The collection also includes roughly 2,200 jazz-related publications: "Down Beat" (American edition; 480 issues); "Down Beat" (Japanese edition; 31 issues); "Metronome" (American edition; 78 issues); "Jazz Journal" (181 issues); "Jazz Life" (136 issues); "Jazz Monthly" (129 issues); and 526 issues of "Swing Journal," Japan's major jazz publication.
Monthly periodicals issue 12 publications per year, so this collection thoroughly covers a huge span of jazz history. The first issue of "Swing Journal" was published in June 1947, shortly after World War II, and has published 750 issues since. It is an important source for post-war Japanese jazz history. It is extremely unusual to find such a complete set of "Swing Journal," including nearly every issue since the first June issue.
In addition, Dr. Uchida, who wished to follow jazz trends in America as they happened, also regularly imported issues of the American jazz magazine "Down Beat". These are also important publications that shed light on the jazz front of the 1950s and 1960s.
All of these sources provide valuable information on the jazz of the latter half of the 20th century.
↑"Swing Journal" (First issue and issues from October ~ December 1949)
The most important feature
of this collection is its nearly complete set-starting with the
first issue (published 1947)-of "Swing Journal" which
closely follows and records the evolution of jazz in Japan. It
is very possible that a more complete set of "Swing Journal"
does not exist outside the archives of the publishing company
itself.
What is even more surprising is that Dr. Uchida managed to import the largely unknown American jazz magazine "Down Beat" in the 1950s, when it took around 360 yen to make 1 U.S. dollar. He kept up to date with all the jazz happenings in America through this magazine and made overseas orders for newly released records.
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