbers in their live shows.
Jitterbug mostly perform in the Tokyo metropolitan area. In September 2009, they performed at the 20th anniversary of Yusaku Matsuda’s death at the Tokyo Cinema Club, Soul Red, with JOE YAMANAKA and THE BAWDIES. In October, they performed at the showcase MINAMIWHEEL, for the first time. In April 2010, they released “Song to Say Good-bye” as a limited Internet distribution single. It was chosen as the 9th tribute song of Crows x WORST.
In February 2011, they took part in a tribute album by Kuroyume, and performed the opening act for them in June.
In August 2012, they performed outdoors at “The Earth Celebration 2012,” on Sado Island.
In February 2013, Sado Tempest, a feature film starring Jitterbug and featuring their original songs, was released in the Eurospace Theater in Shibuya, Tokyo, before beginning it’s national theatrical run.
It was officially invited to Brazil’s Fantaspoa Film Festival. In May 2013, SADO TEMPEST won the Grand Prix (Best Fiction Feature) at the 5th Chicago International Movies & Music Festival.
In June 2013, Jitterbug won Best Original Score in Certificates of Outstanding Achievement at the Brooklyn International Film Festival.
In August 2013, Jitterbug released the album, The TEMPEST, inspired by the film.
In February 2014, they made a cameo appearance in the short film, The Creature in the Nakagawa Canal, in a spoof promotional video shoot of their song, Arowana.
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