In 1993, Dr. Osamu Uchida donated his extensive jazz record collection to the City of Okazaki. There were 12,308 records: 4742 imported LP records, and 7566 domestic records. The records were collected over a period of 40 years, from the 1950s to the 1980s, according to Dr. Uchida's aesthetic tastes. This is a rare and extremely valuable collection, almost certainly unrivaled by any other throughout the world.

In the 1950s, the early years of the LP, the distinguished jazz labels Blue Note and Prestige made 10-inch records of Bebop-one early form of modern jazz-and even today many of these valuable imported discs, known as the "originals," exist carefully intact. The 10-inch records ("Dial" label) of prominent jazz leader Charlie Parker, whom Dr. Uchida held in very high esteem, are known to comprise a collection unmatched in value. Of course, the records of many other "jazz giants" are also integral to the collection.

Another distinctive feature of this collection is that it contains many Japanese jazz records as well. Beginning in the 1960s, before the jazz sphere in Japan came to life with the successes of George Kawaguchi, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Sadao Watanabe, when nobody else paid much attention to jazz, Dr. Uchida continued to give his warm support to jazz players in Japan. Around that time, he started his Japanese jazz collection, which includes many rare records that today's prominent jazz players made when they were young.

All of these records were played carefully and have surprisingly few scratches. Because each record was wrapped in plastic covering and neatly stored on wooden shelves in a room in which temperature and humidity were both regulated, today, 30 to 40 years after they were first purchased, they are still in nearly brand-new condition.

Dr. Uchida collected records according to his own tastes and interests, but he also collected them for other musicians. Whenever he came upon a record of a promising young vocalist, he would play the record for other vocalists who stopped by Okazaki. Whenever he found a famous but rare record, he would always think to himself, "Who would want to hear this?" or "Who would benefit from hearing this?" There are many records he purchased that were more for another musician's sake than for his own interest.
He played Dakota Staton's record, "Late, Late Show" for many a musician who stopped by his house.

↑Dr. Jazz in his Doctor's Studio with one of his personal favorites, the Charlie Parker Collection


↑The rare 10-inch (25 cm) records


↑The first record he purchased,"The History of Jazz" (10-inch; early 1950s)


↑Japanese jazz records from the early 1960s