[1] The Tokyo Union was created in 1964, under the leadership of alto-saxophonist Ryusuke Nomura, and as such represents one of Japan's oldest performing jazz ensembles.
[citation needed] Tatsuya Takahashi, tenor saxophonist, became the leader in 1966.
[2] Under Takahashi's leadership, Tokyo Union has toured internationally including several appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the first being in 1978.
[3] Their awards include "Jazz Record of the Year" in 1978 and "Best Big Band" for nine years running in Japan's influential Swing Journal [4][5] They traveled to California in 1980, playing with Herbie Hancock, Slide Hampton and Richie Cole, prior to performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival, and then recording their album "Black Pearl" in San Francisco.
This article about a Japanese band or other musical ensemble is a stub.