Night Crossing

Bright Meridian broke up without warning in August 1980. Night Crossing was born in the final months before that end.

Side A moves like a city waking up after dark. A basement studio in Azabu catches fire on the first take. A highway interchange unwinds, curve after curve of neon. Rain slicks the underpass below. Then the bass steps out alone — the only time it happens anywhere in the label’s catalog — and closes the side.

Side B walks it back down. A jazz bar empties out, one last curl of smoke in the air. A guitar cuts through glass and reflected light. The last train pulls away with almost no one on it. Then every player returns, one final time, before the lights go out for good.

Rediscovered among a set of unlabeled master tapes in 2025, it remains Azabu Records’ sole all-instrumental release.