Strings
（ストリングス）
TN Column Building B1, 2-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo. (0422)28-5035.
東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町 2-12-13 (TNコラムビル地階)
Monday – Friday 2 sets from 19:30 and 21:00. Saturday, Sunday, Public Holiday 2 sets from 18:30 and 20:00. (Sometimes different, according to the show and date.) Cover charge from 2,700 to 3,800 yen, but often more
https://www.facebook.com/strings.live.bar/
From Kichijoji station (Chuo, Sobu and Inokashira lines), take the north/Sun Road/main exit. Turn left out of the station and walk to the end of the block. Cross over the large street with a stoplight and enter a smaller street with lots of shops and restaurants on both sides. Turn right on the second street (you can only turn right) and the club is about 50 meters up on the left hand side with several signs out front.
Strings is a lovely little gem of a club nestled into the lively, hip spaces of Kichijoji’s backstreets. It’s a small club, and a bit small, but never feels anything less than warm and friendly. A counter curves around the piano, high tables fill the back, and another counter lines the other wall and that’s about it. You have just enough room for a plate of pasta, glass of wine and an oshibori. But that’s all the space you need, really, because it easy to just get lost in the music.
Most nights the musicians play without mike and amps, or not much, anyway. So, the sonic pleasure of hearing the instruments so fresh and direct is part of the charm. With the instruments so close and personal, the musicians play with heightened intimacy and immediacy. There’s nothing to separate the audience and musicians anyway, so you get the feeling of the whole room being live, and alive. Musicians who could command a much larger crowd clearly like to play here for the closeness to listeners and fans. Between sets, there’s no place for them to sit, or even stand, so chatting is part of the fun.
The food at Strings is as nicely done as the interior is well designed. It’s a hip, little space with very good food and drinks. It has to be to compete with the many great restaurants, bars and eateries cramming side streets and back ways of Kichijoji. You almost always need a reservation as it can get crowded very quickly, and often is reserved ahead of time by the ardent fans of musicians. If there’s room, though, the owner will let people stand at the back until the door is pushed back open.
The musicians who play here consider Strings a regular stop for CDrelease tours, special groups and important tours. Many come through every month if they can. The music is not always jazz, but mixes in bossa nova, Latin, singer-songwriters and other close cousins to jazz. The common thread is quality and a close appeal. The music always feels acoustic and unplugged in just the right ways. Strings offers handcrafted evenings, making it a great place to go in and of itself, no matter who is playing. The owner is always there making sure all runs right and customers enjoy it all.
Ken Ota
Yutaka Shiina