Has there ever been a soundtrack so thrilling and beautiful? A masterpiece of jazz-infused film music crafted by the great master Norio Maeda.

Released in 1971, the film “Shadow of the Highway” was produced and starred in by Jiro Tamiya and directed by Jun Fukuda. As the tagline “A sports car racing north from Kagoshima to Hokkaido, slicing vertically through Japan” suggests, this suspenseful action film features a Mitsubishi Galant GTO speeding across the screen from start to finish. It’s a road movie often compared to the New Hollywood classic “Vanishing Point.”

The music was composed by the masterful Norio Maeda. Dashing piano lines cornering with grace, a vibraphone racing by with breezy momentum, a powerful bass in full gallop, and drums steadily shifting gears—this soundtrack overflows with vitality and contrast: motion and stillness, obsession and desire, joy and sorrow. The thrilling performance and beautiful melodies amplify the film’s appeal to the fullest.

Not only does it stand as a remarkable soundtrack, but it also represents an exceptionally high standard of “Japanese jazz” from 1971. Performances of this caliber are rare. Although the exact personnel remain unidentified, there has long been speculation that it involved Sound Limited, or perhaps The Third, both led by Takeshi Inomata.

Text by Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUNDS / DEEP JAZZ REALITY)

01. Highway no Kage ~ Daiichi no Giwaku
02. Matteita Onna ~ Daiichi no Wana
03. Highway no Kage ~ Main Theme
04. Nazo no Onna ~ Wana!? 
05. Matteita Onna ~ Main Theme
06. Highway no Kage ~ Wana eno Chousen
07. Sachiusu no Onna ~ Namiko no Tsuioku
08. Nazo no Onna ~ Main Theme
09. Highway no Kage ~ Teki wo Motomete
10. Sachiusu no Onna ~ Main Theme
11. Matteita Onna ~ Variation
12. Highway no Kage ~ Kanashii Ketsumatsu