EGO-WRAPPIN'

Japanese kitsch-pop, nostalgic mixes of big band, swing, and general quirkiness, was probably best conceived by the Pizzicato Five. In their footsteps, though, came Ego-Wrappin', a group of jazz and blues artists formed around the core duo of guitarist Masaki Mora and singer Yoshie Nakano with a sheen of brass and randomness surrounding them. While the Pizzicato Five reveled in sheer quirk, Ego-Wrappin' have always kept a strong grounding in proper jazz forms, and can return to their core styles at will. Though they released a number of albums in their early years, beginning w...