The New York Standards Quartet has been working together since 2005, when it started with a weekend engagement at Smalls in New York City. Since that time the group has toured three times in Japan, and completed its first tour in the US in March of 2008. The group is a collaborative venture, featuring Tim Armacost on saxophone, David Berkman on piano, Yosuke Inoue on bass, and Gene Jackson on drums. Live in Tokyo was recorded by NHK Radio, Japan's national broadcasting network, during the band's second tour in that country. The concert was broadcast throughout Japan, and was met with critical and popular acclaim, leading to the band's decision to release the concert as is on CD for its first disc.