Terell Stafford (left) conducts the Temple University Jazz Band at Japan’s leading club on March 9, 2025.
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Students, faculty and staff of Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) were treated to a rare opportunity to experience the dynamic performance of the renowned Temple University Jazz Band (TUJB), which travelled from the Main Campus in Philadelphia. Under the direction of Grammy-honored trumpeter Terell Stafford from Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, the led band captivated Japanese jazz scenes with their high-energy performance and seamless improvisation.
Making its Japan debut, TUJB shared the stage with Tokyo’s Waseda University and headlined a gig at one of Tokyo’s top jazz clubs. The band was invited to perform at Waseda University High Society Orchestra’s 69th Recital, titled “Derivation,” on March 8, 2025, at Japan Education Center’s Hitotsubashi Hall. The following day, they played a two-set performance at Akasaka B-flat, delivering a total of 17 songs to a full-house audience. Across both performances, the 21-member Temple ensemble showcased a diverse jazz repertoire, featuring compositions by legends such as Duke Ellington and Herbie Hancock.
TUJB is a student big band known for its dynamic performances and excellence in jazz education. The band has earned national recognition, including a second-place finish at the 2022 Jack Rudin Jazz Championship at Jazz at Lincoln Center. TUJB has collaborated with jazz legends, including trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, cementing its reputation as one of the top university jazz programs. The band has performed at prestigious venues such as Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and has toured internationally in Germany and the Netherlands. This marks TUJB’s first-ever tour in Japan.
Educational and Collaborative Components
Stafford has performed in Japan numerous times, but this was his first bringing the Temple band to the country—a new experience with added responsibilities while traveling with students. “When I came to perform here in the past, I played and I went back to my room and I had time for myself,” Stafford said. “But here, as a teacher, I’m always working on details, trying to put different things together, rehearsing—things like that. A lot more work.”
Still, he enjoyed the experience and achieved the goals he set before coming to Japan. “I wanted to go to have an educational component,” Stafford said in an interview before the live performance at the B-flat. “I wanted to have a collaborative component and I wanted the band to have a collaborative component and I wanted the band to have a showcase program so the band could be heard in Japan. Everybody came to our rescue and one of our alums in the program found this club for us to play, which is great.”
A longtime director at Temple, Stafford has built a three-decade career including a Grammy Award, multiple nominations, chart-topping albums, and collaborations with jazz greats such as Shirley Scott, Benny Golson, and Jimmy Heath. Beyond his accomplishments as a performer, he is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of jazz musicians. He fulfills this role as Temple’s director of jazz studies and chair of instrumental studies at the Boyer College of Music and Dance.
Engagement with TUJ Students
Beyond the performances, the Japan tour also gave Temple student musicians an opportunity to experience Japanese culture with a visit to Asakusa, a historic district known for its temples, traditional shops, and street food. They explored a renowned Buddhist temple, dined, and shopped.
Some students had a chance to connect with TUJ students, who took them to Shibuya, a vibrant hub for youth, fashion and pop culture. Kyoka Serizawa and Nanami Takeuchi, both TUJ students, escorted Maria Marmarou and Scott Alberti on a shopping trip for clothes and CDs, exchanging their musical interests along the way. “I took them to a CD shop and introduced them to some of the latest J-pop music, while they introduced jazz. In the end, we each bought CDs recommended by each other,” said Serizawa, a junior at TUJ. Later, they toured the TUJ campus in Sangenjaya near Shibuya and wrapped up the tour with a bowl of ramen noodles at a nearby restaurant.
TUJ alumni, students, faculty and staff were among the Japanese jazz fans who attended the headline gig at Akasaka B-flat. Serizawa and Takeuchi were also in the audience, experiencing the performance of their peers from the main campus. “I was so impressed by the band’s performance,” Serizawa said. “For instance, Maria was so gentle when we were shopping together but when she got behind the drum kit, I could feel her intensity as she set the tempo and played her solos. She was amazing.”
Along with students, Stafford was also eager to strengthen his connection with Temple Japan. He had met with TUJ faculty members when they attended his performances while he was touring with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. “I’ve known about Temple Japan, but now that I’m finally being here, meeting with so many people from the Japan campus … it all pulls it together,” Stafford said.
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