Megalopolis began with a director's challenge: make a record that smells of culture, and let Japanese people make Japanese jazz. Hiroshi Matsumoto answered with this 1969 quartet session, built entirely around the concept of Tokyo, transforming and rapidly changing beneath the musicians as they set up in a circle to watch each other play. Matsumoto, Hideo Ichikawa, Kunimitsu Inaba, and Motohiko Hino move through a suite-like sequence, from the sprawling A Day in the City to the bittersweet Serenade and the restless City Irritation. Originally issued in Victor's Japanese Jazz series, it's a sharp, city-eyed classic.