On Sept. 12, Casiopea took the stage for a sold-out night at The Wiltern. The first of two nights in Los Angeles, the Japanese jazz-fusion band performed for “City Pop Waves,” Live Nation’s concert series spotlighting well-known Japanese city pop, jazz fusion and retro pop artists. Notable artists that have performed include Masayoshi Takanaka, Taeko Onuki and ANRI.
Casiopea last toured the United States in 1988. Since then, the band has gathered a diverse community of fans, uniting jazz enthusiasts across generations. Fan Emili Miranda said, “I think what was really cool was to see the audience had so many different ages of people, so many different types of people.”
“Their technical ability and their ability to express both feeling and soul in their music [is what sets them apart from other jazz artists].” said Chris Fedderson, a jazz musician from Santa Barbara attending the concert. “They made it look easy. They were casual on stage, they were smiling, and they were having a good time, and that’s astonishing.”
Casiopea is known for their high-tempo, energetic jazz. The members coined the catchphrase “speed, thrill, super technique” as they debuted. With the speed and complexity of their solos and riffs, one would not be able to guess that most of the members are in their mid- to late-sixties.
Casiopea consists of four members: Issei Noro (lead guitar), Yoshinori Imai (drums), Jun Abe (keyboards) and Yoshihiro Naruse (bass). Since the band’s initial formation in 1976, members of Casiopea have changed; Noro is the band’s only original member.
“This band has a long history, about 47 years,” lead guitarist Issei Noro said after playing the eighth song in their set. Casiopea released their first self-titled album “Casiopea” in 1979, and has released 37 studio albums total. Their latest album, “True Blue,” was released in August 2025.
Despite having gone through multiple hiatuses and member changes over the years, the band’s music has grown along with them, all while still maintaining their playful, energetic jazz core. The consistent energy energy of fans as they jumped to the beat of every song reflected this.
No matter which song, whether new or old, the crowd cheered and waved their fists in the air in unison. Despite being an instrumental band, Casiopea commanded the crowd, with fans cheering and clapping on the beat.
“They were giving us cues on when to say, ‘Hey!’, and when to clap, and when to participate,” Fedderson said.
Matching their polyrhythms and jazz grooves, the stage lights were just as dynamic, flashing and switching looks in time. When a member had a moment to shine individually, the spotlights would swivel to them, illuminating them as they played a solo. No one member outshone the other; each instrument played rhythm and melody, even drummer Imai, who was surrounded by cymbals.
The night closed with three encore songs, “Take Me”, “Fight Man” and “The Sky.”
“There was a lot of, like, ‘in-the-moment’ experience, which I thought was really cool to see, especially for a band that’s been around for 46 years,” Miranda said.
Edited by Justin Ha